Sir Leslie Thiess photographs and photo albums

Includes 9 black and white photographs of the Kilkivan project which involved the removal of 50,000 cubic yards of soil for the Main Roads Commission at Kilkivan in 1934. 

In 1940, Thiess Bros completed a deep cutting on the Heifer Creek road, between Gatton and Warwick, for the Main Roads Commission. This item contains 27 black and white photographs of the project, some with captions such as:

• Norm Boshammer & Mr Les at Heifer Creek
• Bert Thiess driving D8 (No 11), 1939
• Commencement of Heifer Creek Thiess Bros, 1939
• Starting at largest road cutting in Australia, Heifer Creek
• Deepest road cutting in Australia, depth of 104 ft, contractors Thiess Bros. Toowoomba, 700ft in length, 6 months, 2 bulldozers, 70000 yards, 105 000 tons of rock and earth, for Main Roads, Gatton, Warwick, Heifer Creek Section

Includes 3 black and white photographs showing Thiess Bros excavating the site for the Greenslopes military hospital in Brisbane. 

Includes 5 black and white photographs showing the surface being prepared for the railway at Peak Downs, Queensland. 'Campbell Advertising Pty. Ltd.' is stamped on back of these photographs.  Also includes one black and white negative.

Contains 9 black and white photographs of the construction of the Wickham Terrace car park in 1959-1960 (also known as Brisbane City Council carpark).

Thiess was awarded the Tooma Dam and Tooma-Tumut Tunnel contracts on the Snowy scheme in 1958. This item includes 25 black and white photographs of the Snowy Mountains project as well as some showing a visit to the snowfields.  Also Includes 30 negatives, mostly of people (possibly holiday photographs).

Includes 36 black and white photographs of the visit by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh to the Snowy Mountains project on 9 March 1963. 

Includes 27 photographs relating to Mount Isa, Mary Kathleen and Rockhampton Downs, including aerial views of a dam (possibly Corella Dam), a fuel station, an aerial view of Mount Isa Mines and an event held at Rockhampton Downs.

Contains 39 photographs of the Townsville casino, including a site visit by Leslie, Kay, Bert and Inge inspecting the construction site (7 December 1985) and an event held at the casino (possibly the opening of the Sheraton Breakwater Casino in 1986).  

Collection of 332 photographs, most are unidentified, however some have descriptions including:

• tree clearing
• chaffcutting
• earthworks at Peachester (1938?)
• Eumundi
• Cloudland excavation (1939)
• demonstration of first D4 with fitted blade (first 'bulldozer' in Queensland)
• Oaky Creek powerline, Armidale (Bill Allen, Dave Davenport and staff)
• Thiess's first D9 (tracks removed at insistence of government), in transit, on Victorian railway project
• digging first slot on Barrambie deposit, Western Australia (1972).

Photographs also show Thiess Bros' machinery, Rush's Cafe, river crossings, Swanbank Power Station (1973), aerial view of Darwin (1954) and Julius Dam.

Black and white photograph with the caption 'Blair Athol coal face, photo by Mr Fred' [Carew] and marked with an arrowing pointing to 'Mr Les' and 'Mr Cecil'.

Collection of twelve black and white photographs of the Blair Athol coal mine. 

Three photographs relating to the visit of Thomas Playford, Premier of South Australia to Callide and Blair Athol mines (The Telegraph).

Three black and white photographs relating to the signing of a contract between the Victorian Government and Thiess Bros. for 200,000 tons of Callide coal a year for three years for Victoria. Present at the signing were the Premier, Mr McDonald, Minister for Transport, Mr Hyland, Mr Les Thiess, Mr John Gardiner and Mr J. C. Hercules. (Information taken from: The Herald, 16 March 1951, page 3 and Brisbane Telegraph, 14 March 1951, page 7)  Herald Sun feature service stamped on back of photographs.

Includes 15 photographs of Muswellbrook coal mine, including machinery such as Euclid dump trucks, explosions as well as aerial and elevated views.

Three photographs relating to the signing of a contract for export of South Blackwater coal, includes Leslie Thiess in Tokyo with executives of Yawata Iron & Steel Co. (left to right: K. (Kats) Tanaka, I. Mizuno and  Y. Timura). (Caption from 'The Thiess Story' by Joan Priest, 2nd Edition, page 203)

Includes 33 colour photographs of the visit by the Prime Minister, Malcom Fraser to South Blackwater on 14 June 1979.

Includes 19 black and white photographs relating to the visit to South Blackwater by Baron Von Thyssen on 9 October 1979.

