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Interview with Dr Who star Janet Fielding

The State Library of Queensland recently asked a Brisbane Doctor Who fan to record an oral history interview with a Brisbane actor who starred in the British science fiction show. The Doctor Who fan? That would be our own Spencer Howson. The actor? Janet Fielding, who played Tegan – companion to the fourth and fifth Doctors, Tom Baker and Peter Davison. For full story including short audio and link to full interview click here.

Anisa Puri discusses oral history project

OHR: The article highlights the importance of the aurality of oral histories – of actually listening to the words as opposed to just seeing them printed on the page. In your work, how do you see this emerging awareness changing the field of oral history in general?

Anisa Puri: I think this is a really important shift. As oral historians, we know how essential it is to listen to an interview in order to interpret it. By listening, we observe and interpret meanings that are often lost in an interview transcript or summary. Speech carries meaning—whether it’s the quickening of the pace, the softening of a tone, or a pregnant pause. The cadence and emotional qualities of a voice offer important aural clues for us to interpret. Appreciating the importance of aurality extends into how we present oral history in creative and immersive ways too, whether it’s via a website, podcast, digital story, art installation, audio walking tour, museum exhibition or heritage interpretation.
For full story click here.

Telling the story of Paris attacks

As The New York Times considered how best to commemorate this shocking and devastating event, senior editors wanted an approach that was different but true to those who had lived through it. The idea emerged of compiling an oral history. For full story click here. There is a link in the story to the result of the project.

“Oral History” and oral traditions

Contemporary Pacific academics are giving oral tradition an identity so this article briefly overviews the discourse of oral tradition, meaning of its forms — oral history and oral literature — and their relevance to the Pacific Islands. Oral tradition is a form of human communication where useful information is received, preserved and transmitted orally or verbally for posterity. The transmission of a preserved cultural knowledge is done via vocal utterances prevalent especially in preliterate societies. It includes spoken words in form of folk tales, ballads, chants, jokes, riddles, stories, legends, proverbs, belief, motion, music and songs. This tradition does not remain stagnant in terms of its historicity as it keeps on changing and evolving over time, filtered and codified with every generation. For full article click here.

Black Pioneers share memories

John Sellars will never forget the night of April 4, 1968. He was in his dormitory room at Hinton James Residence Hall when he heard people running up and down the corridor and celebrating on the balconies. When he went out to see what was going on, someone told him that Martin Luther King Jr. had just been killed. "The reason for the cheering—cheering—was because King just got assassinated," Sellars says. For full story click here.

Court case re Lee Kuan Yew’s Oral History

SINGAPORE — A High Court has dismissed a bid by Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s two younger children to gain control of oral history transcripts of the Republic’s founding Prime Minister from more than 30 years ago. In his judgment released on Thursday (Sept 29), Judge of Appeal Tay Yong Kwang ruled that the content of the interviews was of a politically sensitive nature that Mr Lee himself had wanted to safeguard the confidentiality of, going by an agreement that he had signed after the interviews. For full story click here.

Darwin’s first backyard swimming pool

Cracked with age and filled only with a thin layer of dirt, the Kennon family's backyard swimming pool has not hosted a neighbourhood party in many years. Yet it was once the coolest thing going in Darwin. For full story, with audio click here.

War Memorial celebrates indigenous service

While Australian War Memorial curator Amanda Jane Reynolds is passionate about all the exhibits she has drawn together for the first exhibition devoted solely to the military experience of Australia's first peoples, Len Waters' flying helmet speaks to her most strongly. Warrant Officer Waters, who was born at Eurabi Mission near Boomi in northern NSW in 1924, was Australia's first Aboriginal military aviator. For full story click here.

Former broadcaster wins award

Rachel Maher, a former Melbourne community broadcaster, and previous CBF board member has been nominated in Prix Italia – an international Italian television, radio broadcasting website award, for her documentary on Ebola, The City That Doesn't Touch. Working in West Africa during the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus, Rachel was struck by the frightening parallels with Albert Camus' novel "The Plague". Click here to read full article.

Rachel Maher, a former Melbourne community broadcaster, and previous CBF board member has been nominated in Prix Italia – an international Italian television, radio broadcasting website award, for her documentary on Ebola, The City That Doesn't Touch.

Working in West Africa during the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus, Rachel was struck by the frightening parallels with Albert Camus’ novel "The Plague".

Centenarian celebrates his birthday

CLIFTON Haynes still has a sparkle in his eye and still plays the piano. The always-dapper Mosman identity has lived in the suburb since 1924 and last week celebrated his 100th birthday. r Haynes has remarkable memories of Mosman, of an era when trams ran past his house, when a party was a private ball in a local mansion and the cinema cost a shilling and sixpence. For full story click here.