When I set out to create a promotional history video for the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) Ryde, I was faced with the unique challenge of condensing the centre’s 40-year history into a digital format that would engage and inspire a diverse audience. The project, now completed, has been a highly rewarding journey, of course it had its challenges, but these only highlighted the importance of adaptability and perseverance in public history projects.
The Vision The inspiration for this project arose from a gap identified during my initial meetings with Ryde. While the centre’s general history had been documented in the book ‘Celebrating 50 Years of RDA NSW’, there was not an accessible digital medium that captured the essence of its four decades of service. My project aimed to address this gap by creating a video that resonated with modern audiences whilst also acting as a promotional tool to encourage greater participation and support for the centre, as it is not-for-profit and run wholly by volunteers. Therefore, I adopted a digital approach to ensure accessibility and outreach, making the history of Ryde accessible to anyone, anywhere. By creating a video intended to be broadcasted across YouTube, social media platforms and the RDA’s website, my project leveraged technology to bring RDA Ryde’s history to life for current and future generations.
The Process Bringing the project together required an intertwining of research, adaptability, and community engagement. This included:
Extensive Research: – Photographic Archives: Sorting through decades of photographs presented both an opportunity and a challenge. Some of the images were undated and not organised chronologically, but they became invaluable in illustrating milestones such as events, riders, and the contributions of long-term volunteers. – Oral Histories: Interviews with long-standing volunteers added depth and authenticity to the narrative. Selecting key moments from hours of footage was a meticulous process but ultimately introduced elements of emotional resonance to the final project. – Firsthand Observations: volunteering weekly provided me with invaluable insights into the RDA’s present-day operations and mission, enriching the historical narrative with contemporary context. – Secondary Resources: Books like ‘The Spirit of RDA’ and ‘Celebrating 50 Years of RDA NSW’ ensured the accuracy of key dates and events.
2. Community Collaboration: – Engaging with the RDA community was central to the project’s success. The enthusiasm of long-standing volunteers demonstrated the importance of preserving the centre’s legacy.
Themes and Messages The video is structured around key themes that highlight the RDA’s enduring values and impact:
Community Resilience: Showcasing how volunteers and the local community have sustained the RDA through challenges, including the relocation of the centre.
Inclusivity and Empowerment: Emphasising the transformative power of equine therapy for individuals with disabilities.
Legacy and Progress: Bridging the past and present to underscore the continuity of the RDA’s mission.
Volunteerism: Celebrating the volunteers who form the backbone of the organisation.
Key Riders: Highlighting inspirational figures like Paralympian Jan Pike to demonstrate the profound impact of the RDA’s work.
Impact The completed video serves multiple purposes: – Preservation: It documents and celebrates the RDA Ryde’s history, ensuring that its legacy is not forgotten. – Promotion: As a digital resource, the video is a tool for attracting new volunteers, donors, and participants. – Inspiration: By sharing the stories of resilience, empowerment, and community spirit, the video inspires deeper appreciation of the RDA’s work and greater involvement from a wide audience.
The project has also laid the groundwork for future initiatives, providing a comprehensive history of the Ryde centre for future volunteers, and a model for other RDA branches to document their histories in engaging and accessible ways.
Personal Reflection Working with the RDA Ryde has been a profoundly enriching and rewarding experience. Witnessing the beaming smiles of riders as they arrive every week is a testament to the organisation’s impact. I am deeply grateful to the RDA for allowing me to contribute to their mission and I look forward to continuing my volunteer work with them in the future.
Looking Ahead This project is not just a celebration of the past but a step toward ensuring the RDA’s future. The involvement of long-term volunteers proved fundamental in adding depth to the project and formed the heartbeat of the video. By making the centre’s history accessible and engaging, it paves the way for greater community involvement and sustained support. I hope this video inspires others to explore and share the stories of other community organisations for the generations to come.
