How many times have you wished you could see a building one more time?

The shop where you bought your childhood lollies. The pool where you learnt to swim. Your nan’s old house. Places that were once part of everyday life, until they were demolished and you realised how few photographs you had.

Through Streetkid Industries, I photograph and research Perth’s buildings and places, preserving a record before they change or disappear.

Much of this work began with buildings awaiting demolition, including houses, apartments, shops and businesses. A place doesn’t have to be a recognised landmark to have a history worth recording.

Older photographs often show a building’s exterior. Far fewer record the rooms and everyday details people remember: patterned carpets, old blinds, wall decorations, cupboard lining and fittings that have survived decades of use.

These are the details I try to photograph while they’re still there.

My work has included South Fremantle Power Station, East Perth Power Station, Princess Margaret Hospital, Swan District Hospital, Riverbank Prison, Stirling Towers and hundreds of other locations.

The Rottnest Island Project also involves photographing and researching the island’s wartime remains, logging artefacts and documenting structures as they deteriorate. At the underground Regimental Aid Post (RAP) at Lake Timperley, shown in the cover photo, I photographed the site before and after a major collapse and began taking measurements for an unofficial heritage report.

The work continues long after each visit. Photographs need sorting, records need checking and research needs writing before it can be shared through the Perth History Database on my website.

I now work full time as an urban historian. To help continue this documentation, I’m seeking to raise $3,000 towards travel and site visits, website costs, photographic equipment and storage for the growing collection of images.

Your contribution would help me document more places and make that material freely available for people researching their family, their neighbourhood or Perth’s history.

If you own or manage a building that could be documented, or work for a council, museum or organisation interested in working with me, I’d also welcome the opportunity to discuss access.

Photographs won’t save a building from demolition. They can preserve details and memories that would otherwise disappear with it.

You can explore my work at www.streetkidindustries.com.