I Look Ahead – Towards A Better World (University of Newcastle and Newcastle Teachers’ College, later Newcastle College of Advanced Education Mottos)

A small ceremony held in the University’s Auchmuty Library to mark the donation of a book to Cultural Collections has conjured memories of the legacy of one of the Hunter Region’s educational giants.

The book was a presentation copy of the Poems and Plays of Oliver Goldsmith (1930) awarded as the Charles Oliver Prize to a 16 year-old Griffith Duncan, “for Magazine Articles”  by the Headmaster of Maitland High School (Mr Charles H. Chrismas) on the 16th December 1930.

The poems and plays of Oliver Goldsmith (1930)

The poems and plays of Oliver Goldsmith (1930)

Charles Oliver Prize plate within The poems and plays of Oliver Goldsmith (1930)

This young man would go on to become foundation Principal of the Newcastle Teachers’ College, later incorporated as the Newcastle College of Advanced Education and Hunter Institute of Higher Education before it amalgamated with the University of Newcastle 1989. The book was donated by Mrs Pat Wilson, who along with her daughter Amanda, and friends Emeritus Professor John Hamilton and wife Alison handed the book over to Special Collections Librarian Lyn Keily and Mark Sutherland Associate Librarian (Research and Information Services).

Mrs Pat Wilson (in red) with daughter Amanda, presenting the book to Lyn Keily and Mark Sutherland (centre). Photo: Gregg Heathcote

The book had been passed on to Mrs Wilson by Griffith Duncan’s aunt, Annie Robson, now deceased. Mrs Wilson discussed the possibility to donate the book to the University’s Collections with her friends Emeritus Professor John Hamilton and wife Alison, which was accepted.

(l-r) Emeritus Professor John Hamilton, Alison Hamilton, Pat Wilson with daughter Amanda, Lyn Keily, Gionni Di Gravio) Photo: Gregg Heathcote

As part of the occassion, a display of Newcastle Teachers’ College photo albums, as well as a recording of Huldha Turner speaking about the College days was played over a slide show of images of the 1949 Pioneer Session. This helped bring back memories of Griffith Duncan and his ongoing legacy and leadership in education to the Hunter Region and beyond.

Griffith Duncan Presentation and Slide Show of 1949 Pioneer Session Photographs. Photo: Gregg Heathcote

The lasting impression he left on his students and staff has shaped their lives and the lives of all that followed. Huldah Turner summed it up in her parting address to Dr Douglas Huxley on the 4th March 1992:

“When I left the college in early 1967, we were still dreaming of our “permanent campus” and wondering if it was, after all, an unattainable pipe dream. However, in spite of our primitive campus those who knew the Union Street Experience claimed that it had camaraderie and a warm fierce loyalty unique in similar institutions. It had to be experienced to be understood.

This spirit was initiated and engendered by its Foundation Principal, Grif Duncan, a man of massive intellect, wide ranging cultural interests and infinite compassion.

He put students and staff before self and all who worked with him came to know his stature; unfaltering integrity, dedication to his college and profound understanding.

He loved his college. He was fiercely proud of it and he fought all the way for his better world.

The college motto of course was his:

“AD MELIOREM MUNDUM”

Towards a Better World

We thank Mrs Pat Wilson and family, as well as Emeritus Professor John Hamilton and wife Alison, for enabling this donation to the University of Newcastle. It has provided a humble reminder of what we are all here to achieve. In these times when the University of Newcastle is seeking to find its distinctive path in a new and challenging global environment, we cannot think of a better and more simple goal for the University, combining its motto with that of  Griff Duncan’s Newcastle Teachers’ College, igniting the powerful Promethian myth that knowledge and education can break the bonds of an enslaved mind, and ignite an eternal flame of ongoing freedom and progress for the good:

“I Look Ahead Towards A Better World”

Gionni Di Gravio
University Archivist
12 August 2015

Fan Dongwang, Dragon, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 180 x 180cm

FAN DONGWANG
Shifting Perspectives: paintings 1995 – 2015

A twenty-year survey of Chinese born artist Fan Dongwang

Exhibition at the University Gallery
12 August – 5 September 2015

This survey exhibition explores the shifting borders of Asian and Australian cultures through a series of dynamic, large format paintings that use colour and motif to shift cultural perceptions in art. The works exhibit a refined attention to detail while exploring the global experience of shifting boundaries in this Asian century.

SPECIAL GALLERY EVENTS
Wednesday 12 August from 12pm

STUDENT HOUR ARTIST TALK with Fan Dongwang at 12pm
FLOOR TALK with Curator and Art Historian, Dr Rod Pattenden at 3pm
These are free events, all welcome

Please join the artist and Dr Rod Pattenden for the official launch at the University Gallery:
Wednesday 12 AUGUST at 5.30pm

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body, and by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian State and Territory Governments.

Colin Anderson (Photograph courtesy of Robert Eather)

The late Dr Colin Robert Anderson, pictured above in his younger student days, passed away in 2014.  He was the director and prime mover of the early Newcastle University College Revues. The Newcastle University College, established in 1951, was the precursor of the University of Newcastle.

Thanks to the efforts of Robert Eather, Ken Longworth, Moira Gordon, Marilla North and others, we have been able to gather a number of the original recordings and related programmes and reviews of these theatrical performances. It has taken eight years to get to this point, since Ken Longworth first contacted us in 2008 about having this material digitised.

Thanks to Moira Gordon, (wife of the late Professor Barry Gordon, a producer for the first production) who tracked down the first ever University College Revue booklet for “Abandon Hope” we now know the original intention of the creators.

Editorial

“THIS IS the first University Revue that has been presented by Newcastle University College. Since its inception in 1951, the College, through the determined efforts of its student body, has introduced and developed those activities which so soon became a traditional part of University Life.

Notable amongst these are the student newspaper, “Opus”, which was first published in 1954, the annual day of “celebration”, Autonomy Day, July 1st, on which day students hit town, generally with a procession – so far we’ve attacked the Transport Department (1956) and the rock’n’roll craze (1957). These celebrations culminate in the Cabaret on the same evening.

Now Revue is joining this list of “traditions”. The aim of a University Revue is to rend(er) limb from limb politicians and professors, fascists and physicists, liberals and communists – in fact any one and anything that has of late been before the public eye and is worthy or unworthy enough to deserve satirizing. Revue also presents a number of items which rely solely on the talent of the actor or singer for their success. For thee acts, we need talent and have been lucky enough to find in our undergraduate ranks singers and dancers of note.

We of the Newcastle University College hope that you will enjoy our Revue and join in the spirit of the evening – one of gay banter and light-hearted fun. If you see someone vaguely resembling yourself on stage, be flattered; if you don’t feel relieved. If you don’t understand some of our more subtle jokes, don’t worry about it – it’ll hit you in about a fortnight’s time.”

However, there are gaps in the archives, and so we are very interested in hearing from past performers, collaborators, family and fans who may hold material relating to them.

Below you can see what we do have, if you see gaps that can be filled, or errors that need correction, or memories that can be added please let us know.

Cheers and please enjoy.

Gionni Di Gravio
University Archivist

1958
ABANDON HOPE

Abandon Hope Revue Programme (Courtesy of Moira Gordon)

Abandon Hope! Original Disc (Courtesy of Ken Longworth)

Programme: Abandon Hope Revue Programme (2.7MB PDF File) (Thankyou Moira Gordon)

Recording: Abandon Hope! – Newcastle University Revue 1958
Digital Copy Courtesy of Robert Eather  (93.8 MB Mp3 File)

Abandon Hope Programme (July, 1958) Courtesy of Moira Gordon

Recording: Abandon Hope! Newcastle University Revue 1958
Digital Copy Courtesy of Ken Longworth

Track 01 Opening Abandon Hope! (2.9MB MP3 FILE)

Track 02 A Technical Barbarian (4.1MB MP3 FILE)

Track 03 Cinder Sue (11.6MB MP3 FILE)

Track 04 Newcastle Opera (9.1MB MP3 FILE)

Track 05 Charleston (2.3MB MP3 FILE)

Track 06 Mrs Dalloway Went Thataway (9.7MB MP3 FILE)

Track 07 Liberace  (6.1MB MP3 FILE)

Track 08 Dragnet  (7.1MB MP3 FILE)

Track 09 The Russian Ballet (3.3MB MP3 FILE)

1959
THE THIRD DEGREE

The Third Degree Revue Programme (Front Cover)

Programme: The Third Degree Revue Programme (4.7MB PDF File)

Recording: The Third Degree – NUC Revue (115.4 MB Mp3 File)
Digital Copy Courtesy of Robert Eather

Recording: The Third Degree
Digital Copy Courtesy of Ken Longworth

Track 01 Opening Chorus (1.9MB MP3 FILE)

Track 02 Don’t Take Your Cars To Town (3.7MB MP3 FILE)

Track 03 Sleeping Beauty (12.1 MB MP3 FILE)

Track 04 Thus Spake Our Bob (8MB MP3 FILE)

Track 05 On The Beach (9.7 MB MP3 FILE)

Track 06 Beatnik Blues (4.6 MB MP3 FILE)

Track 07 Doin’ What Comes Nacherley (3.1 MB MP3 FILE)

Track 08 Face The Mess (15.5 MB Mp3 FILE)

Track 09 Moments Best Forgotten (3.6 MB MP3 FILE)

Track 10 Cha Cha (3.5 MB MP3 FILE)

Track 11 Finale (26 MB MP3 FILE)

Track 12 My Fair Bookie (81.8 MB MP3 FILE)

Track 13 My Fair Bookie (73.6Mb MP3 FILE)

Reviews

Reviews – The Third Degree (Courtesy of Robert Eather)

1960
BRAINWASH

Brainwash Newcastle University College Revue Programme

Programme: Brianwash Revue Programme (1.5MB PDF File)
Recording: None Available

Revue Programme

 Reviews

1960 Review – “Brainwash” At The Roxy (Courtesy of Robert Eather)

1961
FAUX PAS!

Faux Pas Revue Programme

Programme: Faux Pas! Revue Programme (4.2MB PDF File)
Recording: Faux Pas! – NUC Revue (2 discs – 4 sides)

Faux Pas! Side 1 (54.1 MB MP3 File)

Faux Pas! Side 2 (51.5 MB MP3 File)

Faux Pas! Side 3 (52.6 MB MP3 File)

Faux Pas! Side 4 (50.4 MB MP3 File)

Faux Pas – A Revue

Reviews

1961 – Reviews – One Faux Pas After Another (Courtesy of Robert Eather)

1962
8+2

8+2 Newcastle Univereity College Revue

Programme: 8+2 Revue Programme (2.9MB PDF File)
Recording: 8+2 – NUC Revue (1 discs – 2 sides)

8+2 Side 1 (101.7 MB MP3 File)

8+2 Side 2 (20.2 MB MP3 File)

8+2 Revue Programme

Reviews

1962 – Reviews – “Eight Plus Two” Trimphs (Courtesy of Robert Eather)

1962 – Reviews – “Eight Plus Two” (Courtesy of Robert Eather)

1962 – Reviews – “Eight Plus Two” (Courtesy of Robert Eather)

1962
In Time-Out

In Time-Out Newcastle University College Revue

Programme: In Time-Out Revue Programme (3.3MB PDF File)
Recording: In Time-Out – NUC Revue (2 discs – 4 sides)

In Time-Out Sides 1 and 2 (124.4 MB MP3 File)

In Time-Out Sides 3 and 4 (58.7 MB MP3 File)

In Time-Out Revue Programme

Reviews

1962 – Reviews – Plenty Of Fun in “In Time Out” (Courtesy of Robert Eather)

1963?
Top Secret

Programme: None Available
Recording: None Available

Reviews

1963 – Reviews – “Top Secret” (Courtesy of Robert Eather)

Colin Anderson Farewell Clippings (Courtesy of Robert Eather)

1964?
Blue Pencil

Blue Pencil Newcastle University College Revue Programme

Programme: Blue Pencil Revue Programme (3.7MB PDF File)
Recording: None Available

Blue Pencil Revue Programme

1964?
Right Now

Right NOW! Newcastle University College Revue

Programme: Right NOW! Revue Programme (834KB PDF File)
Recording: None Available

Right NOW! Revue Programme

1965?
Back To The Wall

Programme: None Available
Recording: None Available

Ken Longworth’s Reminiscences on the Newcastle College Revues

“I have recordings of songs and sketches from the first two Newcastle University College revues, Abandon Hope (1958) and The Third Degree (1959).