* (video will be attached when officially approved by RDA NSW.) *
This semester, I was privileged enough to work with fbi radio on an incredible oral history of their music library. Established in 1995, and having broadcast full time since 2003, fbi is a community radio station in Eora, Sydney. Driven by a policy to play 50% Australian music, with half of that from Sydney, fbi is a radically inclusive organisation that celebrates the diversity of our local music scene. My project ‘Turn Up Your Radio’, presented on fbi’s website as a multi-media piece, intersperses oral histories with text, photo, and video to reflect upon various chapters in fbi’s history. Oriented towards fbi’s existing listenership, my project is an affirmation of the importance of community radio as the fabric of local culture, arguing for the need of institutions such as fbi to pioneer subaltern voices and experiences.
Conceiving the project in the first place was a creative challenge in meeting fbi’s need for a compelling piece that showcased the diversity of the organisation whilst also producing something within their existing content model. In working with fbi’s team, we decided to hone in on fbi’s library of over 20,000 CDs. In this library, next to the top dance release of 2014, is a demo by an office worker in a pub-rock band that only ever recorded one single. Next to that is a collection of ambient beats made by a student in their bedroom, besides the blues singer that has been gracing Sydney stages for decades.
However, due to the sheer size of the library, I needed a throughline. Even if I carefully went through each CD in the library, being able to grasp its historical significance was impossible within the remits of this project. I needed a creative solution that would make it possible for me to comprehend the library while also connecting with fbi’s vision. Oral histories were the perfect solution. Just as oral histories have historically been used to amplify the voices often neglected in written history, oral history in this project sought to shine a spotlight upon the incredible people who have supported Sydney’s music scene. Recorded in fbi’s studio using the audio-processing software ‘Reaper’, oral histories were perfect for the project as it coordinated with fbi’s identity as a radio station and gave me a way to work collaboratively with fbi volunteers and staff past and present.
My final project features oral histories from from Stuart Coupe, presenter of Wild Card from 2003-present, Stephen Goodhew, music director from 2013-1017, Dan Zilber, music director from 2003-2017, Simon Caldwell, DJ and longtime presenter of Monday Sunset, Cassandra Wilkinson, president of fbi from 1997-2021, Lee Tran Lam, writer and presenter of Local Fidelity from 2007-2023, Caroline Gates, programming director from 2010-2017 and John Ernest Dinamarca, volunteer and project manager of fbi’s social outreach program from 2015-17. Meeting with these incredible, was not only incredibly enlightening from an intellectual perspective, by personally rewarding in hearing the stories of this incredible organisation and the impact they have had on it.
As the first extended historical work done for fbi, this is a significant step in celebrating this incredible organisation, its originality lying in both its novelty, but also synthesis of modalities relevant to the station. As I spoke to many interviewees, they commented on the need for fbi to have a history written about them and how personally beneficial it was for them to reflect upon their time at the station, which has irrevocably transformed their life’s trajectory. I hope that this project, publicly available on the fbi website, will impact fbi by elevating the awareness of the organisation’s historical significance and the need for its story to be officially recorded. My project has told stories about fbi that have otherwise never been publicly recorded and I hope it inspires future historical work about the station. As Stuart Coupe beautifully put it in our interview, “[the] library is a remarkable piece of Music history. We talk about tombs in Egypt and artefacts being buried, and hopefully that library stays together.”
While my article has not yet been published, I have included two oral histories below to check out!
Day One: fbi 94.5 Present: Kill Your Idols (2003)
August 29, 2003. Since 1995, FBi (Free Broadcast Inc) Radio 94.5FM had been broadcast on special occasions from an empty shop next to the Clock Hotel in Surry Hills, on milk crates in a caravan in Bondi Beach or above a suckling pig restaurant on George Street. However, after over six years of lobbying and fundraising, the fbi Idols, constituting Sarah Blasko, Dave McCormack, Spod, Tony Buchen, Upshot, and Front-End Loader performed to a packed foyer at the fbi headquarters. Their live cover of ‘Turn Up Your Radio; by the Master’s Apprentices was the first song to be broadcast on air and was immortalised on the ‘FBI 94.5FM Presents: Kill Your Idols” a compilation of 21 songs (many of which were only demos), that encapsulated the Sydney scene at the time. Check out some footage from the day, alongside Music Director (2003-2017), Dan Zilber’s account of the day and the compilation CD that came out of it, Kill Your Idols.
