This picture, taken by Helmut Newton, depicts the unloading and positioning of an absorber tower prior to installation at the Shell Refinery in North Shore. The Shell Oil Company's refinery at North Shore was the first of Australia's major post war refineries. It was opened on the 18th March by His Excellency the Governor-General, Field Marshal Sir William Slim.

World renowned photographer, Helmut Newton, was commissioned by Shell to photograph the construction of the North Shore refinery. Newton, German by birth, was interned by British authorities whilst in Singapore, and was sent to Australia on board the Queen Mary, arriving in Sydney on 27 September 1940.