The Abandon Hope recording is a 12″ LP, while The Third Degree includes a 12″ LP and a 45rpm EP. The last has a long sketch called My Fair Bookie, which uses the music from My Fair Lady’s songs for a story about bookmakers. Margaret McDermott, later Margaret Bowman, was the female lead in that and some other sketches of the first two years.

The late Vic Rooney is among the other performers on the recordings, which were made by Vista Records, a Cooks Hill based recording studio.

I was the first person on stage in the first revue, Abandon Hope, playing the title character in a sketch called A Technical Barbarian. I was cast as a technical college student at Tighes Hill who reluctantly got caught up in the Uni revue and was pushed unwillingly on stage at the start of the show each night. I had to be literally pushed on stage every performance because it was a bit terrifying for a 17-year-old to be alone in front of a packed audience of 900 at the original Roxy Theatre in Hamilton who expected to be laughing from the first seconds after the overture. I suspect I was cast as the tech student because I was the youngest cast member of the revue, the only first-year student who went along to the auditions.

I wrote my first revue sketch for the second revue but unfortunately it wasn’t among those recorded. It had a lot of visual comedy, as well as funny lines (virtually all lifted from Tennessee Williams’s play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, where they were all serious – it’s amazing what a difference a change of context can make!).

I was involved in the third revue in 1960 but, from memory, there was no recording. Everybody got a bit too ambitious in the third revue and some of the sketches, including two I wrote and directed, were yanked late in the piece because they weren’t working, with a melodrama replacing them in the middle act. I still think the sketches were among the best I wrote but I didn’t have control over the casting and some of the performers didn’t get the style that was needed.

I also wrote sketches for the fourth revue in 1961, the first staged in the then new auditorium/student dining room on the Tighes Hill campus, but I wasn’t too involved in the physical production and I’m unaware of a recording being made (although I do recall my voice being used in a recording done at the venue of a Dragnet send-up – it was a radio-style play and I think the voices were used offstage) . If there was one, I’d love a copy. My two sketches (neither listed in the program under my real name but under a nickname and a pseudonym) were among the show’s biggest hits and it would be great to hear them.”

Ken Longworth (March 2008)

Ken Longworth’s Notes on the Digitisation of Abandon Hope! and The Third Degree Vinyl Recordings

“The vinyl recordings made of the first two Newcastle University College revues (1958, 1959) are at last ready for me to hand over to the Newcastle University archives.

Adrian Gregg, a Newcastle theatre participant who is also involved in restoration of films and recordings, has cleaned the vinyl disks and transferred the recordings to compact disks.

There are three vinyl recordings: a 12-inch 33rpm LP of sketches and songs from the first revue, Abandon Hope, and a 12-inch LP and 45rpm EP featuring the second revue, The Third Degree.

The Abandon Hope recording was made after the revue, in a hall in Hamilton, when someone decided that a recording should be made of some of the production’s highlights. The Third Degree recordings are live, made during a performance, and, while they include the audience reaction, the sketches and songs vary in volume and clarity.

Adrian warned me that current styluses used for playback of vinyl recordings are different to those from the period when the recordings were made, so that playback with contemporary equipment might not be as good as with  use of older turntables and styluses.

He made me several CD copies of the recordings, so I’ll also give the archives one for each revue. (And he photographed the labels on the vinyl disks and used them for the CD case cover inlays). Adrian also made long-life masters on disks that are supposed to have a 300-year life. I’ll hang on to those, in case problems develop with the other disks.

There are track listings on the labels and he’s also put them in the back of the CD case inlays. However, the track listings for The Third Degree do not include the EP sketch, My Fair Bookie. As a result, there are two unlisted tracks on that CD.

Abandon Hope plays for about 37 minutes, while The Third Degree is about 62 minutes.

Unfortunately, there was no accompanying info with the recordings. I should have the revue programs in a box somewhere, so when I get the time I’ll look for them.

Playing the CDs, I recognised the voices of Vic Rooney and Maggie McDermott (now Bowman, after whom the Bowman building is named.) Boxhead O’Shea, who was also a first-grade rugby player and later a coach and who is still around Newcastle according to a Herald story earlier this year (I think his name was John but he was never called anything other than Boxhead), (ED.- “Boxhead” was Brian O’Shea, thanks Moira Gordon) plays Liberace in a sung sketch. I was also  horrified/fascinated to find myself in a sketch that I’d forgotten about.

There are references to lecturers – Cyril Renwick, or characters based on him, featured in both revues – and there is a sketch called Face the Mess, which was based on the TV interview show Meet the Press, which includes a breathy guest called Norma Sykes. I eventually remembered that Norma Sykes  was the real name of Sabrina, a chesty British celebrity.

A song in the 1958 revue, Don’t Take Your Cars To Town, has a reference to parking meters in Newcastle that suggests 1958 was the year they were introduced.

A lot of the people and references to events are, as you’d expect, of their time, so some sort of research could be needed into the recording contents to make them truly valuable archive records (no pun intended).

I can deliver the recordings and CDs when you are ready for them. It would be good if the ABC could be persuaded to do something on them, and if Margaret Bowman could be induced to talk to an ABC presenter
about the revues.”

Ken Longworth
November 2008

Barry Gordon’s Observations on the student ‘Revue’ in Newcastle
(From Barry Gordon’s “The Gordons of Merewether”, selected by Moira Gordon)

In late 1993, Professor Barry Gordon set about writing a family history, commencing with his graduation in 1956 and his move to Newcastle to join the staff of Newcastle University College.  At the time of his death, he had carried this project up to the early 1980s.  Barry scoured a wide range of sources to build up a chronology of events and happenings, using his skills built up working with historical material.  He commenced with mining his own old diaries and those kept by Moira, photographs, letters, newspaper clippings, calendar charts used to plan activities while of overseas trips, the memorabilia kept from these travels, expenditure records, taxation returns, school reports, trophies, magazines and papers which had been kept, publications, unpublished papers.  Then, as he faced the task of clearing out his room at the University of Newcastle at the beginning of 1994, and thereby sorting through papers and correspondence files built up over thirty-five years, this had meshed well with Barry’s project, and much material relating to his professional and university associations emanated from this. From this history of “The Gordons of Merewether”, Moira Gordon has selected Barry’s observations about the early occasions of student ‘Revue’ in Newcastle.

In Autumn [1958] Barry [Gordon] resumed as captain-coach of the reserve grade rugby side, and a group of students approached him with the idea of mounting a university revue. He agreed to co-direct the production together with one of the students, John Hartigan. In this undertaking his prior involvement with Sydney University Revue was an important factor. Scripts for sketches were contributed by two brilliant Sydney satirists, Philip Grahame (known as “Chester”) and John Cummings. Robert Hughes, who later became art critic for Time magazine and a high-profile author and presenter of TV series on art and culture, came to Newcastle to paint the back drops. Barry wrote scripts and song lyrics, co-compered the show, and appeared in some of the sketches. Moira volunteered her services backstage as call-girl. Intensive rehearsals for the revue began in May. (p.11)

The Revue “Abandon Hope” opened for a four-night season at the old and cavernous Roxy Theatre, Beaumont Street, Hamilton in early July. It was a cause celebre with full houses after opening night. Newcastle had not seen a production of its kind, in which fast-paced, topical satire of the “intimate revue” variety predominated. The cast and stage crew were drawn mainly from members of the rugby club and the university’s ladies hockey team. Their exuberant style was irresistible. Stand-out performers were Margaret McDermott (subsequently, Bowman), Brian O’Shea, Colin Anderson and Vic Rooney, all amateurs at the time. The last two went on to professional careers involving theatre and TV. (pp. 11-12).

The first university revue had been so successful, and the participants had enjoyed the experience so much, that a second was staged [in 1959]. Barry wrote scripts and lyrics, and directed some of the sketches. “The Third Degree” opened at the Roxy in late July. An even better production than its predecessor, it played to enthusiastic audiences and congratulatory reviews. The proceedings were recorded live and issued on L.P. for private circulation. (p.15).

The third University revue “Brainwash”, opened at the Roxy in July [1960]. Barry was not as heavily involved as in the past, but contributed lyrics and a sketch, “Gunn with the Bourbon on Beat Hunter Street” which mingled scenes and characters from two private-eye TV series with Newcastle personalities and events. At the end of the Winter, rugby coaching concluded with a premiership win, and Barry wrote a review of the first six years of the University Rugby Club for Opus, the College newspaper. (p.19)

He [Barry] wrote on a variety of subjects during the year [1962], including an article on jazz for the University arts magazine Nimrod, a piece on hire purchase for the Melbourne-based Catholic Worker, and with Moira, a paper on marriage for a conference of the Sydney Newman Society. Another paper was “Kingship, Priesthood and Prophecy in the Lord of the Rings”, a lengthy analysis of the J.R.R. Tolkien classic which was yet to become widely celebrated. There were also some long lyrics for the University revue. (p.24).

 VIDEOS

These interviews were recorded by Ken Longworth on the 4 April 2009 at a reunion held at the Central Coast of students of Newcastle University College.

Heinrich Schliemann

Australian papers report on the discoveries of Heinrich Schliemann

The discoveries of Heinrich Schliemann, excavator of Troy and Mycenae, were enthusiastically reported in various Australian newspapers in 1877. As the following excerpt shows, the reports found a readership fascinated by the accounts of Schliemann’s dispatches:

Schliemann’s archaeological work was of interest to the non-scientific world as well. He kept the public informed of his discoveries through his books and through his dispatches to the London Times and Daily Telegraph, as well as a number of other newspapers, so that, as A. T. White wrote, “every person of culture and education lived through the drama of discovering Troy” (Lost Worlds, p. 27). His readers were excited by the romance of his undertaking and rejoiced in Schliemann’s incredible good luck in finding exactly what he had set out to find-the physical evidence of Homer’s Troy, and a buried hoard of golden treasure. Dictionary of Scientific Biography

THE ENTRANCE TO THE TOMB OF AGAMEMNON. See page 8.The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 – 1912) Saturday 21 April 1877.

Mr Schliemann’s Discoveries at Mycene: Mask, etc, from Agamemnon’s Tomb. Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 – 1907), 19 May 1877.

Signature
Celebrating Our Artist Graduates

Exhibition at the University Gallery
23 September – 7 November 2015

A casual read of any of the University’s Seahorse alumni magazines cannot fail to impress on the reader the scope and success of our alumni in their chosen fields. Our creative alumni are no exception and this exhibition at the University Gallery profiles the stellar careers of some of our finest graduates who make a difference to the way we see the world through art and creative practice.
Many of our past students have earned national and international reputations for their wide-ranging, innovative and cross-disciplinary approaches to fine arts, photography, and other creative fields, while maintaining strong links to the university and Newcastle community.
In recognition of the importance of creativity in our cultural landscape, and in celebration of the university’s 50th anniversary, the works of 50 alumni will highlight the broad scope of their ongoing investigations and achievements.

Please join our alumni artists for the opening at the University Gallery:
Saturday 26 SEPTEMBER from 2pm

Alumni Homecoming events: Wednesday 21 October – Friday 23 October 2015
Return to campus and reconnect with the people, places and pursuits that made your university experience a memorable one.
https://www.newcastle.edu.au/community-and-alumni/alumni/attend-an-alumni-event/alumni-homecoming

The Margaret Henry Oral History Archive is a collection of audio tapes, transcripts, summaries and essays that were part of the Open Foundation Course (1986-1989). The wider collection of Margaret Henry Oral History Archive containing over 220 interviews in total held at Cultural Collections, University of Newcastle Library. The oral histories have been digitised and will continue to be uploaded to SoundCloud over coming weeks. They contain many stories of Newcastle, the Hunter Valley and its surrounds and records voices describing the Regions cultural, intellectual and social life. It is an incredible legacy to Margaret Henry who passed on 9 September 2015. The project is funded by the Vera Deacon History Fund.

Margaret Henry 1980s at UON

Who was Margaret Henry?

Margaret was born in New Lambton in 1934 and lived most of her life in Newcastle. She attended Newcastle Girls’ High, trained as a History/English teacher furthered her study gaining a Masters degree in History. For most of her professional life (1969-1990), she worked as an academic – mainly within the Department of History at the University of Newcastle and then in the Department of Community Programmes where she was responsible for the Open Foundation course. As an academic at Newcastle University, she is remembered very fondly as a mentor and supportive influence by hundreds of mature aged students and in particular women students. She was responsible for the establishment of innovative new courses within the Department of Community Programmes. Additionally, she involved the department and her students in many local social and environmental campaigns. She is especially remembered for mentoring indigenous students and her active involvement in the establishment of indigenous studies at the university.
Was a great mentor and supporter to many in the community, sharing her tremendous knowledge about Newcastle’s past. She encouraged generations of Novocastrians to engage in history and cultural heritage of the region. She loved for people to share their stories, was a good listening, and these oral history interviews are testament to Margaret’s passion for history, and her vision to have these important ‘voices’ documented.