Discovering New Talent: Harley, Harley (2011)
At the core of fbi’s mission to play 50% Australian music, is their commitment to amplifying grassroots talent that may be otherwise neglected by commercial; radio or major labels. For example, Music Open Day saw flocks of artists coming into the station hand-delivering demos on burnt CDs, keen for their first radio play. Some of these CDs had cover art, some in an entirely plain packaging straight from Officeworks. Others simply wrapped up their demo in the ripped-out pages of a medical textbook and in the case of Rainbow Chan, brought in her demo in a hand sewn and embroidered fabric sleeve. From a father with a newborn handing in a demo to the station – who later turned out to be a member of rock band and fbi success-story Wolf Mother – or music director Stephen Goodhew being live serenaded in his office, Music Open Day encouraged everyone and anyone to come in and take a shot. With the commitment of presenters, volunteers, and staff to scour the city for new releases, fbi has been responsible for the first radio plays of some of the biggest Australian exports from The Kid Laroi and Julia Jacklin, to 1300 and Nina Las Vegas, and countless invaluable independent artists. One notable story is of a 15-year-old Flume who handed in his first demo under the name ‘Harley’ to the station in 2007.
This semester I was privileged enough to work with the Sydney Convicts RUFC for my HYST3902 project, composing an archive and a short written history for the institution. Initially a daunting task, I somehow managed to pull through and deliver an archive with over 170 entries, ranging from simple scans of two-decade old posters to digitisations of 60+ page booklets.
The Point
The originality and argument of this project lies in its subject matter, the Sydney Convicts, acting both as a documentation of their now 20-year history and furthering the argument that they made with their founding in 2004. The originality of the project is by contributing to the history of rugby by applying serious historical attention to the Sydney Convicts as a gay rugby club adds another dimension to their agenda to combat both stereotypes of gay men, and the deep-rooted homophobia in rugby as a sport. As the Star Observer reported in 2004, “They see themselves as a rugby team first and foremost, which just happens to be gay.” By documenting the history of the Convicts like one would the history of any other amateur rugby club, the novelty of the Sydney Convicts in contemporary rugby is extended into the history of rugby. The argument of the project is then that it ‘historicizes’ the convicts, both within the history of rugby and establishes a singular historical narrative of the club itself. According to Joan Scott, “The point of new historical investigation is to disrupt the notion of fixity, to discover the nature of the debate or repression that leads to the appearance of timeless permanence.” This framework of ‘historicization’ disrupts the ‘permanence’ of the rugby landscape, wherein clubs have existed for well over a century even on the amateur level, by paying serious historical attention to a relatively young club in the Convicts. This is evident in account of the Convict’s early years, where many of the players had been excluded from their previous teams for their sexualities and the formation of a club that accepted these players was met with hostility from several other clubs in the Sydney suburban championship. By showing that the Sydney amateur rugby landscape, despite having some clubs that date back over 100 years such as the Manly Savers, has changed with the inclusion and eventual acceptance of the Convicts, amateur rugby is integrated into the greater social and historical processes of the society it exists in. Therefore, by paying serious historical attention to the Sydney Convicts, the project has both an original premise in documenting the relatively new club, and that documentation makes an argument by ‘historicizing’ the club and rugby as subject to both social and historical conditions.
What is a Rugger Bugger?
One particularly well documented part of the club’s history was the annual-ish ‘Rugger Bugger’ with cards, posters and news reports about the event preserved.
The Rugger Bugger, starting in 2004, is a show periodically held by the Convicts as a fundraiser to finance the club and travel to international events the convicts attend, most notably the bi-annual Bingham Cup.
The first several shows were held at the Midnight Shift, a historical LGBT club in Sydney, which has since closed down and been reopened as ‘Universal’ by a new set of owners. As such these cards are not only a piece of Convict history, but also of Sydney’s pre-lockout laws nightlife.
The ‘Wakulda: Weaving Our Stories as One’, video installation on the Old Courthouse Building in Port Macquarie
This semester I worked with Studio ESEM https://www.studioesem.com/ to organise the digital sources from one of their past projects in an archive and present it in a new non-linear digital format.
The project is based on Studio ESEM’s 2021 video projection installation Wakulda (Weaving our Stories As One), https://www.studioesem.com/projects/wakulda which marked the 200th anniversary of the British settlement of Port Macquarie, by reflecting on Indigenous/Birpai perspectives on this history.
