The previous post described the cottages in the village – known as the Patch – at the Belconnen Naval Transmitting Station, and the challenges of keeping them warm in Canberra winters. This time, former residents talk about their memories of Read More …
In my previous post, I presented five reasons to record and use oral history. Here are the next five reasons. Oral history is an excellent way to: 6. Learn about old processes The way we do many, if not most, Read More …
There are many excellent reasons to record and use oral history interviews. Here are the first five of the fifteen reasons why I have found oral history to be useful and important. They are not in any particular order. Oral Read More …
Country dances have been a major source of entertainment for decades, as described in my previous post, but what types of dances were popular last century, and who provided the dance music? In an oral history interview, Harry Portlock talked Read More …
Dances were popular entertainment in cities and country towns through much of the twentieth century. Often the dances served as fund-raisers for local community groups, or during World War II, for the Fighting Forces Comfort Fund and the Red Cross. Read More …
Before the introduction of television in Australia in 1956, going to the pictures was a popular entertainment. The first permanent cinema in Adelaide was established in 1908: West’s Olympia Theatre at 91 Hindley Street.* A further fifteen cinemas opened in Read More …
Sue Gibbs and Peter Zajicek spent their childhoods in Woomera, 450 km north of Adelaide, in the 1960s and 1970s. The isolation of Woomera made it an ideal place to look at the stars, free from the light pollution of Read More …
Barbecues were some of the most frequent social events in Woomera. Often they were held in backyards. Terry Clark, who lived in Woomera in the 1960s and 70s, recalled in an oral history interview one particular barbecue that had an Read More …
Watching films under the stars is a special experience. Some people may remember watching films in one of the many drive-in cinemas that used to exist in city and country towns across Australia. The first drive-in cinema in Australia opened Read More …
As the school year comes to a close and we approach the summer holidays, it is interesting to look back over some of the pastimes that children used to enjoy – many of which were outdoors. Barry Ellis grew up Read More …