His recent subjects have been dogs and their beloved owners, but this time David Darcy decided to try something a little different.
While out on the road gathering stories and taking photographs for his earlier books A Girl’s Best Friend and Every Man and his Dog, the Blue Mountains photographer and author realised there was another book in the making.
Old Timers is a collection of inspiring and engaging life moments from a bygone era, told by people in their own words, and accompanied by Mr Darcy’s stunning photography.
“I wanted to give a voice to people who maybe don’t have a voice,” the 43-year-old said.
He travelled around Australia visiting towns and seeking stories. If you can listen well and show a genuine interest it’s amazing what people will disclose, he said.
There were stories of wartime and heartbreak, stories of joy and inspiration.
In the Mountains he talked to Doris Owen from Springwood and Ross Hatswell from Blackheath. Doris talked passionately about her working life as a midwife and Ross, about driving a taxi before he even had a licence. When he turned 17 he thought he better get a permit from the police station and the officer remarked, “Haven’t you got a licence?”. He’d seen Ross driving around for the past year.
It was a different world back then, often one where hard work was the norm, and people had very little.
“It’s not about want, want, want … having contentment in life. Maybe it comes with age. It comes from a lot of these people having nothing in childhood and the Depression, just small things,” Mr Darcy said.
Of all the interviews he conducted, Edna from Gosford stood out the most. The 104-year-old’s story as she struggled through life after her mother died when she was just five, was heartbreaking. The siblings were separated, her dad was never around and she had hefty responsibilities.
“She had one image of her mum in her mind – coming down the stairs with a white dress on and with a bible in her hand,” Mr Darcy said.
The past 18 months haven’t been easy for Mr Darcy – he’s gone through a divorce, and his step-dad and two of his dogs died, but hearing other people’s life stories put what he was going through into perspective.
“It’s given me perspective and that’s what life’s about,” he said.
He’s hoping the book will appeal to young as well as old.
Mr Darcy’s partner Kerry, a librarian, has already tried the book out on school kids and they loved it.
Old Timers is published by Murdoch Books and available from November 18 through The Turning Page Bookshop in Springwood.
