This is a collection of 936 photographs of various places in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate (BSIP) between 1956—1974. The photographic collection by Mr James Tedder and Mrs Margaret Tedder features the family’s Island adventures and the work life of James Tedder as a colonial officer. Of the 936 images, 341 alone were taken in various places in Guadalcanal. At least 140 images were taken on Makira, 98 images on Malaita, 96 on different visits to Santa Cruz, 52 on Rennell/Bellona, 51 in the Reef Islands, 49 on Kia in Santa Ysabel, 31 on Tikopia Island, and the rest are of visits to the Duff Islands, Vanikoro, Anuta, Shortland Islands, Vella Lavella, New Georgia and Gela.

There are some important events photographed in this collection that researchers might find useful. These include the 1959 visit of HRH Prince Philip to Gracioza Bay, Ndende; the 10th anniversary of the Malaita Council at Aimela in 1963; a Moro Movement ceremony of presumably the same period; a 1962 relocation of Gilbertese to Komaliae, Shortland Islands; opening of the Tanaghai Catholic church in the 1960s and the Anglican Church in Kia,1964. It also includes images of Solomon Islands women carriers assisting the District Officer’s patrol on Guadalcanal, a rare revelation in an activity that is predominantly portrayed as men’s work. As a worthy documentation of people, society and culture, this album features men, women and children of all ages.

This collection of 540 colour photographs was taken by John Baker in Solomon Islands in 1964 and 1965, while he was working there as a volunteer under the auspices of the British Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) organisation. He was 18 and 19 at the time and was what was known as a school leaver volunteer. There were 10-15 VSOs in the Solomons in 1964, with most working as teachers in mission boarding schools. However, John was attached mainly to two District Administrations to work on various local projects.

At the time, Solomon Islands was under colonial administration known as the British Solomon Islands Protectorate (BSIP), in which virtually all senior and technical/professional positions were still held by expatriates. Thus VSOs were working within and were very much a part of a colonial culture.

The photographs in the collection were taken with a Voigtlander Vito B camera on Kodachrome 100 colour slides. The camera was stored, including for many canoe trips, in an old Sunshine Milk tin with a bag of silica gel in the bottom. Captions for the photos were written in a foolscap notebook when the slides came back from processing. Thus the names of people and places were all recorded contemporaneously and so are likely to be accurate. These captions, written in 1964-65, sometimes have a colonial tone but have been left unchanged as they are an historical reflection of their times.

John Baker’s first work as a VSO was from August-November 1964 as a teacher at the Geological Department’s survey school in Honiara. Then he transferred to Western District headquarters in Gizo and worked during December 1964 and January 1965 as a surveyor on the Wagina Island Gilbertese resettlement scheme. In February 1965 he transferred to Eastern District headquarters in Kira Kira where he spent six weeks working on local election preparations. He then moved back to Gizo and spent April to August 1965 travelling round, organising the construction of concrete drinking water tanks in various villages in the Roviana and Wana Wana lagoons and subsequently on the island of Ranonnga.

Tim Bayliss-Smith served on the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) program in Honiara, Solomon Islands, 1965-1966. He worked as a teacher in the Survey Drafting School in the Lands Department of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate Government and as a librarian in the Geological Survey Department. Though based in Honiara, he travelled around Guadalcanal for work, as well as to Savo, Malaita and Bellona. Tim returned to Solomon Islands in 1971 for his PhD field research into energy use on Ontong Java atoll. He joined the Department of Geography at University of Cambridge in 1973 where he has continued his research in land management in the humid tropics, with particular focus on Melanesia. Professor Bayliss-Smith has made many subsequent visits to Solomon Islands throughout his research career.

This collection of 108 digitised 35mm colour slides are mainly from the period of his VSO placement (1965-1966) and mainly feature Honiara and surrounds. The images depict VSO housing; other VSO volunteers; trainees in the Survey Drafting School; Chinatown; Honiara market; WWII wreckage and other landmarks in and around Honiara. Activities such as sporting events, Easter procession; Queen's Birthday celebrations and gardening also feature.

'The Solomons News Drum' was a weekly newspaper published by the Solomon Islands Government. A trial edition was published on 25 Oct 1974 followed by a further 366 issues published from 7 Feb 1975 until 7 May 1982. The name of the newspaper changed to the 'News Drum' in July 1979. Its predecessor was the 'BSI News Sheet'; it was succeeded by 'Solomon Islands News'.

