Researchers from the Australian War Memorial and the Australian National University have been piecing together the threads of information that exist on the Australian special forces, known as the Z Force Special Unit, in Borneo. For full story, click here.
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Ireland Defence Forces
The history of Ireland’s Defence Forces has become vividly accessible in recent years as the Military Archives make more material easily accessible to the public. For full story and videoed interview excerpts, click here.
University of Newcastle Collection
The Margaret Henry Oral History Archive is a collection of audio tapes, transcripts, summaries and essays that were part of the Oral Histories Open Foundation Course (1986-1989). Margaret Henry was a history lecturer at the UON in the 1980s. The oral history tapes have been digitised by Cultural Collections, UON Library and made freely available to the wider global research community thanks to the generosity of The Vera Deacon Regional History Fund. For full story click here.
Australian Generations interviews
How do different generations of Australians reflect upon the big topics of their lives, like love, relationships and family and transitions from school to work to parenthood? For full story and download audio here.
Tombstone Tourism
Ghoulish or not, tombstone tourism is on the rise, according to a band of volunteers unearthing the history of South Australia’s Limestone Coast, who are “giving new life” to the dearly departed. For full story click here.
Talking about cars we had when young
Looking back to the 50s and 60s, driving requirements seemed to have been pretty casual. There were not, of course, nearly as many vehicles on the road and not nearly as many restrictions as there are today. The compulsory wearing of seat belts was not introduced until the 1970s and most of us could remember little cars packed with children who slid and tumbled and fought in the back seat. For full story, click here.
Rosie the Riveter
For many American families, the Great Depression and Dust Bowl struck like swift punches to the gut. New Deal work relief programs like the Works Progress Administration tossed lifelines into the crushing economic waves, but many young people soon started looking farther west for more stable opportunities. Read full article and watch video interview excerpts here.
Busselton Oral History
After nearly a year’s work, a book detailing the history of the City of Busselton through the accounts of its residents past and present has been released. Busselton Life in Snips & Snapswas written and edited by Dr Colleen Liston with photo-editing by Heather Hill for the Busselton Oral History Group and details the past, present and personal histories of Geographe Bay. Group president Margaret Dawson helped by providing many old photographs. The book includes excerpts from more than 450 hours of oral history interviews that have been recorded over a 32-year period by volunteers. For full story click here.
Hurricane Harvey
The Center for Public History at the University of Houston is engaging in a long-term oral history project called Resilient Houston: Documenting Hurricane Harvey. The project will gather first-hand narratives capturing the experiences of victims, first responders, and those working in energy and flood abatement during and after Hurricane Harvey. For full story click here.
US Latino & Latina Oral History Journal
John Trevino, Austin’s first Mexican-American city council member, can be seen pictured on the cover of the first issue of the US Latino & Latina Oral History Journal, the first professional academic journal of its field. Thursday evening, the Center for Mexican American Studies hosted a celebration of the launch of the journal, which is a research publication exploring experiences of Latinas and Latinos in the United States through interviews. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, journalism professor and founding editor of the journal, said the significance of the journal relies on its emphasis of oral storytelling. “Oral history is one of the most fundamental ways that we can capture our stories,” Rivas-Rodriguez said. For full story click here.