The digital interpretation element of my project presents the sources that Studio ESEM collected during the production of Wakulda in a new non-linear digital format. My creative approach and presentation of the sources will enable the audience to engage with these stories in a new way. In the new format I was able to further explore and develop narrative threads from the original project such as Indigenous/Birpai perspectives on and connection to their Country, the history and impact of conservation movements in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area
My project, like the original Wakulda project focuses on the perspectives of the First Nations community of Port Macquarie, particularly the local Birpai people. The original project was significant in focusing on First Nations perspectives on a colonial anniversary, and making their voices heard in the (literal) center of the town in Port Macquarie, projected for the whole community on the Old Courthouse Building. The centering of these perspectives and personal experiences which have historically been excluded from public histories implicitly makes the argument that these are perspectives that must be listened to to gain a proper understanding of Australia’s past and to address the present day inequalities that are the effects of colonization in Australia. The project also highlights the significance of historic conservation movements in Port Macquarie and the women who lead them, a history which the original Wakulda project shone a light on, but which had historically not been well known to the Port Macquarie community, and my project also argues that this is an important history to recognize.
A page from the websiteA page from the website
I worked with the sources that Studio ESEM collected during the production of Wakulda, which were all in digital form on a drive. This included images of historical documents and artworks; audio recordings of personal oral histories; interviews with local historians; location video and photography of Port Macquarie and the natural environment around it; photos of individuals who were interviewed; photos and videos of local community activities such as a weaving workshop and choir performance; and historical photographs. I focused particularly on the oral histories and interviews, as these were not fully captured in the original video projection, and they reveal important perspectives and insights about Port Macquarie’s history. In the digital presentation, I supplemented these with images and video to contextualise them.
In the process of cataloguing the sources, I gained a thorough understanding of this archive and found particular themes in common throughout the sources. The three key themes of my project are embodied by the sections of my digital presentation. The first was Birpai Country: Weaving Community, which focused on the local Indigenous community, members of the Birpai nations and other nations and their connection to Country. It explored the meaning of the place to them, on one hand the physical space and natural environment, and on the other, the community and people. The second theme was Conservation in Port Macquarie: A Vital Legacy, where I focused on the contributions of local woman Grace Easterbrook to protecting the natural environment and the legacy of the Port Macquarie Conservation Society. Finally, Injustices, the past, and making a better future, focused on the injustices of colonization, the historical and current day impacts on Indigenous Australians, and the efforts members of the Port Macquarie Indigenous community to create a better world for future generations.
This project will give a platform for the voices of the local Indigenous community of Port Macquarie, highlighting their perspectives. These perspectives need to be amplified and listened to for both historians and the general public to gain a proper understanding of Australia’s past: as many of the interview participants mention, truth-telling is key aspect of achieving progress. Hopefully this project will make this history more accessible to the general public through an engaging digital format, not only for the residents of Port Macquarie, but anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of Indigenous Australian history and experiences.
In the production of the original Wakulda project, Studio ESEM were focused on producing the final product and had not organized the sources they had collected. The sources still had much value to explore, as much of the sources collected had not been included in the video projection, given the 10 minute runtime. The video is still being projected in Port Macquarie, but will end projection next year, so Studio ESEM is looking to long term and continuing projects in Port Macquarie: they have continued to collaborate with Aunty Rhonda Radley, who was significantly involved in Wakulda, on various other projects.
Firstly, my spreadsheet organizes the sources into a usable archive that can be used to make the use of them in any future projects easier and ultimately help make these sources accessible to the public
Secondly my “scrollytelling” presentation of the sources, explores a new way of presenting the sources, further develops narratives from the original Wakulda project and provides a basis for Studio ESEM to explore this new format, which they are keen on building on.