Dr. John Turner and Margaret Henry (History), the University of Newcastle, Australia – 1985

Margaret Henry. Image courtesy Gregg Heathcote in 2014

The Oral History Collection

Cultural Collections, UON Library has digitised several hundred oral histories from the 1980s. The Margaret Henry Oral History archive records voices describing the Region’s cultural, intellectual and social life.
The collection is diverse and contains over 600 hours of recording, many of the interviews relate to the Great Depression, stories are told sporadically about the Depression because of the significant impact it had on people’s lives.
The oldest interviewee is Veronica Phillips (nee Harper) born in 1884 and aged 105 at time of the interview and is an exceptional and rare interview because the interviewee not only recalls pre-1900s but describes years during WWII and later decades. Veronica recalls the recalls the great drought in 1898, the “suffragettes” movement, “unsinkable Titanic” and helping fundraise for soldiers going off to WWI.

Health and Medicine
There are interviews about health and medicine of the region, with interviews with Dr Roy Mills (Chest physician), Dr Ferguson well known General Practitioner in Mayfield, Matron Punton speaks about Wallsend Hospital, and Sr. Mary Barnabas Paediatric Care at the Newcastle Mater Hospital.

About Place
There are interviews and stories associated with various places, such as Coon Island in Lake Macquarie, Morpeth, Paterson, Belmont,  Belmont South, Awaba, Green Point, Greta, and Buttai, and Islington, Mosquito Island, Port Stephens, Tanilba Bay, Lambton,

Local Identities
Some of the regions well known identities are also interviewed such as Howard Williams and Neville Wheeler about ’95 years of law in Newcastle’, Neville ‘Ned’ Andrews well known sporting identity, worked at the State Dockyard and President of the Federated Ironworkers Union, Clem Ashford innovator of the fast food culture in Newcastle, and Alice Ferguson known who taught thousands of people to swim at Merewether Beach. Also Roy Whalan, well known horticulturalist recollects his early life and how he got into the nursery business. Helen Taylor‘s family came from Czechoslavakia and came to Australia in 1949, Helen is fondly remembered for her long association with Tanilba House and her care in looking after the historic property. Hon. C.K Jones M.P. O.A. (Charles Keith Jones) is interviewed about history of trade unions and politics in Newcastle. Charles Jones was Lord Mayor of Newcastle in 1956, Federal Minister of Transport and Sate Member for Newcastle, (Part 1 – Part 2)

Education Lottie Stewart was a former teacher at Hunter Girls High School speaks about the changes in the education for girls.

Religion
Religion is also a theme, Sr Catarina Heffernan talks about the Dominican Order of Nuns (at Rosary Convent Waratah), Fr Harold Campbell about the Diocese of Maitland, and Ivy Easthope about the Seventh-day Adventists at Cooranbong.

Sport & Recreation Ray Williams about the Stockton Surf Life Saving Club. Ray was born in 1905 and resided in Stockton for most of his life, joining the Stockton club at aged 15 in 1920.  In 1987, at the age of 82 years Ray was still working as a beach inspector at Stockton, “probably the oldest inspector in Australia”.

Pioneer Families
Interviews of some pioneers families such as the Marks, Boydell , Dillon and Elliott families are told by their descendants. Charles Lewis about his memories of working in the Hunter Valley Timber Industry during the 1920s and 1930s.

Arts & Theatre
There are a number of interviews about Newcastle’s dramatic scene and theatres, there is a delightful interview with Betty Lind about Newcastle Dramatic Art Club, Peter and Shirley Bloomfield speak about the Newcastle Repertory Theatre, and Del de Glorion and Peter Whipper Snr each talk about their family’s involvement in Newcastle Theatre. And an interview with Agnes James about the Abermain Eisteddfod.  The history of Newcastle Printmaker’s Workshop is told by its Foundation Chair Robin Winston.

Betty Lind talks about Newcastle Newcastle Dramatic Arts Club. Image Courtesy Betty Lind.

Industry
Many interviews are about the development of the coalfields and other large industries such as the State Dock Yards. Harry Harding talks about the history of Shipbuilding in Newcastle, Douglas Bradford about the Cardiff Railway Workshops, and Clarrie McLennan talks about his days working at Zaara Street Power Station. As well as Sidney Ayerst about working as a diver at the port of Newcastle. Other interviews about large business include Ken Millington on the Electric Lamp Manufacturers, and Clarrie Withers on John Lysaght (Australia) Limited, Robert Burns about Goninan & Co. Ltd, and the history of ABC (2NC) radio in Newcastle by John Bracken. There is also the wonderful story of pioneer Walter Edwin Bramble whose family would establish Brambles as told by his grand-daughter Betty Anderson. Maritime history and Newcastle’s Customs House is discussed by Captain James Fletcher.

Transport Norman Kelty speaks about the changes from trams to buses in Newcastle.

Unions & Politics Keith Wilson was an active participant in social issues and talks about the emerging role of Newcastle Trade Hall Council.

Law & Order Keith Parsons & Doug Lithgow speak about the history of policing in Newcastle. Police in Newcastle were housed in the building known today as the Lock Up Cultural Centre. Keith is son of retired Sergeant Ewen Parsons and Doug the son of retired Superintendent George Lithgow, they each reflect their father’s views about the police force.

Women’s History There are several interviews about women, Kathleen Blackett describes the years she worked at Rylands during WWII and that there was often resentment towards women doing manual jobs.  Joyce Staley reflects on the life as a single woman during the Great Depression, the hard times and having to be self-sufficient, as does Doreen Maher. Pearl Hickey talks about the Newcastle Women’s Movements. Mary Calcott who worked at the Working Women’s Centre at Mayfield in 1975.

Family Business’ Family business’ of Newcastle and the Hunter also feature in the collection. Stephen Simpson talks about his trade as a bootmaker and establishing Simpson’s Shoes at Lambton. Also listen to Eric Merrion about ‘Merrion’s Cardiff Bakery’ a family business 1922-1977. Bill Payne owner of the Melvic Theatre at Belmont talks about setting up the theatre, and Keith McGill talks about following him his father’s footsteps to become a butcher. Alec Young of Young & Green car dealership, and Miss Nancy Morison talks about her family’s pioneering engineering firm Morison & Bearby, Arthur Dodd about the business he established Dodd & Co. Pty Ltd. Similarly John Sobb speaks about establishing his own retail store. Although not a family business, the history of Newcastle and suburban Co-Operative Society, community lead stores are discussed by Esme Allan. Colin Johnston talks about the growth of High Street, Maitland, and the family business Johnston’s Shoe Store.

Migrant Histories There are fascinating interviews with people who were at the Greta Migrant Camp, such as Elly Slechter and  Bazil Manunczak. Luka Dejanovic about the Croation community in Newcastle.

About the Environment There are interviews with the environmentalist such as Tom Farrell and Selby Alley speaks of the rise of environmental awareness in Australia. The history of the Northern Parks and Playground Movement and conservation in Newcastle is discussed by Doug Lithgow. John Lineham talks about the Toorumbee Creek Community, an alternative life-style movement, the aim was to “settle the country and develop a self sufficient life-style based on appropriate, mainly soft technology”. The attraction was to get away to the pristine isolated environment, to the tranquility, an escape from technology and industry.

Tom Farrell speaks about early Newcastle & the environment

These histories record the public memory at a certain time, memories that can be mapped in time and place. Hearing the past can inspire us, provide new knowledge so we can better understand, and plan our future.

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 further interviews in the Margaret Henry Oral History Project go to Margaret Henry Oral History Project (1986-1989) on SoundCloud.

Sources:

Milsom, Rosemary (10 Sept 2015( OBITUARY- ‘Margaret Henry- City loses its ‘conscience’

Henry, Margaret (1991)‘The Battle for Newcastle’- Margaret Henry

The Battle for Newcastle:Heritage and the Earthquake. By Margaret Henry, 1991.

Project compiled by Dr Ann Hardy for Cultural Collections, University of Newcastle Library

liminal /ˈlimənl/ adjective technical
1. Relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process.
2. Occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold.
Liminal celebrates the art work of students completing the Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) degree and the Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) degree at the University of Newcastle in 2015. Graduating students have worked with a range of different media and processes to create individual pieces that reflect their achievements in becoming independent and professional artists.
Showing across two locations at Callaghan campus, the University Gallery will feature the work of six BFA Honours students presenting their final works for examination: Libby Eckersley, Shelagh Lummis, Louisa Magrics, Kalinda Nelson-Boyd, Shandele Pascoe, and James Rhodes. The Art Building (AT)will also host a selection of final art work from 37 graduating students of the BFA and BFA Teaching degree course (from 25 November to 4 December).

SPECIAL EVENT IN THE GALLERY HOSTED BY THE SCHOOL OF CREATIVE ARTS
Creativity and Culture in the 21st Century with Marcus Westbury
Thursday 26 November at 10am Free event, all welcome

Please join the artists for the opening at the University Gallery to be launched by the founder of Renew Newcastle and Renew Australia, author of Creating Cities, and writer and presenter of Bespoke on ABC TV, Marcus Westbury:
Wednesday 25 November at 6pm

Our colleagues in the Newcastle University Students Association are uploading their photographic archive to Flickr. Take a trip down memory lane by visiting their site.

Margaret Henry

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.

Margaret Henry Oral History Archive on Soundcloud

The wider collection of Margaret Henry Oral History Archive – over 200 interviews in total and with many stories of Newcastle, the Hunter Valley and its surrounds and records voices describing the Regions cultural, intellectual and social life. It is an incredible legacy to Margaret Henry. The original audio tapes and written sources are held in Cultural Collections at the Auchmuty Library, University of Newcastle (Australia).

You are welcome to use the sources for study and personal research purposes. Please acknowledge as Courtesy of the “Margaret Henry Oral History Archive, University of Newcastle (Australia)” For commercial requests you must obtain permission by contacting Cultural Collections.

If you are the subject of the stories, or know the subject of the stories, and have cultural or other reservations about the stories available on this website and would like to discuss this with us please contact Cultural Collections at archives@newcastle.edu.au

These sources are provided free of charge to the global community thanks to the generosity of the Vera Deacon Regional History Fund. Information about the Vera Deacon History Fund is here https://uoncc.wordpress.com/vera-deacon-fund/ And you can directly donate here: https://dotnet.newcastle.edu.au/donations/

A6524 –  (WRITTEN SOURCES)

A6524(xiv)- 1 A History of Winns Ltd,1878 -1980– Marie Maddrell (Also see A7464(xii) for audio recording) Interviewer Gwyneth Robertson.

A6524(xiv)- 2 A History of Winns Ltd,1878 -1980. Marie Maddrell
Interviewer Gwyneth Robertson.

A6524(xiv)- 3 Educator – Miss Phyllis Bennett (Also see A6731(35) for audio recording)
Interviewer Mavis Pattinson.

A6524(xiv)- 4 Growing up in Islington–  Mrs. Leslie (Also see A6731 (37) for audio recording)
Interviewer Helen Adams.

A6524(xiv)- 5 Nursing at Kurri Kurri District Hospital – Mary Louisa Corke (nee Pike) (Also see A6731 (39) for audio recording) Interviewer Marilyn Donn.

A6524(xiv)- 6 “Women who dared” – Sister Constance Casey (Also see A7466B (xix) for audio recording)
Interviewer Mary Guy.

A6524(xiv)- 7 Family History – Alice Ellis & Ruth Croll (Also see A7466B (xxi) for audio recording)
Interviewer Margaret Hudson

A6524(xiv)- 8 Headmistress Newcastle Grammar School 1968-76 – Mrs. Kath Stewart (Also see A6731 (34) for audio recording)
Interviewer Olive McCredy.

A6524(xiv)- 9 Nursing from 1929 – 1978 – Mary Knodler (Also see A7466B(xx) for audio recording)
Interviewer Jill Alcorn.