Contains 8 black and white photographs, some with descriptions including:

• Visiting Kianga (right to left) Les Thiess, Jim Keast, pilot?, Matt Fitzgerald, P.W. Robinson
• Callide, 1946
• Reids Dome, 1954

Photograph of a coal stacker at Moura open cut mine, 12/4/67.

Includes two photographs of Leslie Thiess attending business dinners in Japan and two group photographs of Leslie Thiess and others with Japanese women.

Contains 10 colour photographs of a visit to Moura by J. D. Anthony and Mr Velesko (Manila) in March 1978. The visit included an inspection of the mine site, mining equipment and enclosed garden.

Contains 22 photographs relating to the Gladstone and Moura regions.

Includes 3 colour photographs of equipment at Moura mine. 

Contains 17 photographs relating to the Gladstone region, including a group photograph in front of a Thiess plane, aerial views of an airstrip and harbour, site inspections, and a visit by Senator Hendrickson in 1949 (a cropped version of this photograph appears in The Courier-Mail, 8 July 1949, page 5).  

Contains 16 photographs relating to Leslie Thiess's visits to Japan, including dining with business men and geishas, business meetings, sightseeing and teppanyaki dining.

Black and white photograph with the caption 'H.M. The Emperor speaking with Mr. T. Ishida, a chairman, at a chrysanthemum - viewing party held by T.M. The Emperor and Empress in November 1964. Presented to Mr. L.C. Thiess by Mr. T. Ishida, Chairman of the board of directors of Toyota Motor Co.'

Black and white photograph with the caption 'Mr T Ishida, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Toyota Motor Co. Mr L.C. Thiess, Chairman of Directors, Thiess (Sales) Pty. Ltd'. 

Black and photograph with the caption 'Mr Alex J Mc Arthur, Managing Director Thiess (Sales), Mr T Ishida, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Toyota Motor Co. Mr L.C. Thiess, Chairman of Directors, Thiess (Sales) Pty. Ltd.'

Contains 13 black and white photographs of Mr Les Thiess and Mr N Araki at the official opening of a Thiess Toyota building (possibly in Sydney) by Mr N. Araki, Executive Director, Toyota Motor Sales Co. Japan, 13 November 1967.

Large black and white photograph showing Mr Les Thiess, Mr N Araki and two other men opening the doors of Thiess (Sales) office.

Includes 10 photographs related to the opening of Thiess Toyota in Melbourne.

Contains 3 black and white photographs of Mr Eiji Toyoda, Mr Holten (Minister for Repatriation) and Mr Leslie Thiess, possibly at the Thiess Toyota national dealers conference, 1971.

Includes 14 photographs of the opening ceremony of Thiess House - possibly at Tarren Point, N.S.W.

Contains 25 colour photographs of the official opening of Thiess Toyota, Townsville by Joe Bjelke-Peterson, Premier of Queensland, 2 December 1976.

Includes 34 photographs of the official opening of Thiess White, 836-854 Boundary Road, Coopers Plains.

Contains 25 black and white photographs related to the Milne Bay region. Includes images of an airstrip, discarded military machinery, a sign mentioning the 18th Australian Infantry Brigade and Corporal J. A. French, jetties, bridges, pipes and valves.

Includes 62 black and white photographs of the Lea region, showing aerial views, airstrips, Thiess plane (VH-BDD), villages, Lea War cemetery (graves of Corporal Richard Nicholson (VX28858) and Corporal Robert Arbuckle (QX20132)), machinery, jetties, and Papuans, with some in ceremonial dress.

Contains 20 black and white photographs of a harbour, a Papuan village, discard military machinery and a town overlooking a harbour.

Contains 22 black and white photographs with 'The Courier-Mail' stamped on the back. Includes images of Papuans, aerial photographs of Lombrum naval base, discarded machinery stacked on top of one another, ship maintenance facility, hospital ward, machine technician in a workshop, partially submerged ship, aerial view of a volcano crater, entrance to a tunnel, groups of men drinking, cooking in a kitchen and chatting in a dormitory.  

Includes 11 black and white photographs of Milne Bay region, including aerial views, Thiess Bros. plane at an airstrip and James and Leonard, Papuan boys beside a memorial at Turnbull air-strip (description supplied with photograph).

Includes 52 black and white photographs of coastal villages, Milne Bay wharfs, Port Moresby, an airport, aerial views of a volcano crater, a war cemetery, a wharf, an inspection of abandoned airplanes, machinery and a ship.

