John Ward Tram and Bus Collection

John Ward was a prolific photographer who documented public transport in Australia for over 50 years. Notably, he took extensive photos of the last days of the Brisbane tramways, and an hour of colour film footage, which we have digitised to 4k resolution. You can read more about his life and works in this obituary.

His friend Paul Nicholson of Melbourne wrote this brief biography of him:

John Ward (1942-2023) was a Sydney based transport enthusiast and photographer. He was highly respected in the transport enthusiast and general communities for his amazing self-taught photographic skills. John specialised in transport subjects and always ensured he captured the subject in context. In retirement, he catalogued his entire collection and ensured it was passed on for the benefit and education of future generations. John’s collection of Brisbane subjects is now part of the City Council archives. For most of his adult years, John Ward was affectionately known as “The Bottle”. Whilst John was known to enjoy a social refreshment or two, the appellation came early in his photographic adventures when his travelling colleagues realised a hot water bottle was part of his luggage. It was mid-summer in country New South Wales! From that moment, he was affectionately and respectfully known as “The Bottle”. John Ward worked for most of his life in the New South Wales Public Service. He died in 2023 after a short illness. John Ward is survived by his partner, Luis Ong.

Mr Ward has other collections in other archives, notably with the City of Sydney Archives, and with the University of Newcastle's Special Collections. 

When reproducing his work, we ask that you cite it courtesy of the John Ward Collection, Brisbane City Archives.

John Ward in 2013, photographed by Paul Nicholson