A6524(xiv)- 11 The Marks family in eastern Lake Macquarie – Ann Gee (Also see A6731 (36) for audio recording)
Interviewer Jackie Boynton

A6731 – (ORAL RECORDINGS ONLY)

A6731 (1) Coal Mining in the Northern Coalfields: Depression – Thomas Parkinson. Interviewer Margaret Blackman

A6731 (2) Mining and the Development of Mining Towns – Bill Shepherd (miner)
Interviewer Grace Ermer

A6731 (3) State Dockyard Unions – Interview with Neville (NED) Thomas Andrews O.A.M
Interviewer Nic Curk

A6731 (4) Recollections of Blackbutt Reserve; Newcastle University – Tom Farrell (Environmentalist)
Interviewer Val Tripp

A6731 (4B) ‘Melvic’ Theatre, Belmont – William (Bill) Payne
Interviewer Diana Blaxell

A6731 (5) – Author of ‘Dawn in the Valley’ – Allan Wood, Historian
Interviewer Mary Baker

A6731 (6) – Newcastle Nurseryman – Roy Whalan (Horticulturalist)
Interviewer Robbin Hodges

A6731 (7) – Practice of Medicine in Mayfield – Dr E.W Ferguson
Interviewer Pauline Eade

A6731 (7B) – Greta Migrant Hostel – Felix Dangel
Interviewer Zbigniew Kczela

A6731 (8) – Fluctuations in the Retail Industry in Cessnock – Mrs Abercrombie (Jeweller)
Interviewer Anne Cowan

A6731 (9) – Influences of Miners’ Lodges on local community – Mick Frame
Interviewer Robyn Cagney

A6731 (10) – Interview with Miss Ruby Melville about her clothing factory(1917 to 1966)  – Ruby Melville
Interviewer Evelyn Stuttaford

A6731 (11) – Newcastle Dramatic Art Club – Betty Lind
Interviewer Rosalind Evans

A6731 (12) – Newcastle History- ALP, Trade Unions, Politics – Hon. C.K Jones M.P. O.A. (Charles Keith Jones) PART 1
INTERVIEWER- John Young

A6731 (13) – Newcastle History- ALP, Trade Unions, Politics – Hon. C.K Jones M.P. O.A. (Charles Keith Jones) PART 2
Interviewer John Young

A6731 (14) – Interview with Singleton Resident – Ernest Smith
Interviewer Chris Whalan

A6731 (15A) – Memories of childhood days in Singleton in 1920s  – Gladys Shearer & Mrs Terrey
Interviewer Barbara Drayton

A6731 (15B) – Development Tanilba Bay & Port Stephens – Bruce Mackenzie
Interviewer Margaret Owler

A6731 (16) – Changes in the meat industry – Keith McGill
Interviewer Debbie Lewis

A6731 (16B) – Life in Lambton – Evelyn ‘May’ Hoy
Interviewer Kerry Maree Johnson

A6731 (17) – A Pioneering Engineering Firm – Morison & Bearby – Miss Nancy Morison
Interviewer Carol Firth

A6731 (18) –  Merrion’s Cardiff Bakery- Family Business- Changes 1922 – 1977 – Eric Merrion
Interviewer Elizabeth Cox

A6731 (19) – Changing Treatment of Tuberculosis –Dr R Mills (chest Specialist)
Interviewer Cheryl Newell

A6731 (20) – Tanilba Bay 1940s – Clara (Kitty) Brown & Joan McInerney
Interviewer M Owler

A6731 (21) – Establishment of Working Women’s Centre – Mary Calcott
Interview Jennifer Gregory

A6731 (22) – Mayfield Telephone Exchange – Gordon Sutherland
Interviewer Diane Patch

A6731 (23) –  Driving a Store Bread Van – Charles Watters
Interviewer Elizabeth Watters

A6731 (24) – Nursing changes at Wallsend Hospital – Matron Narelle Punton & Mrs MN Butler M.B.E
Interviewer Margaret Piefke

A6731 (25) – Stockton Surf Life Saving Club – Raymond Lawrence Williams
Interviewer Suzanne Lowndes

A6731 (26) – Newcastle Train History– Les (Casey) Jones (Recently retired train driver)
Interviewer Hazel Paton

A6731 (27) – Newcastle Women’s Movements – Pearl Hickey & Tom Hickey
Interviewer Kay Davies

A6731 (27b) – Social & Political History of Newcastle of the 20th Century – Tom Hickey
Interviewer Kay Davies

A6731 (28) Harris Wheeler – 95 Years of Law in Newcastle  – Howard Kerr Williams & Neville Darcy Wheeler
Interviewer Lyn Lucas

A6731 (29) – Newcastle Repertory Theatre 1957-1987 – Peter & Shirley Bloomfield
Interviewer Dorothy White

A6731 (30) – Toronto Bus Service – Bob Hertogs
Interviewer Ineke Garaty

A6731 (31) – North Rothbury Mine Lock-out of 1929 – Eunice Elliott
Interviewer Narene Williams

A6731 (32) – Australian Women’s Army – Rita Borger & Mildred Baxter
Interviewer Christine Howard

A6731 (33) – The Corner Store (Cardiff) – Irene Lonsdale (Shopkeeper)
Interviewer Colleen Purdy

A6731 (34) – Happy Valley – A Depression Camp, East Cessnock – Olive Convery & Neville Lavender
Interviewer Patricia Neal

A6731 (35)  Life as an Educator – Miss Phyllis Bennett MBE
Interviewer M Pattinson

A6731 (36) – History of the Mark’s Family – Ann Gee
Interviewer unknown

A6731 (37) – Life in Singleton – Mrs Leslie
Interviewer Helen Adam

A6731 (38) – Educator – Mrs Kath Stewart
Interviewer Olive Mcrae

A6731 (39)  Nursing at Kurri Kurri District Hospital – Mary Louisa Corke
Interviewer Marilyn John

A6731 (40) – Vietnam War Memorial, Newcastle – Jim Husband
Interviewer Gary Jolliffe

A6731 (41) Interview with historian Harry Boyle – Harry Boyle
Interviewer Roslyn Macey

A6731 (42) Oyster Farming in Port Stephens – Gordon Holliday
Interviewer Pat Doolan

A6963 – (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A6963 – Goninan & Co. Limited  – Robert Burns – Written Source
Interviewer: Lynne Bonser

A6963 (ia) – Memoirs of the Hunter Valley Timber Industry – Charles Lewis – Written Source
Interviewer Glenda Aoake

A6963 (ib) – The History of Newcastle from the 1920s – Raymond McDonagh – Written Source
Interviewer David Alward

A6963 (ii) – ‘Shipmates’ and other business ventures – Clem Ashford – Written Source
Interviewer Michele Ashford

A6963 (iii)  Settlers Port Stephens & Aust. Agricultural Company – Arthur & Doris Eggelton,  Les H Savage –Written Source
Interviewer June Bailey

A6963 (v) Murray’s Run – Les Sternbeck – Written Source
Interviewer Margy Barnett

A6963 (vi)  The Depression Years – Josephine Leis – Written Source
Interviewer Lorna Boyd

A6963 (vii)  Macedonians ‘then’ and ‘now’ in Newcastle – Kiril Murgev – Written Source
Interviewer Blagoja Bozinoski (No Audio Recording)

A6963 (viii) Croations in Newcastle – Luka Dejanovic – Written Source
Interviewer Marcia Batkovic

A6963 (ix) ABC in Newcastle (2NC History) – John Bracken – Written Source
Interviewer Helen Bracken

A6963 (x) Toorumbee Creek Community – John Linehan – Written Source
Interviewer Peter Blanch

A6964 – (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A6964 (i) Rise & Fall of the Abattoirs – Ross Lindsay & Terry Warnaby – Written Source
Interviewer Sherin Boogaard

A6964 (ii) Views of Belmont Past & Present – John Milliss – Written Source
Interviewer Suzanne Campbell

A6964 (iii) Dominican Order of Nuns at Waratah, NSW – Sr Catarina Heffernan – Written Source
Interviewer Raelee Caswell

A6964 (iv) Electricity in the Hunter – John A Tubb –Written Source
Interviewer Kim Cooper

A6964 (v)  Mosquito Island 1916-1923 – John Duggan – Written Source
Interviewer Carmel Creasey

A6964 (vi) History of the Police in Newcastle – Keith Parsons & Doug Lithgow – Written Source
Interviewer Glenn Crompton

A6964 (vii) – Bootmaking in Lambton – Stephen Simpson – Written Source
Interviewer Lesley Dickinson

A6964(viii) Tailoring in Newcastle – Margaret Hughes – Written Source
Interviewer Caroline Duncan

A6965 –  (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A6965 (i) Coal Mining in Newcastle in the 1950 – Wal Partridge – Written Source
Interviewer Chris Durie

A6965 (ii) Growing up in Paterson – Dick Burgess – Written Source
Interviewer Leanne Durie

A6965 (iii) History of Morpeth – Mildred Parkhurst – Written Source
Interviewer Helen Finegan

A6965 (v) History of Shipbuilding in Newcastle – Harry Douglas Harding – Written Source
Interviewer Esther Galbraith

A6965 (vi) Morison & Bearby Engineering works – Miss A.J ‘Nancy’ Morison – Written Source
Interviewer Graeme Grace

A6965 (vii) Greeks in Newcastle – Toula (Surname not provided) – Written Source
Interviewer Judy Gavrilis

A6965 (viii) Impact of Great Depression in Newcastle on Woman & education – Doreen Maher –Written Source
Interviewer George Allan

A6966 –  (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A6966(i) Belmont South – Joan Hicks – Written Source
Interviewer Karen Hicks

A6966(ii)(a) Early History of Awaba – Ronald A. Heathcote – Written Source
Interviewer Edna Mavin (b.1916)

A6966(ii)(b) Tanilba House – Helen Taylor- Written Source
Interviewer Suzanne Heffernan

A6966(iii)  Growth of High Street Maitland & Johnston’s Shoe store – Colin Johnston – Written Source
Interviewer Gloria Higginbottom

A6966(iv) Dodd & Co. Pty Ltd – Arthur Dodd – Written Source
Interviewer Gail Hill

A6966(v)  Life on the Land in the Gloucester Area – Irene Phillips – Written Source
Interviewer Raylene Hitchcock (NO AUDIO AVAILABLE)

A6966(vi)  History of a Newcastle Coalminer – Alan Murnain – Written Source
Interviewer Cathy Holmes

A6966(vii) Cordial manufacturers of Newcastle and the Hunter Valley – Ian Sherman – Written Source
Interviewer Lynette Jackson

A6966(viii) Allco Steel  – Mr Delbianco – Written Source
Interviewer Angela Jankovic

A6966(ix) Cardiff Railway Workshops -Douglas Bradford – Written Source
Interviewer Leigh Johnston

A6966(x) The Country Women’s Association – Barbara Bushell – Written Source
Interviewer Sonya Jones

A6967 –  (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A6967(1a) Life story of Aboriginal woman Annie Whilamena Kelly – Annie Whilamena Kelly – Written Source
Interviewer Miss Shay Kelly

A6967(1b) Change from trams to buses in Newcastle – Norman Kelty – Written Source
Interviewer Tracey Kelty

A6967(ii) History of the Boydell Family in Australia – Richard “Dick” Grant Boydell – Written Source
Interviewer Jeannette Lee

A6967(iii)(a) The Diocese of Maitland – Fr Harold Campbell – Written Source
Interviewer Darrell Mackie

A6967(iii)(b) Reflections of Islington – Elizabeth Woodbine – Written Source
Interviewer John Lewis

A6967(iv) Green Point- Lewers Estate Area – Duncan McEwan & Pauline Keating – Written Source
Interviewer Fiona McEwan

A6967(v) ESSAY describing the living conditions of the Worimi Aborigines of Port Stephens before and after the appearance of Europeans  – Written Source
By John MacLachlan

A6967(vi) Life at the St. Elizabeth’s Girls’ Home Singleton 1944-47 – Marlene Kennedy –Written Source
Interviewer Jan McLeod

A6967(vii) Seaman’s Working Conditions – Neville Cunningham – Written Source
Interviewer Ian McQualter

A6967(viii) History of the de Glorion family –  Del de Glorion – Written Source
Interviewer Rosemary Melville

A6967(ix) History of Greta –  Esme Allan – Written Source
Interviewer Valerie Randall

A6968 –  (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A6968 (1) Life and Pubs in Newcastle and Suburbs – Marion Davey
Interviewer Grant Miles

A6968 (ii)(a) Customs House Newcastle, NSW – Capt. James Fletcher – Written Source
Interviewer Terry Muir

A6968 (ii)(b) Conservation and the History of the Northern Parks & Playground Movement – Doug Lithgow – Written Source
Interviewer Vicki Neech

A6968 (iii)  Hunter Girls’ High School – Lottie Young – Written Source
Interviewer Helen New

A6968 (iii)(b) – History of Theatres in Newcastle – Peter Whipper Snr – Written Source
Interviewer Jenny Nichols