The documentation of sources in the spreadsheet did not require much creativity as it followed a model that Studio ESEM had used previously. For the “scrollytelling” page Studio ESEM wanted me to explore ways of presenting the sources digitally, but there was plenty of scope for what kind of digital presentation, techniques and the themes that I drew out of the sources. I used the format of a “scrollytelling” website, which allowed me to explore the full depth of the audio and visual digital sources I was working with. The connection of the audience with the individuals who were featured was made much more concrete by including audio clips of their responses, along with transcriptions The scrollytelling pages will eventually be published on a website, and made accessible to the general public. All the audio sources are also provided in text form, which helps accessibility. Through this project, Studio ESEM wanted me to explore digital presentation of stories and histories of the Indigenous Australian community of Port Macquarie, and what this format could offer. This is part of a larger project they are working on to platform these narratives and perspectives in a digital format. They want to further develop the work I did with me (which I am keen to do) and incorporate it as part of this larger project
A little thing about me: I never got to master swimming in the past twenty years of my life, but since I am now in Australia, I said to myself that I should not waste this natural beauty and the precious resources we have here down under. That is how I self-learned how to swim and obtained my Open Water Diver license in April this year. Since then, I have been enjoying scuba diving, especially at Shelly Beach, a small beach just next to the infamous Manly Beach. Just less than ten metres underwater, you get to see rays, sharks, and of course, our celebrity at Shelly – Basil the Green Turtle munching on seagrass.
Basil the Green Turtle, the local celebrity at Shelly Beach. Source: Dive Centre Manly.
It truly amazed me how we are so lucky to have such a beautiful aquatic reserve right next to the bustling city. However, this might not be the case – can you imagine having a Luna Park 2.0 in Manly? Yes, the definition of “leisure at Manly/Shelly” could be completely different as there were once proposals to completely revamp the scenery at Manly a century ago in the 1920s. Luckily thanks to the local community effort, not only were the plans terminated, but Cabbage Tree Bay also became a no-take aquatic reserve. That’s what my collaboration with Dive Centre Manly, a local dive centre that has been serving the Manly community at Belgrave Street since 1962, is about. I have created a website that serves as a central hub for the dive centre and Manly’s history, as well as studying the development of Cabbage Tree Bay from “one of the dirtiest spots in Manly” to almost an amusement park, and now an aquatic reserve.
Dive Centre Manly, originally Ron Harding’s Sports Centre, at Belgrave Street (leftmost shop). Source: Manly Library Local Studies.
With global climate issues such as extreme weather and ocean pollution such as the thunderstorms in Sydney and the mysterious black balls that washed up on Sydney beaches recently, both the daily lives of Sydneysiders and marine life are negatively affected. By promoting local conservation efforts like the regular Dive Against Debris event held by Dive Centre Manly, the organisation could gather more participants in beach and underwater cleanup. The project also assists the public in acknowledging their bargaining power and the significance of their contribution in negotiating and collaborating with resourceful governmental bureaucracies in making changes to their society.
I believe that the general public and community organisations, such as Dive Centre Manly, are some of the major, if not the most, contributors to the development of Cabbage Tree Bay from almost an amusement park to an aquatic reserve that has a richer biodiversity than most of the other aquatic reserves. From resistance such as protests, fighting funds and petitions to the municipal council in the 1920s to collaboration with governmental departments and publicly funded non-profit organisations in the late twentieth century until today, this project shows that community efforts in various aspects are effective in local marine conservation.
Newspaper excerpts regarding public involvement in the Shelly Beach Amusement Scheme in the 1920s. Source: Trove.
The project website is divided into four subpages, each with one theme: “Dive Centre Manly,” “Shelly Beach Amusement Plans in the 1920s,” “Cabbage Tree Aquatic Reserve,” and “Photo Album.” The 1920s page and the conservation page showed a contrast between how Shelly Beach could have become if the community had not contributed to striving for the area to become a no-take aquatic reserve, while the Dive Centre Manly page illustrated how the organisation has served the Manly community for over 60 years, as well as its continuing effort in preserving the natural beauty of Cabbage Tree Bay through adopting Manly Cove and Shelly Beach. The album provides visual comparisons for the aforementioned changes.
The four subpages, each with one theme.
This project is innovative in bringing together history, social dynamics, urban development and marine conservation. Local residents and organisations as social agents constitute a large part of a community and therefore should never be underestimated in their contribution and involvement in writing history and development of their society. Also, responses from residents and visitors are focused on as they are the actual users of the aquatic reserve, presenting vastly different voices which are based on more personal experience, compared to government and council officials. Although the major focus is still on history, this project has the potential to develop into an interdisciplinary project with further collaboration with experts/students/stakeholders in various fields.