58 black and white photographs, including aerial views of the Hollandia (Jayapura) region.  Some photographs have annotations, such as:

• Gerald Rose, Campbell Taylor, Mr Lewis, Genie Hotaling?, T. [Thelma] Thiess
• Hollandia - March 1953
• Hollandia - Waikiki Beach - March 1953
• Noemfoor (Numfor), 1953 

54 black and white photographs of New Guinea, including the unloading freight from a plane at an airport ; a group of Papuans sitting near Qantas plane (VH-EBE) ; telephone exchange ; Papuan constabulary ; GG Smith & Co store, Douglas Street Port Moresby ; child health clinic (Infant and Maternal Welfare, Port Moresby) ; views of harbours ; Les Thiess and Sy Green inspecting salvage prospects, Dutch New Guinea, 1952 ; Port Moresby ; G. Rose & L. C. Thiess, 1953 ; aerial views of The Humps, Sepik region and Ramu Valley region ; Milne Bay ; Hidden Valley, Hollandia.

Photographs of Bill Larkin's trip to Woodlark Island (Muyua Island), includes pictures of Bill with local islanders, Don Neate, H. Ward, Barry King and an aerial view of a volcano in the Popandetta [Popondetta] region.

Contains 42 photographs relating to a variety of machinery, including demonstrations showcasing Thiess Bros equipment, American Heavy Equipment such as cranes and bulldozers, as well as other brands including Northwest, Lorain, Euclid, Koehring, Adams, Galion, and Caterpillar. Some photographs relate to salvaged military equipment from New Guinea. 

Mostly photographs of Thiess's planes including the Anson VH-BDD (purchased in 1947), Beechcraft VH-BJJ, Beechcraft VH-CRT and VH-CMT.  Some photographs include captions, such as:

• E. Girault and L. Thiess, May 1954
• First landing of Beechcraft at Gladstone
• VH-CRT at Archerfield, 23 October 1956
• King Air 100 26/11/69
• First DC3 to land at Gladstone pilot on steps Maurice Mitchell (Queensland Airways)

Two black and white photographs of Thiess's aeroplane, 'Progress II', Beechcraft VH-BJJ.

Four black and white photographs of families attending a Thiess Christmas tree party at Yeerongpilly.

Two aerial photographs showing the flooding of the Fitzroy River and Rockhampton. [Printing slip with photographs is dated 13 January 1950] 

Includes eight black and white photographs showing aerial views of Mermaid Beach and Broadbeach.  Descriptions provided include:

• Thiess Bros house at Mermaid Beach
• 'Mareva' Mermaid Beach, April 1954
• Thiess Bros house at Mermaid Beach
• Mermaid Beach, 1955
• Lennons, Broadbeach, October 1955

Possibly photographs of the official opening the K 57 shaft and No 2 concentrator at Mount Isa Mines, 6 September, 1966 (refer to Item 78 for Leslie Thiess's invitation to this event).

Contains 18 colour photographs relating to Thiess's Head Office in Archerfield, including a corporate event at Head Office, street views of the Head Office building and aerial views of the Archerfield airport from Head Office.

Visit by Leslie Thiess and others to Timor on 20-22 July 1972. Includes photographs of Dili ('Hotel Turismo'), passengers boarding a Transportes Aéreos de Timor aircraft, Hotel Baucau, Old fort, Baucau, three Timorese, Thiess plane (VH-CRT), 'The Terminal' Baucau Airport and aerial views of Maubisse and Vila Celestino.

Contains 5 colour panoramic photographs of business meetings at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, and 6 photographs of Timor including Bacau Airport, Bacau beach, Dili Airport, motel at Dili, government building in Dili and a view from Bacau plateau. Also, includes 25 negatives.

Includes 30 colour panoramic photographs of Nippondenso facility in Melbourne, Thiess Toyota opening on 18 Oct 1974 and visits to projects in Mount Isa.

Contains 28 colour photographs taken after Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin, including aerial views of Darwin, Darwin airport, Thiess premises in Darwin, Leslie Thiess with a group of mothers and small children on his plane possibly evacuating after the cyclone. (Refer to Item 75 for more photographs relating to Darwin and Cyclone Tracy)

Photograph of the annual general meeting, held November 1976, showing directors with Mr Peden and Sir Leslie Thiess.

Photographs of the annual general meeting of Thiess Holdings Limited, held November 1979. Thiess board members from left to right: Sir Clarence Byrne, S. Christie, Cecil Thiess, Alex Morokoff, John Peden, Sir Leslie Thiess, Norman Fussell, E.A. Perry, Sir James Foots, Sir Allen Fairhall and Stan Thiess (information taken from 'The Thiess story', by Joan Priest, 2nd edition, page 223).

Photographs of an event held to celebrate the release of the 'Thiess Story' by Joan Priest, with Joh Bjelke-Petersen speaking at the event.

Photographs of the opening of the Hawker Pacific jet maintenance & terminal facility by Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Premier of Queensland.