A6968 (iv) Swansea Bridge/s – Bill Vernon – Written Source
Interviewer Mark Stephen Nolan

A6968 (v) Retail at Scotts Dept. Store – A Woman’s Perspective – Selma Hare & Maisie Sharp – Written Source
Interviewer: Jennifer Nosworthy

A6969 –  (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A6969 (i)(a) Zaara Street Power Station – Clarrie McLennan – Written Source
Interviewer Louise Parker

A6969 (i)(b) Life story of an Aboriginal Woman – Annie Whilamena Kelly (born of Aboriginal descent) – Written Source
Interviewer Miss Shay Kelly (daughter)

A6969 (ii) Merewether & its Beach – Alice Ferguson – Written Source
Interviewer Trish Pattenden

A6969 (iii) Paediatric Care at the Newcastle Mater Hospital –  Sr. Mary Barnabas Gardiner – Written Source
Interviewer Elaine Perry

A6969 (iv) The Great Depression – Kathleen Jones – Written Source
Interviewer Bob Price

A6969 (v) History of the town of Greta – Elsie Allan – Written Source
Interviewer Valerie Randall

A6969 (vi) A Woman growing up in the Hunter Valley – Veronica Phillips – Written Source
Interviewer Heather Rooney

A6969 (vii) Seventh-day Adventists at Cooranbong – Ivy Easthope – Written Source
Interviewer Helen Sankowsky

A6969 (viii) Newcastle Trade Hall Council – Keith Wilson – Written Source
Interviewer Nicki Saroca

A6969 (ix) Electric Lamp Manufacturers “Lampworks” in Newcastle – Ken Millington – Written Source
Interviewer Janelle Schmidt

A6970 –  (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A6970 (i)  Walter Edwin Bramble – Betty Anderson – Written Source
Interviewer Rosemary Soto

A6970 (ii) Single Working Women in the Depression – Joyce Staley (nee Cummings) –Written Source
Interviewer Lyn Staley

A6970 (iii) History of Retail in Newcastle – John Sobb – Written Source
Interviewer Boyd Stewart

A6970 (iv) Displaced persons in the Hunter Region – Bazil Manunczak – Written Source
Interviewer Desmond Thomas

A6970 (v) Young & Green – Alexander ‘Alec’ Young – Written Source
Interviewer Tracie Thornberry

A6970 (vi) The Growth and Development of the Fishing Industry in Nelson Bay – A Mitchell  & G Pain – Written Source
Interviewer Julie Tregarthen

A6970 (vii) John Lysaght (Australia) Limited – Clarrie Withers – Written Source
Interviewer Ann Walker

A6970 (viii) The Dillon Family of Dungog – Vincent Dillon – Written Source
Interviewer Ray Ward

A6971 –  (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A6971(i) History of Purfleet – Horice “Horrie” Saunders – Written Source
Interviewer Randall Wiggers

A6971(ii) The Rise of Environmental Awareness in Australia – Selby Alley – Written Source
Interviewer David Williams

A6971(iii) Elliott Family early settlers of Buttai – Diane Parnell – Written Source
Interviewer Yvonne Wardell

A6971(iv) Retail & Menswear in King Street, Newcastle – Sue Vandervalk – Written Source
Interviewer Jane Wells

A6971(v) History of the Newcastle Printmaker’s Workshop – Robin Winston – Written Source
Interviewer Lee Williams

A6971(vi) The Abermain Eisteddfod – Agnes Madeline James –Written Source
Interviewer Lisa Maree Williams

A6971(vii) Removal of the Occupants of Coon Island – Henry & Catherine Nicholls –Written Source
Interviewer Peter Winsor

A6971(vi)  History of Single Friendly Societies in the Hunter Region of NSW – Vernon Wong-see – Written Source
Interviewer Frank Woodgate. (Audio recording is very poor & interview very short – tape damaged)

A7462 –  (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A7462(v) Inn- Keeping in Singleton 1900 – Mrs. Kit Foggo (RESTRICTED ACCESS)
Interviewer Christine Abrahams

A7462(vi) Port of Newcastle – Sidney Alexander Ayerst – Written Source
Interviewer Pamela Walters

A7462(vii) Women in Newcastle Industries during WWII – Kathleen Blackett – Written Source
Interviewer Jodie Calvert

A7462(viii) Life in Greta 1930- 1950 – William Williamson – Written Source
Interviewer Julie Kay

A7462(ix) Immigration of Displaced Persons to Australia Greta Camp – Elly Slechter – Written Source
Interviewer Cynthia Barker

A7462(x) The Salvation Army – Mrs. P. Foster –Written Source
Interviewer Regina Bollinger

A7462(xi) History of Toronto – Mr. George Woodman – Written Source
Interviewer Anne Woodman

A7462(xii) Trade Union & Federated Ironworkers’ Association (1917-1950) – Thomas Graham – Written Source
Interviewer Anne Dunne

A7462(xiii) Coalmining, Rothbury & Miners’ Federation – Frank Manning – Written Source
Interviewer Lucyna Manning

A7462(xiv) Changes in the Railway – L.J. Young (Engine Driver) – Written Source
Interviewer Kerrie Young

A7462(xv)  RAAF Airbase at Williamtown – Keith Sullivan – Written Source
Interviewer Sharon Foster

A7462(xvi) History of Charlestown – Ada Pickering – Written Source
Interviewer Lorraine Slaven

A7462(xvii) Life in Morpeth – Mary Lantry –Written Source
Interviewer Jill Nean

A7462(xviii) Newcastle State Dockyard (1942-1962) – John Aubin – Written Source

A7463 –  (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A7463(i) Memoirs of Maitland Show – Bob Johnston – Written Source
Interviewer Jane Guy

A7463(ii) Masonite Factory Raymond Terrace – Mr David Bowtell – Written Source
Interviewer Dorothy Harrison

A7463(iii)  Wickham in the 1910s – Doris Piper – Written Source
Interviewer Margaret Probert

A7463(iv) Coal Mining of the Hunter Valley – Clyde Jones & Mick Jurd – Written Source
Interviewer Wendy Stuart

A7463(v) 150 Years of Farming Morpeth – Thomas Wright – Written Source
Interviewer Yvonne Eggins

A7463(vi) Newcastle State Dockyard – Jim Smith – Written Source
Interviewer Robyn Sanderson

A7463(vii)  Greta Migrant Camp – Ann Buldecki – Written Source
Interviewer Katherine Granter

A7463(viii) Greek Heritage in Newcastle – Bob Tsousis, Michael Karaberidis – Written Source
Interviewer Susan Karaberidis

A7463(ix) Coal Mining in the Hunter Valley – John Ambler & John Redding – Written Source
Interviewer Lorri Cummings

A7463(x) Shipbuilding in the Manning District –  Claude Mann – Written Source
Interviewer Collene Braye

A7463(xi) Stockton History – Terry Callen – Written Source
Interviewer Carol Plooy

A7463(xii) Joy Cummings, Australia’s first female Lord Mayor – Ray Cummings – Written Source
Interviewer Phyllis Southall

A7463(xiii) Life in the Country 1890-1910 – Eva Stott – Written Source
Interviewer Ann Fenwick

A7463(xv) Newcastle State Dockyard – Frank Neat – Written Source
Interviewer Natalia Sanderson

A7463(xvi) Family Planning Association of NSW in Newcastle – Joy Gagleler – Written Source
Interviewer Heather Hancock

A7463(xvii)  Newcastle History – Mrs. Ross –Written Source
Interviewer Paul Vella

A7463(xviii) The Newcastle Herald – James Edward Hattam – Written Source
Interviewer Carmel Noonan

A7464 – (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A7464(iii) Richmond Vale Railway – Interviewee unknown – Written Source
Interviewer Annette Young (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7464(iv) Newcastle Gas Company Limited 1866- 1987 – Interviewee unknown – Written Source
Interviewer David Neighbour (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7464(vi) Life in the Hunter Region of West Wallsend & Morisset –  Mr & Mrs Don MacLaren – Written Source
Interviewer Dorothy Reading (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7464(vii) The Growth of Morisset – Mary France – Written Sources
Interviewer Angela Bentley

A7464(ix) A history of the Mine Subsidence Board – Written Source
Interviewer Joanne Rose (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7464(x)  Friends of Wallsend Hospital – Janet Budge – Written Source
Interviewer Lynette E Davies

A7464(xi) “Porphryh” property at Seaham – Lucy Ralston
Interviewer Margo Wilkinson

A7464(xii) History of Winns Ltd 1878-1980 – Marie Maddrell – (Written source from A6524(xiv)-1)
Interviewer Gwyneth Robertson

A7464(xiii) Mayfield 1910-1920 – Bertha Downie – Written Source
Interviewer Judith Hughes (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7464(xiv)  Federated Ironworkers Association 1935-1950 – Hugh McCarthy – Written Source
Interviewer Allan Foster

A7464(xv) Blatchford Bakery – Doris Blatchford – Written Source
Interviewer Mladen Lazic

A7464(xvi)  The Great Depression – Victor A Stamford – Written Source
Interviewer Maureen Jane Sinclair

A7464(xvii) Life During the Depression & WWII – Moia De Martin – Written Source
Interviewer Jeanette Dixon

A7464(xviii) Newcastle State Dockyard – Betty Wilkinson – Written Source
Interviewer Ann Noud

A7464(xix) Early Life in Tighes Hill – Hilma Maybury – Written Source
Interviewer Michael Williams

A7464(xx)  Raymond Terrace & the Dairy Industry – Linda Pool – Written Source
Interviewer Doug Biddle

A7464(xi) Mining Industry of Rothbury & Branxton areas – Arthur Goodwin – Written Source
Interviewer Barb Taylor

A7465 –  (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A7465(i) Newcastle Harbour 1947-1980 – Captain Ken Hopper – Written Source
Interviewer Kathy Beautement

A7465(ii) Jerry’s Plains – Elsie Ball – Written Source (audio recording very poor)
Interviewer Christine Lamborn

A7465(iii) Rylands Bros. Pty Limited – Ken McTaggert – Written Source
Interviewer Anne McTaggert

A7465(iv) Trams & the Hunter Street Mall – Emily Mahoney, Len & Stella Smith – Written Source
Interviewer Linda Murray

A7465(v) Nobby’s Signal Station – Barrie Baker – Written Source
Interviewer Carmel Baker

A7465(vi) From Hillgrove to Newcastle – Rosemary Simpson – Written Source
Interviewer Loraine Haywood

A7465(vii) Coal Miners’ Strike in 1949 – Eileen Penglaze – Written Source
Interviewer Susan Moran

A7465(viii) Newspaper reporting during WWI & Great Depression – Jean Chapman – Written Source
Interviewer Robert Kerr

A7465(ix) Latham Family of the Hunter Region – James Latham – Written Source
Interviewer Andrea Keirs

A7465(x) Changes in Newcastle’s East End – Alf Sargeant – Written Source
Interviewer Jill Dorey

A7465(xi) Teralba & Stockton Borehole – Wilfred Dews – Written Source
Interviewer John Denkin

A7465(xii)  Story of Greta & Boland Family – M & J Speight – Written Source
Interviewer David Helmers

A7465(xiii) History of Fort Scratchley – Ted Pricter – Written Source
Interviewer David Latimore

A7465(xiv)  Immigration & Newcastle – Gisella Noll, Jim & Violet Woodward – Written Source
Interviewer Stephen Garz

A7465(xv) Early Education & Open Foundation Studies – Mildred Storer – Written Source
Interviewer Cathy Abra

A7465(xvi) Newcastle Hill Residents Group – Joyce Bond – Written Source
Interviewer Jan Reynolds

A7465(xvii) Cessnock Tourism & Vineyards – Megan Cooke – Written Source
Interviewer Cindy Ryan

A7465(xviii) Life in Dungog during 1916- 1988 – William K Tickle – Written Source
Interviewer Gai Shelton (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7465(xix)  Housing in the Hunter – Larry Short – Written Source
Interviewer Helen Whitehouse

A7465(xx) Early Apprenticeships in Hairdressing, Newcastle – Gordon Edwards – Written Source
Interviewer Jo Fenwick

A7466A  (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A7466A(i) Stevedoring on the Newcastle waterfront – Carlton Parrott – Written Source
Interviewer Carolyn Brent

A7466A(ii)  Baker’s Bakery – Frank Baker Jnr. – Written Source
Interviewer Julie Guion

A7466A(iii) Women at ‘The Store’ & the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) – Melissa Cameron – Written Source
Interviewer Maureen Tobin

A7466A(v) Rankin Park Hospital – Beryl Clinton – Written Source
Interviewer Dan Ryan

