Trevor Dallen at his home with his framed Mr Eternity photos and 2000 New Year's Eve display. Picture by Murray Trembath

Long-time Oyster Bay resident Trevor Dallen captured images of many major events and big personalities during his 38 years as a Sydney daily newspaper photographer.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

or signup to continue reading

But, it was the photos he took of the man known as Mr Eternity in a fire escape stairwell of the old Fairfax building in Broadway that people always want to talk to him about.

Dallen worked for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun for 38 years.

'If you take him outside, he will be gone': Iconic photos taken in stairwell

After gaining his Intermediate Certificate at Kogarah High School, his aim was to be a railway electrician, but he failed the maths test.

He had been working part time as a copy boy for Fairfax in his last year at school, and was offered a full time position, which led in 1956 to a cadetship, from where he worked his way up.

"I have been very lucky," Dallen said.

"When you went to work every day, you never knew what you would be doing, what might eventuate."

One job, in 1963, appeared to be routine, but proved to be anything but.

Dallen was in the office when the Melbourne Herald's representative in the Fairfax building requested a photographer to take photos of Arthur Stace, who had recently been identified as the mysterious person who had wandered the streets of Sydney for about 37 years using chalk to write a one-word sermon Eternity in Copperplate style on footpaths.

"I wanted to take him out to the street and photograph him writing Eternity there, but the journo said Stace, who had been brought into the office by a minister, was very agitated and didn't want to stay," Dallen said.

"The journo said, 'If we take him outside, he will be gone'.

"I thought to myself, 'What looks like a footpath?' and the landing on the fire escape came to mind. We boxed him in, with the journo standing on the steps below and me above."

The main image has appeared in many formats over the last 63 years and was listed among the Herald's most iconic photos on the newspaper's centenary.

Dallen is bemused by the continuing inquiries he receives.

"I have taken far better photos, but somehow this is the one that keeps getting all the attention," he said.

Trevor Dallen souvenired the sign on the old Press Room door at Sydney Airport, and reattached it to his laundry door. Picture by Murray Trembath

For many years, Dallen was based in the Press Room at Sydney Airport, where he photographed hundreds of VIPs and celebrities visiting Sydney.

When the new international terminal opened in 1970, he souvenired the sign on the door of the old Press Room and reattached it to the laundry door of his home.

In retirement, Dallen has taken many picturesque photos around Oyster Bay and Como A selection appears in the gallery above.