Pictorial record of the visit to 'Thiess Territory' by the board of directors of Leighton Holdings Limited, 28th-30th March, 1984.  Locations visited include Awoonga High Dam (Gladstone region), Hayman Island, Government Precinct building in Brisbane, and the workshop and central facilities head office at Archerfield.

46 panoramic colour photographs of the opening of a facility in Jakarta, as well as photographs of Sydney Airport lounge, a car showroom, a palm planting ceremony and a worksite.  The collection also includes 26 colour photographs of a worksite in Indonesia.   

33 photographs, mostly of Leslie Thiess, including Leslie Thiess holding his export award (1980) and the opening of the Toyota Manufacturing complex in Melbourne (1979).

Large colour portrait of Leslie Thiess with the caption: Sir Leslie Thiess C.B.E. Chairman of Directors and Founder of the Thiess Group of Companies.

Large black and white photograph of Leslie Thiess seated behind his corporate desk.

Photographs of the Thiess family, including:

• Group portrait for Fred's wedding (31 August 1929)
• Family picnic, with caption: Henry Thiess' first car 1929 Chev. price 175 pounds (1938)
• Two-storey house
• Graves of Peter Thiess, Henry Thiess, Elizabeth Thiess and Mary Pauline Thiess (1946?)
• Group portrait of the Thiess family (1962)

Photographs of Drayton school centenary celebrations held in March 1960. Includes aerial shots of Drayton, cake cutting and Cobb & Co. coach rides.

Two colour photographs showing Leslie Thiess in London for the conferring of his Knighthood, in November 1971. Photographs include Leslie Thiess dressed for the ceremony in a suit, top hat and gloves, and a view of Buckingham Palace from the front seat of a car.

Photographs from the backyard of Leslie Thiess's family home, 121 King Arthur Terrace, Tennyson, during the 1974 flood.

Photographs of Leslie Thiess and others attending the interment of Hiroshi Okano's ashes at Moura cemetery, 1980.

Contains 15 black and white postcards, with views of Townsville (Tobruk Memorial Baths), Rockhampton (Roman Catholic Cathedral, panorama view, Range Convent, William Street, Memorial Monument, Customs House and Botanical Gardens), Coolangatta (Maine Parade, Point Danger, and the Border Fence) and Tweed Heads (Chalet at Razorback, panorama from Razorback and Boyd's Bay and bridge).

[Includes, Sidues Series: 1233 ; The Rose Series: 7149, 7151, 7155, 7156, 7159, 7639, 7647, 7165, 7167, 7170, 7676, 7679, 7681 ; F J Neilson No. 4.]

Photographs in this album record a return trip from Brisbane to Melanesia undertaken in January 1957. 'To Sir Thiess and staff in appreciation for a wonderful trip, David' is handwritten on the inside cover. The photographs throughout the album are captioned.

The inside cover also has a map of Australia and New Guinea and is marked with the flight plan of the trip. The following places are listed below the map:

• Brisbane (9 Jan 1957)
• Cairns
• Lae
• Finschhafen
• Manus Island
• Honiara Guadalcanal
• Rabaul
• Buka Passage
• Port Moresby
• Cairns
• Brisbane

Photograph album relating to a trip in Thiess's aeroplane (Beechcraft King Air, VH-CMT) to to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, between 5-11 March 1972. Places visited during the tour include:

• Port Moresby
• Bougainville
• Bulolo
• Rabaul
• Open Bay
• Wide Bay
• Honiara
• Panguna
• Loloho

Most of the colour photographs have captions. There are some loose black and white photographs of Honiara taken in 1957 which can be compared to the photographs taken in 1972..  

Album contains photographs of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy hit on 25 December 1974. Includes aerial and street view photographs of the city and airport. Also includes a photograph of mothers and their children with Sir Leslie Thiess in his plane. (Refer to Item 57 for more photographs relating to Darwin and Cyclone Tracy)

In 1974, Sir Leslie Thiess was appointed chairman of the Darwin Reconstruction Commission, responsible for the redevelopment of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy (information taken from Canberra Times, 31 Dec 1974, page 1).

Photograph album containing images of the Maura region between 1960s and 1980s.  Includes the 'first golf day', burial of 'Harry' Okano, single men's quarters, wash plant, general office, workshop and machinery including coal haulers, loaders, shovels, overburden drill and draglines.

Photograph album relating to the Toyota World Convention attended by Leslie Thiess. Captions in the album include:

• The convention
• Car show
• Dinner party
• Boarding the ship
• Visiting Toyota facilities
• Toyota night
• Toyota seminar
• Regional meeting