A7466A(vi) Cessnock Businesswoman Marjorie Brown – Marjorie Brown – Written Source
Interviewer Sue Brown

A7466A(vii) Coal Shipping & the Port of Newcastle – D.F Gray – Written Source
Interviewer Maureen Wilson

A7466A(viii) The Depression – Ernie & Ellen Fenly – Written Source
Interviewer Ann Cummings

A7466A(ix) The Life of Elizabeth Madden – Elizabeth Madden – Written Source
Interviewer Stephen Scrogings

A7466A(x)  School Days & Memories of Kurri Kurri – Dorothy Temperley –Written Source
Interviewer Patricia Cowen

A7466A(xi)  Memories of the Great Depression –  Agnes ‘May’ March – Written Source
Interviewer Judy Johnston

A7466A(xii) Local Government in Maitland – Fran Dawson – Written Source
Interviewer Narelle Penman

A7466A(xiii) Early Settlement & Shipping on the Williams River – R.L Ford – Written Source
Interviewer Ian Walker

A7466A(xiv) Newcastle State Dockyard 1955-87 – Jim Carter – Written Source
Interviewer Margaret Rees  (Damaged audio tape)

A7466A(xv) Surviving the Depression – Joe Chappell – Written Source
Interviewer Enid Ross

A7466A(xvi) History of Seaham – Alexander McDonald – Written Source
Interviewer Anne Louise Austin

A7466B –  (WRITTEN SOURCES & ORAL RECORDINGS)

A7466B(i) Nursing at the Mater Hospital, Waratah –  Sr. M. Barnabas –Written Source
Interviewer Sarah Willis

A7466B(ii) Family life in the 1920-40s – Annie McGregor – Written Source
Interviewer Margaret Logvyn

A7466B(iii) Newcastle Female Radio Personality – Twink Story –Written Source
Interviewer Leonie Milgate

A7466B(iv) Employment at the Bank of NSW – Edward Swinton –Written Source
Interviewer Melissa Whithers

A7466B(vi) Stockton – Don Sheriff
Interviewer Charles Freeman (NO WRITTEN SOURCE)

A7466B(vii) Coal Mining Industry – Ben Gimbleton
Interviewer Edith McArthur

A7466B(viii) Steggles Bros. & Henny Penny – Bruce Steggles – Written Source
Interviewer Susan Meldrum (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7466B(ix) Local Shipwrecks – Terry Callen
Interviewer Danielle Robertson

A7466B(x) Colliery Strikes – Joseph Cummings – Written Source
Interviewer Meghan Johnson (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7466B(xi) Linsley Bus Company 1943-86 – Fred Linsley – Written Source
Interviewer Julie Gray (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7466B(xii) Family Life In Newcastle 1905-1928 – Mrs M Gam – Written Source
Interviewer Shane Harris (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7466B(xiii) History of the Sulphide Corporation, Cockle Creek – Lester Miller – Written Source
Interviewer Tony Miller (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7466B(xiv) The Maitland Women’s Refuge – Winifred Neely – Written Source
Interviewer Barbara Wills (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7466B(xv) How Effectively did Aboriginal People Resist the European Invasion of their country – Written Source
Interviewee unknown
Interviewer David Latimore (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7466B(xvi) Why have so few women been involved in politics in Australia? – Written Source
Interviewer Christopher Veitch (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7466B(xvii) Career Overview – Eileen Doyle – Written Source
Interviewer Carrie ? (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7466B(xviii) Life in the Great Depression – May Hoy – Written Source
Interviewer Karen Rae (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7466B(xix) Woman who dared – Sister Constance Casey – Written Source
Interviewer Mary Guy (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7466B(xx) Nursing from 1929- 1978 – Miss Mary Knodler – Written Source
Interviewer Jill Alcorn (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

A7466B(xxi) Survival in the Depression – Alice Ellis & Ruth Croll – Written Source
Interviewer Margaret Hudson (NO AUDIO RECORDING)

Oral history recordings can also be located directly on Soundcloud here Margaret Henry Oral History Project (1986-1989).

Project compiled by Dr Ann Hardy for Cultural Collections, University of Newcastle Library

“The Summer of the Seventeenth Doll”, first performed by The Hunter Valley Theatre Company on 2 March, 1988. (This photograph was scanned from HVTC Archives Box A9029)

See more of the Hunter Valley Theatre Company’s Photographic Archives here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/uon/albums/72157632060331789

HUNTER VALLEY THEATRE COMPANY
Conduit: Dr Gillian Arrighi
Donated: October 2012

PHOTOGRAPHS

A9029 Photographs – Theatrical Productions circa 1980s
A9030 Photographs – Actors, Productions, Star Hotel Riot circa 1970s-1990s
A9030(i) Actor’s promotional photographs, c1970s-1980s.
A9030(ii) Photographs relating to production of The Coast Mongrels, 1989.
A9030(iii) Photographs relating to production of Educating Rita, 1987.
A9030(iv) Photographs relating to production of Master Class, 1987.
A9030(v) Photographs relating to production of Summer of the Seventeeth Doll, 1988.
A9030(vi) Photographs relating to production of Diving for Pearls, 1994.
A9030(vii) Assorted photographs c.1970s-1990s
A9030(viii) Photographs and promotional material relating to The Trust: The Elizabeth Theatre Trust’s production of Lipstick Dreams, 1989.
A9030(ix) Photographs and promotional material relating to production of Us and Them, 1985.
A9030(x) Proof sheets relating to unidentified production(s) c.1980s
A9030(xi) Photographs and promotional material relating to production of Christian Brothers, 1984.
A9030(xii) Photographs and promotional material relating to production of A Hard God by Peter Kenna, 1984.
A9030(xiii) Photographs and promotional material relating to production of Bed of Roses, 1984.
A9030(xiv) Photographs and promotional material relating to production of Same Time Next Year, 1985.
A9030(xv) Photographs and promotional material relating to production of What If You Died Tomorrow by David Williamson, 1986.
A9030(xvi) Photographs and promotional material relating to production of A Happy and Holy Occasion by John O’Donoghue, 1986.
A9030(xvii) Photographs and promotional material relating to production of Machiavelli Machiavelli by John Upton, 1986.
A9030(xviii) Photographs and promotional material relating to production of The Bastard from the Bush by Rodney Fisher and Robin Ramsay, 1984.
A9030(xix) Assorted proof sheets and colour slides of unidentified gatherings and occasions. c.1980s.
A9030(xx) Photographs of the Star Hotel Riot, 1979.
A9030(xxi) Colour Photographs and negatives of unidentified production at Fort Scratchley c.1980s or 1990s?
A9031 Photographs and Slides – Various Productions circa 1980s – 1990s
A9032 Negatives – Two Albums (to be rehoused)
A9033 Newsclipping Scrapbooks 1980-1984
A9033A (Oversize – to be rehoused) Newsclipping Scrapbooks 1984-1985 with large photographs
A9034 Newsclipping Scrapbooks 1986-1995

“A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum” was first performed by The Hunter Valley Theatre Company on 1 January – 1 February, 1981.

MINUTE BOOKS

B17336 Minute Book No. 1 – 18 Aug 1975 to 5 May 1977
B17337 Minute Book No. 2 – 30 May 1977 to 10 May 1978
B17338 Minute Book No. 3 – 24 May 1978 to 15 Oct 1980
B17339 Minute Book No. 4 – 19 Nov 1980 to 29 Sept 1982
B17340 Minute Book No. 5 – 10 Nov 1982 to 29 April 1984
B17341 Minute Book No. 6 – 9 May 1984 to 6 Aug 1985
B17342 Minute Book No. 7 – 1 Oct 1985 to 5 Aug 1986
B17343 Minute Book No. 8 – 1 Sept 1986 to 6 Sept 1988
B17344 Minute Book No. 9 – 10 Oct 1988 to 16 July 1991
B17345 Minute Book No. 10 – 20 Aug 1991 to 27 Sept 1993
B17346 Minute Book Annual General Meetings – 9 Oct 1977 to 7 April 1991

FILES

C2004 (i) Production of ‘A Rare Jewel’, a musical dramatization of “the last rehearsal and opening night for the gala opening concert of the refurbished Civic Theatre”, 1993.
C2004 (ii) Correspondence re Civic Theatre refurbishment, 1991 – 1993.
C2004 (iii) Correspondence re Civic Theatre refurbishment, 1992.
C2004 (iv) Civic Theatre management proposals, 1993.
C2004 (v) Planning for the opening production, ie ‘A Rare Jewel’, marking the refurbishment of the Civic Theatre, 1993.
C2004 (vi) Correspondence re ongoing Civic Theatre refurbishment, 1993 – 1994.
C2004 (vii) Civic Theatre technical specifications and conditions of hire, rates and charges for use of the Civic Playhouse, 1996.
C2004 (viii) Hunter Association of Performing Arts Companies minutes, June 1992.
C2004 (ix) Correspondence re potential involvement in the proposed Honeysuckle Performing Arts Complex, 1994.
C2004 (x) The New South Wales Regional Theatre Network, 1997.
C2004 (xi) Correspondence from the Australian Centre – International Theatre Institute, 1982 – 1983.
C2004 (xii) New South Wales State Theatre Project, 1993 – 1994.
C2004 (xiii) Correspondence with Daniel Skeffington and Paul Zorzi and their Octave Above Productions, 1991 – 1992.
C2004 (xiv) Assorted HVTC productions 1982 – 1997.
C2004 (xv) Industrial relations correspondence with Actors Equity of Australia; Musicians Union of Australia; Australian Writers’ Guild; Australian Theatrical and Amusement Employees Association; and the Australian National Playwrights Conference, 1983 – 1988.
C2004 (xvi) Actors Equity pay rates, 1994 – 1997.
C2004 (xvii) Stage professionals in Newcastle – actors, directors, designers etc , 1992.
C2004 (xviii) Actors’ resumes / curriculum vitae, 1996.
C2004 (xix) Actors’ resumes / curriculum vitae, 1996.
C2005 (i) Advertising, promotion, newsletters, 1986 – 1994.
C2005 (ii) Applications for funding grants from the Australia Council for the Arts, 1986 – 1997.
C2006 (i) Corporate sponsors and sponsorship, 1989 – 1995.
C2006 (ii) Funding and fundraising, 1983 – 1995.
C2006 (iii) Applications for funding grants, 1985 – 1997.
C2007 (i) Membership and subscriptions, 1982 – 1996.
C2007 (ii) Correspondence re community consultation and sundry other matters, 1977 – 1995.
C2007 (iii) Box office summaries, 1982 – 1987.
C2008 (i) Annual Arts Ball, 1984 – 1994.
C2008 (ii) Fundraising social events, 1982 – 1993.
C2008 (iii) Play production folders for HVTC productions 1988 – 1989.
C2008 (iv) Play production folders for HVTC productions 1990 – 1997.
C2009 (i) Play production folders for HVTC productions 1982 – 1985.
C2009 (ii) Play production folders for HVTC productions 1986.
C2009 (iii) Play production folders for HVTC productions 1987 – 1989.
C2009 (iv) Play production folders for HVTC productions 1990 – 1991.
C2010 (i) Play production folders for HVTC productions 1992 – 1993.
C2010 (ii) Play production folders for HVTC productions 1994 – 1997.
C2010 (iii) Audited and unaudited financial statements, 1991 – 1997.
C2010 (iv) Insurance, 1983 – 1996.
C2011 (i) Company logo, 1993.
C2011 (ii) Newspaper articles and diagrams of the Civic Theatre collected towards 10th birthday celebrations for the Playhouse, 1916 – 1989.
C2011 (iii) Liquor license, 1996 – 1997.
C2011 (iv) Newcastle City Council Cultural Survey, 1996.
C2011 (v) Staff timesheets, 1987.
C2011 (vi) HVTC Annual Report 1991 + folders re Annual General Meetings 1992 – 1996.
C2011 (vii) Commissions of work from playwrights; proposals for commissioning of work; and contracts, 1992 – 1997.
C2011 (viii-ix) Financial records, notable for considerable agonizing over how to save HVTC from insolvency, culminating in its winding up and handover of the Playhouse to the Newcastle City Council, 1978 – 1997.
C2012 (i-ii) HVTC Board minutes, correspondence, papers, Certificate of Registration of Business Name, and official stamp, 1975 – 1997.

A VHS Video tape containing footage of student life in and around the Auchmuty and Huxley Libraries during the 1990s has surfaced.

The original VHS Tape “Library Footage with Timecode”.

