After Elaine came to Australia in the 1980s she opened a Kodak Shop in Kings Cross. Her photography was restricted for funds until she owned the shop and later when she became better known, through an exhibition of her tattoo photos and Mardi Gras photos launched by Clover Moore. After that, she began taking photos for the Aboriginal and Islander Dance Company.
Remarkably, her son and three daughters by a previous marriage are all homosexual. This is one significant reason why Elaine has taken such an interest in the Mardi Gras over the years, apart from the fact that she loves its colour and drama for her photography.
In the 1990s Elaine received her first official Mardi Gras media pass so that she could follow the parade, rather than staying in the watching crowd. She believes that her photos are “history, a part of my soul and could be a part of Sydney’s future”, with their insights into the lives of the various sexualities in Sydney. Her four homosexual children have encouraged her to document their community – not just the parade.
Elaine has taken photos relating to the work of the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Services (GLCS) over the years – work in their offices and rallies, Mardi Gras, and at marches like Women Against Violence. Her daughter worked at GLCS and spent more and more of her time there, during the period when she worked to finish her Master’s degree. Then, one day, she said to Elaine: “Hey Mom, come to an important meeting at the Quaker Church in Surry Hills.” Elaine went to the meeting and when her daughter, Kimberly Kitchener, stood next to a man and they took a pledge together to be the Co-Presidents of GLCS, she was so happy and proud that she says she cried and could hardly hold her camera still to take a photo.
She now has a granddaughter named Ginger, who is 7 years old, living near Byron Bay. Her gay son, Christopher, and Karla Dickens planned her. Karla is one of our leading Aboriginal artists. She is also Elaine’s close friend. Elaine sees her as a wonderful mother and her son as “the best father ever”.
If Elaine Syron could say one thing about the Mardi Gras to the community, it would be: “All Australian people should support and understand minority groups, whether sexual orientation minorities or of different races and cultures”. She encourages everybody to go to the parade and read about it.
