Communities and Justice

Photographer – Tim White

Carol Carberry b. 1945

Carol standing next to dresses in her store
Carol Carberry b. 1945

Carol was raised in Gulgong but for the last 52 years has lived in Mudgee after falling for a local builder, Michael.

For 35 years, Carol has owned and managed a women’s clothing store in Mudgee. The daily ins and outs of running the store keep her and Michael busy. Carol loves the hustle and bustle of managing stock – from trade fairs in Sydney to the logistics of maintaining the hanging stock in the store.

On one hand, Carol would love to spend time travelling – domestically and internationally. At the same time, she can’t imagine handing over the business. The social aspect of customers coming and going has been such a huge part of her life for so long.

Standing in Carol’s store taking these shots on a weekday afternoon, there was a constant stream of local women into the store, all of whom Carol knew by name, and she could suggest styles that suited these customers. Carol even handwrites all dockets to extend that personal touch, ‘If the wheel isn’t broken, don’t try to fix it.’

Family is very important to Carol and her husband. With 10 grandchildren and four great grandchildren, they have very busy Christmases. Outside of shop hours they also spend a lot of time in their garden, which is always awash with colour, and they say hello to everyone who passes.

Colin Millott b. 1957

Colin sitting on a harvesting machine
Colin Millott b. 1957

Colin is a well-known and regarded Mudgee viticulturist. He’s worked in Mudgee since 1995,  for Rosemount on their Hill of Gold/Mountain Blue vineyards and then onto the First Ridge Vineyard in 1996.

After graduating from agricultural college in 1978, he went into broad acre farming, feedlot work and shearing. His first foray into vineyard work was for Coriole Vineyards in McLaren Vale, South Australia. He remembers coming to that stunning vineyard and thinking, ‘Yes, this is it. This is what I need to do.’ After being in viticulture for so long, he sees his role as an agricultural midwife for the vines.

Colin is a busy man and feels he has a good 20 years left of being physically able to continue to do what he wants. He would love to focus on his other passion – sculpture – and is moving more towards a work/sculpture balance. He'd love to write a memoir of his time in agriculture/viticulture, with the aim of helping younger people move from a focus on money to a focus on a life worth living.

For Colin, one of the best things about ageing (something he doesn’t see as happening to himself just yet) is that he now feels in a far more relaxed state of being, and that he has nothing to prove. As a young man, he felt he was constantly trying to be good enough or prove himself. Now he knows he is an expert, he knows he no longer needs to prove anything.

Peter Griffin b. 1948

 Peter displaying a message Peter the Painter message on his TShirt
Peter Griffin b. 1948

Peter was a school teacher until 1979, when he quit to become a full-time abstract artist.

He now has had exhibitions across the globe, and is always busy painting, running classes, teaching and travelling. His works adorn their Leichhardt warehouse home, The floor is covered with decades of paint, and there is a constant ordered chaos of paintings, equipment, projects and life.

“I believe that to make discoveries risks must be taken, the traveller must get lost. A well planned journey can only lead to an already known destination.”

Photographer

Tim White

Tim White (b. 1975) has had several careers, with a background in science followed by working for software companies. He is now a winemaker in Mudgee and spends just as many hours taking photographs as making wines. His photographic work is mostly centred around natural subjects: nature, landscapes and other local scenes from Mudgee and surrounds.

‘At the core of my personality I try and see the beauty in all things, whether that's a person, a bird, a flower or a scene. If I can capture some of that in an image then that's what counts ... to try and capture the beauty of everyday life across the ages.’

Last updated:

14 Oct 2022