In the films can be seen Auchmuty and Huxley staff members carrying out their duties, as well as students and academics using the computer and library resources. How many people can you recognise?

Hundreds of Hunter Valley oral history tapes have been made available on our Sound Cloud site and more are being added every week, as part of the Voices of the Hunter project.

Historian Jack Delaney

During the 1970s and 1980s, eminent local historian John W. (Jack) Delaney recorded a large number of interviews of people from the Hunter Valley, especially from the coalfields area. These interviews were recorded on audio cassette tapes, copies of which are held by the Coalfields Heritage Group who have kindly agreed to allow us to digitise these tapes and to make them available to the world. Our other partner in this endeavour is Coal & Allied Operations Pty Ltd who have provided a generous grant towards the work via the Coal & Allied Community Development Fund.

Browse this collection at: https://soundcloud.com/uoncc/sets/voth

Highlights include:

George Bainbridge, an Electrical Engineer at Aberdare Extended Colliery

Stella Bradstreet, owned a Cessnock car dealership with her husband Theo

Fred Hallam, WWII Flight Navigator and Solicitor

Mick Morris, Cessnock Barber

Clarry Hawkins, Keinbah resident, Timber cutter and winemaker

Above photo: Grape pickers at Keinbah, NSW. Courtesy of the Hawkins family and Lexie Matthews.

From Earth to Spirit

Indigenous art from Arnhem Land & the Tiwi Islands, NT

This exhibition features works in the University Art and Museum Collections by Australian Indigenous artists from Arnhem Land and the Tiwi Islands, both situated in Australia’s Northern Territory. While culturally and linguistically distinct, the practices of mark making, painting and carving – with their roots in storytelling and ceremony – are deeply imbedded within Tiwi and Arnhem Land cultural and spiritual traditions.

These artists have long been making artworks from natural ochres, using imagery that expresses their profound knowledge of and connection to Country, its creation stories and its ceremonies. Earth and spirit come together in almost every aspect of Indigenous life – universal law, ceremony, sacred sites, and in the artworks that become infused with ancestral power through their making.

From Earth to Spirit presents a range of art works in various mediums including bark paintings, ochres on canvas, works on paper, prints and carvings, from the University Art Collection and Senta Taft-Hendry Museum. This includes paintings recently donated by Dr Milton Roxanas, through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, and further works loaned by friends of the University Gallery: Aboriginal & Pacific Art Gallery, Sydney and private collector, Catherine (Kate) Croll.

Curated by Naomi Stewart.

Please join us for the exhibition opening at the University Gallery:
Friday 19 February at 5:30pm

Wyong, NSW. [n.d.] Photo by Harry Lindner

The Harry Lindner Collection

We have recently uploaded to Flickr a collection of photos from a disk purchased and kindly provided by Barry Howard. The photos cover a wide range of subjects, many of them feature the New South Wales Central Coast area, while there are some which appear to be Papua New Guinea during World War II.

When adding metadata to the images using Adobe Bridge, we discovered in one of the existing descriptions that it was “from the collection of Mr Ray Lindner, taken by his father, Harry (Henry)”.  Unfortunately, we have not been able to track down Ray or Harry Lindner and we would love to find out more about the photographer and his heritage. If you can help us, please email archives@newcastle.edu.au.

We are also interested in any information you can give us about the photos themselves. You can see this exciting new album at https://www.flickr.com/photos/uon/albums/72157662933018236

Edward (Ted) Brennan 1935-2014 (Photo: Courtesy of Pam Brennan & Family)

This month we were saddened to hear of the passing of Ted Brennan on the 13 April 2014.

Edward (Ted) Brennan was born on 30 November 1935, and during his years at the Newcastle University College (precursor to the University of Newcastle) in the early 1950s, was one of its key student leaders and activists.

Ted Brennan’s First Day At University, 1952. (l-r) Unidentified, ‘Blue’ Cunningham, Terry Piggott, [?] Watson and Ted Brennan. [Photo Credit: Ted Brennan Published in Blood and Bandages A History of the University of Newcastle Sports Union, 1996 (Page 3]

Ted Brennan as one of the Newcastle representatives at the annual conference of the National Union of Australian University Students (NUAUS) in Hobart – “It must have been a lively one” – Pam (l-r Paul Walmsley, Ted Brennan, Adrian Nelmes, Katrina [?]) (Photo: Courtesy of Pam Brennan & Family)

Torch Procession to Newcastle Town Hall 1961

According to Don Wright’s Looking Back A History of the University of Newcastle (1994) p.78:

“On the night of 12 April 1961 they held a freedom march from the Tighes Hill site to the City Hall (about five kilometres) to take part in a public meeting organised by the Lord Mayors Committee. Estimates of the numbers involved vary from fifty to 200. Led by the mercurial Godfrey Tanner, later Professor of Classics, they marched the distance shouting, cheering, waving flaming torches and banners carrying slogans like Burn Baxters Empire, Big Baxter is Watching You, Baxters Bargain Basement, Let Newcastle Fiddle while Baxter Burns. Outside the City Hall, they set alight their banners and tossed them into a blazing heap before moving inside to join 250 of Newcastles more sober citizens in a public meeting to demand immediate autonomy.”

Wright continues on p.79:

“Ted Brennan and the other student leaders argued their case to the workers of the district, addressing pit-head meetings and otherwise trying to convince workers to support autonomy in the interests of their children. In July (1961) the students took their protest to Sydney. One hundred Newcastle students and their Sydney supporters marched along Macquarie Street to present to the Minister for Education, Ern Wetherell, a petition in favour of autonomy signed by 32,000 Newcastle citizens. Wetherell told them that autonomy was ‘everyone’s ultimate aim’ but the timing could not be decided until the Price Committee had reported, nor could it come before the move to Shortland. Work could not begin there until 1964 for financial reasons.”

Opus-Tharunka 27 July 1961

Click to see FULL COPY OF OPUS THARUNKA 27 JULY 1961 (26MB PDF FILE)

Edward Brennan graduated on Friday 13 April 1962 with a Bachelor of Engineering from the Department of Applied Geology, Newcastle University College, under the auspices, at the time, of the University of New South Wales.

Ted Brennan being presented with his degree by  Professor M. Chaikin at Graduation Ceremony (Photo: Courtesy of Pam Brennan & Family)

Ted Brennan, Mr David Lyon McLarty, Engineer and Director of the NSW State Dockyard, with unidentified graduate.  (Photo: Courtesy of Pam Brennan & Family)

First ‘rag’ (or kind of early NUC muckup day), Ted Brennan in on the extreme left of the photo in the pram. (Photo: Ted Brennan)

Autonomy was santified with a bonfire described in Don Wright’s Looking Back A History of the University of Newcastle (1994) p.89:

“On 1 January 1965 there was a bonfire on the Shortland site, about where the Great Hall now stands. It was presided over by Mike Nelson, a well-respected student, and by Godfrey Tanner, forever totally immersed in the affairs of the collegium. The joint presidency of the event was a symbol of the well-attested camaraderie of staff and students throughout their days of struggle and adversity, while the flames of the fire symbolised both the joy in the attainment of a long sought destiny and also that confidence in the future which Auchmuty had communicated as he taught all to believe that they were privileged to lay the foundations for a centre of learning whose enduring influence would increase with the passing generations.”

Ted at the University Ball (Photo: Courtesy of Pam Brennan & Family)

We contacted Ted Brennan back in 2002, because we were very interested in getting his side of the University’s history. This would include his recollections of the early history of the University College up to the gaining of Autonomy in 1965. He was very interested in recording his knowledge of the early history, since,  in his opinion,  much that had been written was “a fictional version dream’t up by (Professor J.J. ) Auchmunty aimed at enhancing his own stature.”

Ted Brennan with Helen Featherstone at the Newcastle University College’s first cabaret. (Photo: Ted Brennan)

He believed that there were extensive records dating back to NUCSA (i.e., The Newcastle University College Students’ Association) foundation in 1954 but that since 1964, most had been destroyed in the move to the Shortland SRC Office. (Email correspondence 2002). Fortunately, contrary to that belief, the NUCSA  Council Minutes did survive, and are very comprehensive, dating from its first annual meeting held on the 29th April 1953.

First Volume of Bound Minutes of the Newcastle University College Students’ Association. (UON Archives: B10946)

Unfortunately by 2012, Ted’s health had deteriorated to such an extent that he couldn’t be too far away from his local hospital, making a trip down to Newcastle an impossibility. Our plan B in attempting to fly a researcher up to Queensland to interview him also fell through. So, our hope to record everything he had wanted to tell us about the student role in the gaining of autonomy and the establishment of the University of Newcastle never came to fruition.

Ted playing the “pretend” piano at the Throsby Creek Regatta, circa 1960. (Photo: Ted Brennan)

Original photograph of Ted Brennan at the piano at the Throsby Regatta, circa 1960s. “The fellow facing him is Bill Jonas. I don’t know who the others are.” – Pam Brennan (Photo: Courtesy of Pam Brennan & Family)

Edward (Ted) Brennan 1935-2014 Obituary (Courtesy of Journal of the Australian Institute Of Mining and Metallurgy)

Ted Brennan in Christmas Island, 1966. “He was there as the first geologist for the British Phosphate Commissioners. We spent about three years there.” – Pam Brennan (Photo: Courtesy of Pam Brennan & Family)

We contacted Dr Bernie Curran to relay the sad news. Over the phone he began telling us all about Ted; his involvement in the making of the Blood and Bandages A History of the University of Newcastle Sports Union 1996; being a student leader; his close association with Godfrey Tanner; his playing the ‘pretend’ piano with a ‘pretend’ band on one of the makeshift rafts in the Throsby regatta, (much before his time), and, how wonderful it is that the Godfrey Tanner Bar, the Brennan Room and the Derkenne Courtyard are all in close proximity to one another within the physical architectural space of the UON Student Union. It is a lasting remembrance and acknowledgement of the legacy of these three men and their services to enhance the quality of life of the future students of the University of Newcastle.

If you have any recollections, thoughts or comments that you wish to share, please do not hesitate to contact us on archives@newcastle.edu.au or leave a comment below.

On behalf of the University of Newcastle, we wish to convey our sincere condolences to Ted Brennan’s wife, Pam Brennan, and to his friends and colleagues. We also thank Adrian Nelmes for taking the time to notify us of his passing.

Kind Regards,

Gionni Di Gravio
University Archivist

GLAM – Digital Access Meeting, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne 25 February 2016

We attended the fourth meeting of the representatives of national GLAM (i.e., Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) sector peak bodies in Melbourne. The purpose is to advocate for the open access and discoverability of Australia’s cultural collections. We represented the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) and University of Newcastle (Australia)

OVERVIEW
Frank Howarth (President, Museums Australia) and Dr Alex Byrne (CEO, State Library of NSW) provided a brief overview of the outcomes of the three meetings in 2015.

GLAM organisations around Australia (Photo: GE Map created by Gionni Di Gravio based upon concept from the “Lady at the end of the table”- aka Suzanne Davies)

Sue McKerracher and Alex Marsden provided a background to the $1M Catalyst Funding Application that they prepared on behalf of the GLAM peak bodies.

3 year Project Overview

Year 1 Development of a Strategic Framework
– How are we going to enable people to access, use and build on collections?
– How are we doing access now?
– How are we planning to build access across sectors/nationally/globally?
– Identify enablers/barriers/solutions/create a toolkit for small organisations
– provide evidence of positive impact

Year 2 Rolling Digital Access out across the GLAM Sector
– Establish regional clusters/partnerships with tech suppliers/training institutions/public awareness

Year 3 Public Campaign
– Publicise, get media on board to promote message across nation

Resourcing:
GLAM roundtable – who can assist with the Governance? Administration? Travel? Accommodation? Meeting Rooms? Etc
DAC project team – 4 positions – Project manager (1)/researcher(1)/ trainers/ presenters(2)-  all partners need to feel ownership, have input into recruitment process
DAC Partner – Calculate in kind support e.g., airfares/accommodation/time etc in coming to meetings.

GLAM Galleries around Australia (Photo: GE Map created by Gionni Di Gravio based upon concept from the “Lady at the end of the table”- aka Suzanne Davies)

MEETING OF CULTURAL MINISTERS (MCM)
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES WORKING GROUP
http://mcm.arts.gov.au/work-mcm

Briefing by Chris McDermott over Final Report. There is never enough money, so it is important to engage Cultural Ministers and provide arguments to ehance the relevance and importance of GLAM sector to innovation/environmental sustainability/ community mental health agendas. Make it crucial and essential as HEALTH or EDUCATION. Why do we lie outside education?

