By: Georgina G GE5th Mar 2018 11:42AMI'm sure this is a photo of the Mt Kembla Coal and Oil Company's Mine Manager's house in Kembla Heights. This house would have been built in the 1800s as the mine opened in 1883. It is still standing to this day and is heritage listed. This would be the earliest photo of it found to date.
The caption reads "Mr Rolandsons House" which was probably meant to be Ronaldson, as James Henry Ronaldson (17.7.1858 Scotland - 5.8..1835 England) was a mine manager for the company and lived in this house with his wife Jane Brodie Ronaldson (nee Purves).
The photo was taken by Mr Pringle circa 1887-1896 who was involved in building the Southern Coal Company's mine below the summit of Mt Kembla.
Mr James Henry Ronaldson as Mine Manager for Mt Kembla Coal and Oil company was in nearby Kembla Heights c 1890-1896, so the men probably had a fair bit to do with each other and the photo date fits the time frame for when Ronaldson was living in Kembla Heights.

I am not certain at this stage as I have no photo of Mr Ronaldson to compare but I think the balding man on the far left is Mr Ronaldson. He would have been in his late 30s at the time of this photo.

The veranda, covered in beautiful climbing roses. was modified in the later photograph as seen on Illawarra Images circa 1910 that image seems to have been taken between Rogers and Jarvie's time as mine managers of Mt Kembla Co as they are both in that photo; William Rogers was manager between 1896-1911; and James Jarvie was manager from 1911.