Waiuta: Joseph Divis' house (6)
Waiuta (near Reefton), West Coast, South Island
Joseph Divis emigrated to New Zealand in 1909 from Bohemia. Already an experienced miner, he also took photographs to supplement his income.
Although living and working in different mining towns over the years, he eventually settled in the isolated goldmining town of Waiuta in 1930.
Many images taken by Divis can be identified because he appears in them: by using a shutter time release, he could set up the shot and then quickly get himself into position. Divis chronicled the town, the mine and important social events, capturing the essence of the hard life of a miner.
Joseph was injured in the Blackwater Mine in 1939 and never worked again. During WWII, he was interned as an enemy alien, and his health declined in captivity. When he returned to Waiuta in 1943, he was only able to move about on crutches.
After the Blackwater Mine closed in 1951, Divis was one of the few residents who decided to stay in Waiuta. Most of the houses were removed and, within a few years, Waiuta was a ghost town. The photographer/miner passed away in 1967, and his house gradually deteriorates...
Waiuta: Joseph Divis' house (6)
Waiuta (near Reefton), West Coast, South Island
Joseph Divis emigrated to New Zealand in 1909 from Bohemia. Already an experienced miner, he also took photographs to supplement his income.
Although living and working in different mining towns over the years, he eventually settled in the isolated goldmining town of Waiuta in 1930.
Many images taken by Divis can be identified because he appears in them: by using a shutter time release, he could set up the shot and then quickly get himself into position. Divis chronicled the town, the mine and important social events, capturing the essence of the hard life of a miner.
Joseph was injured in the Blackwater Mine in 1939 and never worked again. During WWII, he was interned as an enemy alien, and his health declined in captivity. When he returned to Waiuta in 1943, he was only able to move about on crutches.
After the Blackwater Mine closed in 1951, Divis was one of the few residents who decided to stay in Waiuta. Most of the houses were removed and, within a few years, Waiuta was a ghost town. The photographer/miner passed away in 1967, and his house gradually deteriorates...