Names to faces: help sought to identify men in historic Narrogin photo

A Perth man with family ties to Narrogin is seeking help in his quest to identify nine of the men pictured in a photograph of the Narrogin Fire Brigade circa 1928. “My name is Angus, my dad’s name is Angus and his father’s name is Angus,” Angus Slater said. “That’s what got me started in genealogy, I wanted to know why.” Mr Slater sent a colourised version of the photo and a scan of the original through to the Narrogin Observer to share with the community. “I’ve added labels for my dad, Angus Slater, who probably like me was better known as Gus, and my uncle Jack Elliott,” he said. “The captain in the middle of the front row may be a Mr Mellowship, but that’s about as close as I can get.” Now retired from a long career in the radio and television industry as an audio engineer, Mr Slater has been busy tracing his family tree and exploring the lives of his ancestors. “The period in the 1920s when my dad was in the Narrogin Fire Brigade, before working as a saddler at the Narrogin Trading Agency Company and transitioning into the then new field of wireless technology, is very interesting,” he said. Like many Narrogin residents at the time, Mr Slater’s family arrived in Narrogin at the close of the Kalgoorlie gold rush before moving on as the Great Depression hit in 1929. Mr Slater welcomes anyone able to help him put names to faces to give him a call on 0412 448 532.