Australian Generations Oral History Project

Members may be interested in the event that we were notified of in e-BULLETIN No. 129 – 10 September 2014  from Australian Historical Societies Inc.

Australian Generations Oral History Project

A number of Australian Historical Association (AHA) members are part of the Australian Generations Oral History Project which has interviewed 300 people living in Australia born between 1920 and 1989. The interviews explore Australian life and society across time, and illuminate generational change and inter-generational dynamics. At a conference in Melbourne in October the researchers will have their first opportunity to share their findings about 20th and 21st century history and memory. Internationally renowned oral and public historian Professor Michael Frisch will deliver the keynote address and the conference will feature academic historians and industry partners who form the project’s research team including Alistair Thomson, Kevin Bradley, Anisa Puri, Katie Holmes, Kerreen Reiger, Seamus O’Hanlon, Christina Twomey, Michelle Rayner and Michael Frisch.

Follow this link for more details about the conference, to be held in Melbourne on 30-31 October 2014:

http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/australian-generations/australian-generations-conference/

Oral History Seminar

News from The RAHS eNewsletter March Issue 1 includes notice of this event.
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Saturday 5 April 2014 - Oral History Association NSW
Hear your community's voice: creating an oral history project
Listen to oral historians describe how they have created community oral history projects covering a local area, recreational fishing, a workplace and more. An open discussion will further illuminate how to plan and run projects, shape a collection, organise interviews,train volunteer interviewers and make interview information available.

Panel Co-ordinator Virginia Macleod has worked as a professional historian for nearly 20 years. Recently she has undertaken several commissioned oral history thematic projects, including two with a focus on migrant communities.

Pauline Curby co-ordinated an oral history project for Ryde City Council, during the 1900s. She will explain the background to this project, how it was organised, the training of volunteers and reflect on how such a project might be organised today.
                        
              Talking Fish: Oral histories of fishing on the Murray Darling River System, State Library of NSW 2010-2011   [Photograph courtesy of Carol Hannon]

Jesse Stein will talk about how she got started with the NSW Government Printing Office oral history project: what she learned in the shaky early days, the unexpected consequences of snowball sampling. It became easier over time as she gained the employees' confidence and learned trade jargon.

Jodi Frawley interviewed fishers, indigenous communities, tourists and landholders, about their relationship with the Murray Darling Basin, their experiences of the river and its fish, and changes they have seen over the years. She will discuss the logistics and satisfactions of working on this environmental project Talking Fish in rural Australia.  

Time:  10 am - 1 pm (9.45 am registration)
Place: Dixson Room, First Floor, Mitchell Library, Macquarie Street Sydney
Cost:  $45 includes morning tea, Oral History NSW members $35  Bookings essential
Full details here.