Reel 1 'The Solomon News Drum' trial edition 25 Oct 1974; Nos.1-46, 7 Feb-19 Dec 1975;
Reel 2 Nos.47-96, 9 Jan-17 Dec 1976;
Reel 3 Nos.97-147, 7 Jan-23 Dec 1977;
Reel 4 Nos.148-195, 13 Jan-22 Dec 1977; Nos.196-220, 12 Jan-29 Jun 1979; 'News Drum' Nos.221-245, 6 Jul-21 Dec 1979;
Reel 5 Nos.246-295, 11 Jan-19 Dec 1980;
Reel 6 Nos.296-348, 9 Jan-25 Dec 1981; Nos. 349-360, 362, 8 Jan-9 Apr 1982.

The first music and voice transmitted by radio in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate (BSIP) occurred in 1923 through the Methodist Mission?s wireless station at Kokegolo in New Georgia. The station often presented choral and band recitals performed in local languages, primarily for the interest of passengers on passing ships which were equipped with wireless sets. However, actual broadcasting in the BSIP began in June, 1944 with radio station WVUQ based in Guadalcanal, and was followed a few months later by WVTJ based in Munda. Both stations were operated by the United States of America military as part of the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) and were primarily sources of news and entertainment for American troops serving in the Pacific. Both stations were part of a grouping known as ?The Mosquito Network?.
In the years after World War II, a radio service was maintained by volunteers in Honiara, primarily for an English-speaking, licence fee-paying, expatriate audience. In 1952, the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Service was established as VQO, broadcasting news and music six days a week to local audiences in most parts of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. By the mid-1950s, colonial administrators saw the important role radio was playing for local audiences and invested in programming (including Pijin content), staff, transmitters and new studios. The studios on Mendana Avenue, Honiara, opened in 1959. By the 1960s, SIBS was also providing school services and outside broadcasting of special events, putting a strain on the still new studio facilities. Studio and office upgrades were made in 1965.
In 1976, under the administration of Sir Peter Kenilorea, SIBS became a statutory body, and commenced operations as the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) in 1977. In 1978 the Australian Government committed funds for the upgrade of studio and transmission facilities in Honiara, the establishment of a new regional station in Gizo and correspondents based in more remote parts of the country. Broadcasting House at Rove, Honiara opened on 7 August, 1982.
From 1980-1984, Martin Hadlow was the News/Programme Trainer, then Head of Development and Training at SIBC. During this time the service transitioned from a government broadcasting service to an independent public service broadcasting corporation. This transition meant new management (including a new Board), a complete revamp of programming and news structure, and the new studio building at Rove. Hadlow prepared this booklet for the opening of the studio and was involved with the preparation of the First Day Cover stamp set for the 20th Anniversary of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).

PMBPhoto 62 is a collection of 209 photographs of Solomon Islands subjects taken between 30 November and 13 December 2001. The main subject area is the 2001 Solomon Islands General Election, the first post-conflict election held.

The photographs are a record of Jan Gammage's experience as a member of an international team of election observers, the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) to the Solomon Islands. Members of the Mission included Australian public servants from AusAID and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and representatives from New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Islands and Japan. Organisations including the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat were also represented.

Subjects include the Solomon Islands Government welcome to the Mission, the IEOM's briefing and organising of teams, deployment by helicopter to Tulagi in Nggela constituency of Central Province (nine candidates, 9,000 registered voters living on five large and about 50 small islands, and 24 polling stations), and aspects of the electoral process. Subjects include electoral officials and police involved in the conduct of the election, and others including boat drivers, and the women who ran the guesthouse on Tulagi in which the observers stayed. Women in the market, Mboli Passage, ship wrecks, the site of the house occupied by Charles Woodford, the first Resident Commission of the British Solomon Island Protectorate, and the "cut road" are also subjects.

In Honiara and surrounds, the Electoral Commission, hotels, the Peace Monitoring Council, the market, Mission members, Parliament House, the Anzac memorial, World War II sites and memorials both American and Japanese, and the Solomon Islands Government farewell to the Mission are among the subjects.

This collection of Charles Morris Woodford includes photographs of the Woodford family; Solomon Islands, Samoa, British New Guinea (Papua New Guinea), etc.; Photographs were bundled with story as told by Solomon Islands person, 1907 (See PMB MS 1381, item 002).