The Tom Hellwege 
Photographica Collection
When Tom was still a teenager, one weekend his mother 
attended a local clearing sale and returned home with a 
kerosene tin packed full of odds and ends. Amongst the 
treasures within, Tom found a small camera, which he soon 
identified as an original 1895 Pocket Kodak. It was the 
beginning of a fascination that would endure for 80 years.
Over the decades Tom assembled an extensive collection 
spanning virtually every aspect of photography: cameras, 
lenses, projectors, enlargers, darkroom equipment, 
photographs, glass slides, books, manuals, and more. 
Eventually the collection became substantial enough to 
be housed in a purpose-built showroom at his home in 
Kilmore, Victoria.
Tom also had a passion for sharing his collection and 
knowledge with others. He regularly presented displays 
and conducted demonstrations at local events, donating 
the proceeds of his work to community charities. Tom’s 
enthusiasm extended to the wider collecting community, 
playing his part as a founding member of the Australian 
Photographic Collectors Society, even serving as its 
inaugural president. The Society would later go on to 
recognise Tom for his contributions with the awarding of a 
Life Membership.
What began with a dusty old camera discovered in a 
kerosene tin turned into a lifelong devotion to preserving, 
understanding, and sharing the history of photography.
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