‘Living fossils’ in the desert

Imagine living in Australia’s dry desert interior, and witnessing the landscape come alive after rain. I recently interviewed people who had lived in Woomera, 446 km north of Adelaide in an arid region surrounded by salt lakes that are usually Read More …

Top tips for oral history interviews

These tips will help you undertake high quality oral history interviews that can be used in a range of settings and by others in future. 1. Prepare for your interview by researching the interview topic and doing a preliminary interview Read More …

The delights of bird watching

When we take the time to stop and enjoy our surroundings, we can be richly rewarded with beautiful sights that leave lasting memories. In 2008 I was fortunate to interview Lyn Bartlett, a keen bird watcher.  She described for me Read More …

Creating a new garden

There’s something special about having the opportunity to design and plant a new garden.  But how does one choose what to plant? What style of garden? And how does the garden evolve with time? Lyn Bartlett and her husband moved Read More …

A magic aircraft

For most of us who are not pilots, it is difficult to imagine what it must be like to fly a new aircraft for the first time, on your own. Robert Treloar was a junior flying officer at RAAF Williamtown, Read More …

Poetry by the blacksmith

In an earlier post I introduced Sam Smith, the blacksmith who wrote poetry. Sam was born in 1870, and worked as a blacksmith in Meadows, in the Adelaide Hills, for at least 50 years until about 1953.   He died in Read More …

Defying stereotypes: the blacksmith who wrote poetry

Blacksmiths used to be very important members of local towns, making tools, shoeing horses and repairing farm equipment. Anthony Brookman was 94 when I interviewed him in 2008.  He could remember travelling as a boy from his family’s property, Burbrook, Read More …