Australian Cultural Diversity Calendar

  • Dates of Significance
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Ben Apfelbaum

Ben Apfelbaum commenced his photographic career when at the age of 7 he received the proverbial Kodak Brown Box camera from his parents and requested to document the family’s holidays in Katoomba. As, at the time, the only child of holocaust survivors Ben had no photographs of his forbearers so he began to arduously create a new record of his family and friends.

When his wife Evie gave Ben a single lens reflex camera with zoom lenses even more photographic possibilities beckoned. Ben as an executive member of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies saw a need to document the Sydney Jewish Community and as a member of the Ethnic Communities Council saw that it was also necessary to photograph the wider multicultural community.

Ben has exhibited photos of South America at the Sydney Town Hall and the Sydney Jewish Community for the Sydney Olympics and for the Centenary of Australia in an exhibition entitled ‘Belonging’. His images are stored in the State Library archives and were put on disk at the department of Foreign Affairs initiated a tour to North and South East Asia when it was feared Australia was becoming anti Asian during the brief rise of “One Nation”.

Published works include a book and a calendar entitled Sydney Celebrates” for the 1988 Bicentenial, co-photographer for a Sydney guidebook by author Robert Treborlang, 18 articles published in Australian Camera Craft Magazine, photos included in My Australia compendium, stills of his photos were used in a TV ad promoting harmony and in booklets to attract overseas students. The bulk of his photography is devoted to where it all begun – to his family and friends – especially his wife Evie and daughters Leah and Hannah.