MCM Summary of Survey Findings Chart

By far the greatest area  of public collections are the public records/archives comprising  an estimated  200 million items. Most of the areas of the pie chart presented such as photographs, ‘social history archives’, natural history etc could also fall under ‘archives’ as well.

Thoughts: The archivists need to be fully engaged with this, and involved in all aspects of GLAM digital strategies as well as physical. I could see a real confusion of the “stuff” in the breakdown of the piechart with cultural material raining down across Australia and falling into archival institutions, public and private libraries, museums, keeping places, historical societies, sheds, personal homes, galleries. Everyone views it differently, so we do need a return to the Significance 2.0 work that sought to find an overarching methodology to dealing with it. The greatest volume lies with the public records archive, which along with the museum objects and art works technically creates the bedrock of knowledge that is theoretically distilled into new works, “the book”, the multimedia presentation, the “CREATION”.

GLAM Libraries around Australia (Photo: GE Map created by Gionni Di Gravio based upon concept from the “Lady at the end of the table”- aka Suzanne Davies)

COPYRIGHT REFORMS
Jessica Coates & Derek Whitehead from the Australian Digital Alliance (ADA) http://digital.org.au/ signalled possible changes to Copyright Act:

1. Preservation Copying will be possible for anything you wish for preservation purposes.
2. Unpublished and orphaned works from perpetual copyright to be treated as “normal works”

From 1st June 2018 a massive chunk of historical GLAM material will legally go into the public domain.

For the future they wish to tackle the FAIR USE provisions to bring it in line to US provisions. The keywords for FAIR USE are: INNOVATION + CHANGE = FLEXIBILITY for DIGITAL AGE = FREES UP. There will be issues to be worked through with the copyright owners.

Questions were asked about the nature, funding & activities of the ADA: The ADA consists of corporate members, GLAM sector bodies, and individuals who work towards more flexible and more balanced Copyright law. They are funded in the main by memberships. They have achieved a high level of credibility advocating constructively towards legislative change, and organising campaigns with ALIA such as the “Cooking for Copyright” to make information sessions about copyright more “sexy”.  It is of interest to any organisation that has an interest in copyright reform.

GLAM Archives around Australia (Photo: GE Map created by Gionni Di Gravio based upon concept from the “Lady at the end of the table”- aka Suzanne Davies)

GOOGLE CULTURAL INSTITUTE
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/u/0/home
Dionysia McPherson briefed us on the origins of the Google Cultural Institute
– Brainchild of Amit Sood https://www.ted.com/talks/amit_sood_building_a_museum_of_museums_on_the_web?language=en who wished for one stop place to view the cultural treasures of Museums around the world.

Questions:
Are your high resolution digital art images available through Google Image Search? I don’t know
Are the physical and contextual intrinsic provenance  of the cultural archival objects mapped to place in Google Earth? No. It is an inhouse virtual experience of a ‘collection’ or performance.
Google are good at creating algorithms for finding things, but not good at integrating those things against their own app tools such as Google earth, Google Images, Google Books etc.
I asked whether it would be possible to find someone in Google to talk about mapping archival materials to the physical geo referenced points on the earth that they relate to, across time and space, along with the creating of virtual historic landscapes to contextualise the archival materials that relate to the periods.

GLAM Museums around Australia (Photo: GE Map created by Gionni Di Gravio based upon concept from the “Lady at the end of the table”- aka Suzanne Davies)

AUSTRALIA AS INTERGALACTIC ARCHIVE
While discussing digital storage space issues over lunch with Andrew Young, (Atlas of Living Australia) he remarked that space is not an issue for the CSIRO, as one of the facilities they recently met at was in the process of downloading 3-4 pedabytes of data from the planet Mars. This statement made an impression. I realised that we were not only safeguarding the archival heritage of Australia, but also of Mars. Australia is part of an intergalactic archive.

Mars (Image Courtesy of NASA)

FINAL TAKE HOME MESSAGE TO ALL ARCHIVISTS
After this meeting, I went home a little overwhelmed and dejected. Overnight, clarity ensued, and I woke up to the very sharp focus of why it is important for archivists to “come out of the tent” and get involved across the GLAM sector organisations.

The one fundamental reason for forming the Australian Society of Archivists (according to the interviews with the original ASA pioneers), was in order to differentiate the ‘work’ of archivists from that of librarians. 40 years of wandering in the desert was long enough for the Israelites, and I believe it has been long enough for archivists. We now should well and truly know who we are, what we do, and how to do it. Now is it is time to rejoin our colleagues across the GLAM sector and help them out, get into the thick of it, and share our light, as many are struggling with understanding the context of their collections and how to portray them digitally.

There is a great metaphorical memory palace being built here, that will help ensure the open and free access of Australia’s cultural materials in digital form to everyone everywhere in Australia, no matter where they live. To help inspire, educate, and most importantly, survive into the future.

I return to the pie-chart in Chris McDermott’s MCM Final Report. The biggest chunk representing over 200 million items lies within the public records. Arguably everything pretty much. Yet “the stuff” is scattered across a myriad of institutions and individuals grappling at  how best to deal with them.  Archives, the documentary records, are products of creative life on Earth,  and are raining like confetti across all of Australia (even from our planetary intergalactic neighbours). It is falling into people’s back yards, their labs, their libraries, historical societies, their art galleries, their museums, their sporting clubs, their RSL bars and their backyard sheds.

How people make sense of this, is where archivists can really help. We can help them identify where it came from, how best to describe it, conserve, give it its intellectual shape. But we have to be there, in the thick of it to help. Once that archival process stage has been completed, it can then be beautifully digitised into whatever format human communications can take into the future.

Gionni Di Gravio
University Archivist
Councillor, Australian Society of Archivists
Chair, Hunter (Living) Histories Initiative

Gas Masks – taken by Lt Thomas Fahey in the Middle East theatre, WW1

Did you know that we have several fascinating collections which feature photos from World War 1?

These could be invaluable for the school projects which are often scheduled at this time of year.

The above photo is from an album created by Lt Thomas Gerald George Fahey who served in the Australian Light Horse in the Middle East.  Lt Fahey’s album has some great photos of  the Light Horsemen, as well as the buildings and the everyday life of people in the Middle East.  Have a browse through the Robinson Family Collection to see these interesting glimpses of the past.

If you’re interested in Australia’s actions in New Guinea in 1914, see the Rodoni Archive. Here, Thomas James Rodoni used his camera to record daily events and significant moments in the expedition, and made several group portraits of the officers and soldiers in his company. He also photographed many of the people and places of New Guinea.

Thomas James Rodoni (on right) New Guinea, August 1914 to January 1915

If the Western Front captures your attention, the Dalton Family Papers are for you. William and James Dalton, two local lads, served in France during the Great War. Sadly, James was killed in action in 1917. William took many photos during his time there, and these can be seen in his family’s papers. Here is one taken while Will and two of his friends were taking a break.

Bob Johnston, Alf Killick and William Dalton sitting at the end of a haystack during World War 1

You can also try this search – https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=8571926%40N06&view_all=1&text=world%20war%201 The search results will include other collections which have fewer WW1 photos which are still interesting and useful such as:

M2150 World War 1 Enlistment Poster [c.1915]

A Special Day for Pelaw Main

The 26 January 1903 was a very special day for Margaret Holden and Arthur Griffith, a young couple from Pelaw Main in the Coalfields.

Courtesy of the Coalfields Heritage Group, we have a couple of terrific photos of  their wedding which was the first held at Pelaw Main.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/uon/8556477832/

and

https://www.flickr.com/photos/uon/8547491872/

The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate gave a great description of the wedding –

PELAW MAIN
GRIFFITH-HOLDEN WEDDING

The first wedding to be celebrated at Pelaw Main took place in the Methodist Church on Monday, when Mr. A. Griffith and Miss M. Holden, both of Pelaw Main, were married by the Rev. P. J. Stephen. The church was decorated for the occasion with evergreens and flowers. The wedding party in four vehicles drove around the town, being assailed at almost every street with showers of rice. The bride was dressed in cream cashmere, with chiffon lace trimmings, veil and wreath, and carried a shower bouquet. The bridesmaids were Miss Jessie Winning and Miss Jeff, who were attired in cream cashmere and lace trimmings, and Miss Daisy Griffith, sister of the bridegroom, who wore white silk, trimmed with lace. Messrs. R. Hanley, A. Winning, and A. Bland performed the duties of attendance upon the bridegroom. The bridegroom’s present to the bride was a valuable gold brooch, and the bride’s to the bridegroom a gold scarf pin. Later in the day a tea was prepared in the Methodist Church, at which about 200 persons from all parts of the district at tended. The health of “The Bride and Bridegroom” was proposed by the Rev. P.J. Stephen, and responded to by Mr. C. Hanley on behalf of the newly-married couple. At the conclusion of the tea a social evening was spent, when vocal items, recitations, &c., were rendered. Mr. and Mrs. Griffith left for Sydney on Tuesday morning. where the honeymoon will be spent. The bride wore a travelling dress of blue cloth, with guipure trimming and toque to match. Many presents were presented to the newly-married couple.

“PELAW MAIN” Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate (NSW : 1876 – 1954) 29 January 1903: 6. Web. 22 Mar 2016 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133362089>.

Our thanks to the wonderful people at Trove for making this resource available to the world.

During a marathon six hour oral history interview on 10 March 2016 with Mrs Vera Deacon, Dr Ann Hardy asked her about a letter she penned back in the 1940s to the Newcastle Morning Herald.

Vera had not been able to find it, and couldn’t remember why she even wrote it. But it was important to her. So while the interview continued, we ducked off to another room to do a search on my phone for her letter in TROVE.

“Postwar Plans” by Vera Frances Pember (Letter to the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate Saturday 6th November 1943, page 6 – Thanks TROVE)

And this was Vera’s face when we found it for her again, after 73 years!

Vera finding her letter in TROVE after 73 years.

Vera Deacon had written to the Newcastle Morning Herald as a 16 year old, in the middle of World War II, under her maiden name of Vera Frances Pember, calling for better resources for community housing, education and culture, especially for young people.

POSTWAR PLANS

Sir – The winning of the war and postwar reconstruction should be planned synonymously.
As one of the younger members of the community, the improvements I should like to see are –
Improvement of the housing system. Good clean homes make for a happier and healthier nation.

Education: This concerns me greatly. I should like to see a general improvement. Educational facilities are exceedingly poor and do not offer much to pupils without money. All education should be free, there should be free libraries, more recreational centres, and an elevated standard in music over the air and in films.

Given the chance, the youth of Australia will make this great heritage a better nation.

VERA FRANCES PEMBER.

 Moscheto Island.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133422275

It is great to see the joy that finding historical treasures brings to people. This was one of those magic moments.

History@Newcastle Research Seminar: 4 March 2016
Dr Jillian Barnes—University of Newcastle

Prison Tourism – a subset of Dark Tourism? The challenges of interpreting Shades of Violence through Containment at Trial Bay Gaol.

Trial Bay Gaol is a grand relic of late-nineteenth century British colonial architecture located at an arrestingly beautiful Australian beach. The website for the gaol headlines a tourist remark that this is “…funny. Imagine lying in a dark cell listening to the sounds of the
ocean.” The remark captures frequent expressions of surprise by tourists. The seaside is usually associated with leisure and pleasure, not punishment. The remark also implies the unsettling, bittersweet nature of the gaol’s history and location. First constructed to house
prisoners employed on a significant colonial public works project, the gaol later became a World War I internment camp for Germans and German-Australian prisoners of war. In this second phase, incarceration took an even more surprising turn. The POWs were a select group of highly educated men who established a working theatre, orchestra, European-style beach huts and a restaurant. This cultural expression was well-documented by a talented photographer and his newly-discovered cache of beautiful but haunting images is enabling curatorial staff to more fully present the multilayered and multihued histories of society’s handling of crime and punishment and of lived realities of captivity in a setting that evokes both pleasure and pain. While historicising the gaol’s evolution from penal past to focal attraction in a new national park, this presentation argues that the making of Trial Bay Gaol museum complex is the result of a sustained, convoluted, contested and illuminating nationalistic process. This presentation grew out of a joint publication by Jillian Barnes and Julie McIntyre in an
international edited volume on Prison Tourism to be published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2016.

Jillian Barnes is an interdisciplinary researcher across the fields of critical tourism studies, environmental history, colonial and Indigenous relationships in Australian history, and representation and power. She is particularly interested in the relationship between tourism, visual culture and Australia’s history of human rights. Her current research projects include the history of the National Tourism Organisation phenomenon, and its role in Australia in national cultural and environmental heritage conservation.