A random selection of 16 photos from Don McKenzie's collection of 1000 colourised and re-colourised images, created for the "Darwin Colourising Yesteryear" Facebook Group between Sep 2021 and Dec 2025.
Darwin Colourising Yesteryear - Facebook Group Information.
Updated: 27, November, 2025, 8:11 AM by Don McKenzie
Sharing Our Heritage: The Don and Cheryl McKenzie Historical Photo Collection, a lasting legacy for the people of Darwin.
As I continued to breathe life into historical photos through colourisation and re-colourisation, I was faced with the competitive challenges of modern "AI" technology and the daunting task of archiving and storytelling. With my energy waning, I decided to set a milestone of 1000 images. This is now completed, and I am posting one post per day until all 1000 images have been posted on the Facebook Group.
The collection totals approximately 20GB in groups of 50 images by 20 groups. Distributing this treasure trove efficiently was a concern. Initially, I considered selling USB drives, but I wanted to avoid any commercialisation. Instead, I've created a dedicated Google Drive with ample storage.
Now, I'm thrilled to share this collection with you, with no strings attached:
Use the images freely: No restrictions, no fees.
No rules, no limitations: Enjoy, share, and use these historical gems as you see fit.
However, I'd appreciate it if the "wizard-of-oz" and sequence number watermarks remain intact on each image, giving us due credit for our efforts, and locks in the ID for the appropriate story.
Where do you get it? Click on the Download link below.
If you click on the Home link below, this also covers the first Personal Computer sold in Australia, as well as my Computer and Internet pioneering exploits.
The future of Darwin Colourising Yesteryear Facebook Group.
With phone apps now capable of transforming old black-and-white, worn-out photos into vibrant, colour-restored images and even animated videos, the landscape of historical image restoration has changed dramatically. However, achieving decent results with AI-powered tools often requires precise control and fluency in their operation.
I've experimented with various apps and inputs, but results can vary wildly, as seen in the multiple versions I created (below) of "0800-856 Myrtle Fawcett (nee Styles) taking the Blue Devil for a spin" in 1931.
AI can be hit-or-miss with photo renditions - some apps nail it, while others produce wildly off-base results. Working with AI requires precise instructions to get the desired output, whether it's image editing, coding, research, or other tasks. And even then, it's crucial to double-check results, as AI can sometimes lead you astray with inaccurate or nonsensical output.
Clinton Bock's WWII colourised images in the "Mile Pegs NT - WW2 in the Northern Territory, Australia" Facebook group showcase mastery of AI technology, and his images are definitely worth exploring. Be sure to read his AI-generated art disclaimer for context.
After colourising over 1,000 images, I was struggling to find new ones and feeling the strain on my health and enthusiasm. With all my files now available for download, including the transformation process and accompanying stories, the question is: what's next for the group?
Should it change direction?
Is there someone interested in taking over as admin?
The group currently has 3,030 members and two expert contributors, Andrew King and Kim Scott.
Imagine in the future AI recreating a 3D tour of Smith Street, Darwin, on February 19, 1942, the day of the first Japanese bombing, using the wealth of archived photos from that pivotal moment in history.
All comments welcome. Don...
My original Image.
Meta AI created this version from the image I gave it. :-)
The future of wizard-of-oz.com
When running my online business, dontronics.com, I invested in a top-notch US-based server and software to drive sales. I registered around 18-20 domains, often naming them after products to capture Google searches – a strategy that's less effective today.
For instance, I secured the domain CAVR.com for a Romanian microcontroller product (AVR) with a C Compiler that I was selling, which helped my global sales.
I created wizard-of-oz.com to colourise historical images for Rainbow, Victoria. I was an admin on their Facebook page, "Rainbow - the famous Australian town," for many years; however, my time as an admin was cut short when new admins made a critical mistake. They set the group to private, which meant you couldn't share a story with anyone but a member.
I pleaded with them over this, as there was no turning back, but to no avail. It killed the sharing of stories that would have promoted tourism.
Despite my objections, the decision stood, and there were other issues, such as banning a 1960s ex-Rainbow CFA Fireman from joining for no reason. Continually deleting my new posts for no reason. There was a lot more, but I will leave it there. I joined on 21 July 2014, when we had 800 members, and the numbers doubled to 1600 members, I believe, with the help of my stories and images. I left in September 2021. The group has since grown to 1,900 only 200 new members since it went private. That same day, I launched the "Darwin Colourising Yesteryear" Facebook group, which has since grown to over 3,000 members.
Due to rising costs, I don't see wizard-of-oz.com lasting much longer. However, I've uploaded all working images and text files to my Google Drive for public access. Similarly, my Dontronics files (which include this file) are also available for download.
Unfortunately, the files I have saved are aimed mainly at Darwin photos and stories only, and not Rainbow.
Today, I simply don't have the time to collate these into archives for download.
However, all Rainbow stories and images can now be retrieved from either the "wizard-of-oz.com" website, before it vanishes, or the "Rainbow, the famous Australian Town" Facebook page.
