Growing Stories - Tales from Keilor Market Gardeners

City of Brimbank commissioned Kylie Grinham of to produce the photographic content for a 16 page booklet, 'Growing Stories'  detailing the history and contribution that Keilor market gardeners and their families and descendants have made to the broader community of Melburnians for many generations.

Kylie Grinham (Photographer) and Curtis Miller (Graphic Designer)  of Fenchurch Studios met with Brimbank Council staff to be given the project brief.  They were allocated responsibility for taking the brief and co-ordinating and producing the design, photography, copywriting and printing.  

As part of the project Kylie Grinham also produced exhibition prints for a Gallery exhibition to accompany the launch of the booklet.  This exhibition was held at the Old Shire Hall, Old Calder Hwy, Keilor.   Kylie was also asked to speak at the launch to outline her experience working with the wonderful families presented in the booklet.

The result was an incredible publication celebrating the history and legacy of Keilor Market Gardeners. 

‘Kylie Grinham was the photographer on our project ‘Growing Stories’.  This project told the stories of market gardeners in Keilor and how the tradition of market gardening has shaped the land but has changed in the past ten years, no longer being a viable source of income for most.  Kylie was able to form relationships with the participants fairly quickly and support them to be photographed in such a way that they told their own story in pictures.  Not only are her photographs of a very high standard, but Kylie made her subjects feel comfortable enough in a situation which was rather foreign for most of them.  Juxtaposing the brown and green land and machinery with the vibrant colours of produce brought to life a shared experience of a small group of people in this town’s market gardening tradition.  I do believe that without her telling pictures, this project would not have had the success it did.'  

Ellen Kessler, Community Planning and Engagement Officer, Brimbank City Council’