Opening photos

Opening Ceremony photos

Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt and his wife Dame Zara Holt (right) arrive at the station. Note the newsreel camera at left.

Photo: Ron Hicks.

Honeysuckle antenna on Opening Day. Photo: Bruce Withey.

Officials walk past the Ops building and up to the antenna.

Photo: Ron Hicks.

Prime Minister Harold Holt’s car moves towards the antenna.

Photo: Danny Twomey.

The opening ceremony under the antenna. The Duntroon Military Band in the foreground.

Medium format colour negative by an Australian News and Information Service photographer, preserved by Hamish Lindsay.

Negative HSK-5/9/6/1-33. / LE61792.
Scanned by Colin Mackellar, March 2021.

Here is an enlargement of the crowd in the above photo.

Hamish Lindsay is standing at left (white shirt). Several Honeysuckle Creek staff members and their wives are seated in the back row, while others are standing on the right hand side.

Medium format colour negative preserved by Hamish Lindsay.
Scanned by Colin Mackellar.

The opening ceremony under the antenna.

The crowd listens as Prime Minister Harold Holt speaks. The Duntroon Military Band in the foreground.

Medium format colour negative by an Australian News and Information Service photographer, preserved by Hamish Lindsay.

Negative HSK-5/9/6/1-37. / LE61796.
Scanned by Colin Mackellar, March 2021.

Here is an enlargement of the crowd in the above photo.

Hamish Lindsay is standing at left (white shirt). Several Honeysuckle Creek staff members and their wives are seated in the back row, while others are standing on the right hand side.

Medium format colour negative preserved by Hamish Lindsay.
Scanned by Colin Mackellar.

Prime Minister Harold Holt holds a model of the Apollo spacercraft presented to him by Dr. Robert Seamans, NASA Deputy Administrator.

Medium format colour negative by an Australian News and Information Service photographer, preserved by Hamish Lindsay.

Large, Larger.

Negative HSK-5/9/6/1-41. / LE61800.
Scanned by Colin Mackellar, March 2021.

The gathered guests waiting for the ceremony to start – with photographers perched on the granite boulders in the background.

Photo: Ron Hicks.

A general view of the opening ceremony under the antenna. The Duntroon Military Band in the foreground.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay.

The Duntroon Military Band plays as guests arrive.

Photo: Ron Hicks.

The Duntroon Military Band plays as guests arrive.

John Saxon is standing at centre.

Photo: Ron Hicks.

Deputy NASA administrator Robert Seamans addresses the crowd.

Station Director Bryan Lowe is seated on the left in the second row on the dias.

Notice Hamish Lindsay on the right, in the background.

Photo: Ron Hicks.

Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt speak to the crowd.

Photo: Australian News & Information Bureau.
Hamish Lindsay collection. Negative HSK-5/9/6/1-7.
Scan: Colin Mackellar, March 2018.

Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt speaks to the crowd.

Here is a high resolution scan of just the guests.

NASA’s Tecwyn Roberts, Chris Kraft, and Ian Homewood, Head of Projects Branch, Department of Supply Head Office, are seated second, third and fourth in the front row to the right of Ron Reavley, the Naval officer standing next to the plaque. Dr Kraft is taking notes.

Photo: Australian News & Information Bureau.
Hamish Lindsay collection. Negative HSK-5/9/6/1-10.
Scan: Colin Mackellar, March 2018.

Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt speaks to the crowd.

Photo: Australian News & Information Bureau.
Hamish Lindsay collection. Negative HSK-5/9/6/1-11.
Scan: Colin Mackellar, February 2024.

The original Honeysuckle Creek plaque under guard in its glory day after being unveiled by the Prime Minister.

On the left is Ron Reavley (Ron retired from the Navy in late 1968 before moving into other work. He died in 2007.)

Photo: Hamish Lindsay.

After the ceremony, the official party move from the antenna down towards the Operations Building.

Left to right:

Senator Denham Henty, Minister for Supply.

Harold Holt, Prime Minister.

Dr. Robert Seamans, Associate Administrator of NASA.

Bryan Lowe, Honeysuckle Creek Station Director.

Photo: Australian News & Information Bureau.
Hamish Lindsay collection. Negative HSK-5/9/6/1-13.
Scan: Colin Mackellar, March 2018.

Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt at the Servo console watches the dish respond to his movement of the track ball.

L-R: Brian Bell , Prime Minister Holt, Wes Moon, Senator Henty, Dame Zara, Dr. Robert Seamans (looking away).

Photo from Tom Reid’s photo album. Scan by Colin Mackellar.

L-R in front row: Senior Engineer Wes Moon is guiding Prime Minister Harold Holt as he controls the antenna using the track ball.

Next to them Dame Zara Holt speaks with Station Director Bryan Lowe.

Sir Samuel Jones, Managing Director of Standard Telephones and Cables (Australasia) Pty Ltd., is behind the Prime Minister, on the far left of the frame. STC had the contract to run the station for the Department of Supply.

Photo: Hamish Lindsay. 120 Negative HSK-5/9/6/1-38. Scanned by Colin Mackellar, October 2022.

Dr. Robert Seamans, Associate Administrator of NASA (left) and Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt looking at the Gemini spacecraft on display at the opening.

This spacecraft was Gemini X, flown by John Young and Michael Collins in July 1966.

Photo: Danny Twomey.

Station Director Bryan Lowe and Prime Minister Harold Holt examine Gemini 10.

Photo: Australian News & Information Bureau.
Hamish Lindsay collection. Negative HSK-5/9/6/1-21.
Scan: Colin Mackellar, March 2018.

Station Director Bryan Lowe and Prime Minister Harold Holt.

Photo: Australian News & Information Bureau.
Hamish Lindsay collection. Negative HSK-5/9/6/1-18.
Scan: Colin Mackellar, March 2018.

The Gemini X spacecraft.

Photo and scan: Ron Hicks.

Gemini X, with the cherrypicker in the background.

Photo: Bruce Withey.

(On the left) Christopher Kraft Jr (Assistant Director for Flight Operations – and later Apollo Flight Director) and Willson Hunter (NASA Senior Scientific Representative to Australia) on the cherrypicker.

Edmond Buckley, Associate Administrator of NASA, is partially visible on the left.

Large, Larger.

Photo: Australian News & Information Bureau photo.
Scan: Colin Mackellar.

Taken from the roof of the Operations Building, apparently during lunch, this shows the car park, the Gemini 10 capsule, and related displays.

The marquees are out of frame to the left, and the Duntroon Military Band has relocated from near the antenna pad (for the speeches) to this grassy area to play music while the guests eat.

At top of frame is the cherrypicker, now stranding idle near the Powerhouse. The police motorcyles which escorted the Prime Minister are just visible, partly obscured by the boulder. Next to them is a Ford Falcon which presumably brought the media representatives. The Prime Minister’s car is likely parked near the motorcycles.

Photo from Tom Reid’s album. Scan: Colin Mackellar.

As the photographer is hoisted aloft in the station’s cherrypicker, he snaps this beautiful image of the scene.

The luncheon appears to be over, the Prime Minister’s car is gone, and several guests are wandering back from the Powerhouse (where the cherrypicker is parked) to the marquees erected for the day. The couple on the right appear to be Mike and Phyllis Evenett.

Medium format colour negative by an Australian News and Information Service photographer, preserved by Hamish Lindsay.

Negative HSK-5/9/6/1-46. / LE61806.
Scanned by Colin Mackellar, March 2021.

The photographer took this photo as the cherrypicker moved to maximum extension.

From the Official photo album of the day’s event.

Scanned by Colin Mackellar.