This project also provides a creative solution for different stakeholders in society to have a more holistic view of Cabbage Tree Bay. Resources available regarding the 1920s improvement plans were mostly if not all, written documents such as meeting minutes and local studies articles. This project draws from these records to produce a simulation/recreation of the proposed plans as an interactive map and references Coney Island in the US in assisting users to picture what the park might be like. Non-snorkellers and certified scuba divers also gain access to pictures and videos of local marine life – go check out Dive Centre Manly’s Instagram reel about Basil the Green Turtle!
Interactive Map illustrating the 1920s amusement proposals.
My technique and focus on presenting all these information is mainly on visualisations. I have also included a lot of primary sources as the main evidence (and I do mean A LOT!). A large number of photos and videos are used. Maps, paintings and images of Cabbage Tree Bay since the late nineteenth century are compared with photos taken by me in early November to show the development of Manly. Illustrations of amusement facilities in places like Coney Island, Manly, and the Blue Mountains assisted in visualising the abandoned Shelly Beach Amusement Schemes. Sources such as photos and local studies stored at the Northern Beaches Library History Hub and the local history section on 2/F of Manly Library (shout out to the friendly and knowledgeable staff there!), especially the works by John Morcombe of Manly Daily, contributed a lot in supplementing and providing a concise introduction to the overall development. I have also personally visited Manly and took pictures with my camera for the comparison section on the photo album page to show the difference in the area over a century – I might not be a great photographer, but at least I think I get the locations right!
To supplement visuals with written records, council meeting minutes illustrate the discussion between investors and the council, and government gazettes, websites, reports and blogs are used to track the continuing conservation work done by the state government and the Northern Beaches council. For community efforts and perspectives of the public, newspaper articles, and letters to the editor are also included.
Oh and don’t worry about it being a plain website as I have prepared lots of interactive elements for you all: The interactive map on the 1920s page allows you to click on different sections to learn about the proposed amusements, while the slider photo album lets you compare certain spots of Manly and Cabbage Tree Bay at the same angle across a century (or more!) If you have time, hyperlinks to external websites and materials such as Government websites and content created by Dive Centre Manly for a deeper and more expertise understanding of marine conservation are also worth-visiting. Although the website has not yet been marketed, as Dive Centre Manly is active on Facebook and Instagram and holds weekly guided dives, trips, gatherings, and courses, the website could be promoted both in-person and online for a wider reach.
One of the sliders on the Photo Album page comparing Fairy Bower in 1890 and 2024. Note: This is a screen capture, so the slider function does not work here – visit the website!
The local community at Manly/Cabbage Tree Bay, visitors, and Dive Centre Manly will benefit from this project. By raising attention towards marine conservation, local residents and visitors (like us!), especially water sports lovers, can continue enjoying the natural beauty at Shelly Beach and Fairy Bower during weekend activities such as snorkelling, swimming, and diving and the biodiversity the reserve provides. Dive Centre Manly, although with a long history, did not have an archive for the record. This project serves as a central hub for the organisation and the community’s history, as well as educating the public about marine life and marine conservation at Cabbage Tree Bay.
The website will hopefully be continuously updated for the latest events held by Dive Centre Manly, as well as more photos and videos of the marine life underwater taken during these events (especially when season and daylight hours change there will be different creatures appearing). More information could also be supplemented in other aspects such as biodiversity, conservation and urban development through interdisciplinary collaboration. Interviews or feedback from different stakeholders such as local residents and participants of the community events could also be added to a new subpage of the website, acting like a discussion board/forum for information exchange and strengthening social unity. So feel free to tell us your story or experience!
Summer is coming, so whether you like visiting beaches just for a cup of coffee, going sunbathing, escaping the heat by jumping into the water, or going underwater for the fascinating scenery and experience swimming with the local marine residents, Shelly Beach is definitely your to-go destination! If you would like to join us in preserving this paradise, don’t forget to also check out and sign up for Dive Centre Manly’s regular Dive Against Debris event on their website – sign-up is free, gear rental is half-priced, and enjoy a barbeque together afterwards!
Dive Centre Manly’s Dive Against Debris community event held on 22/09/2024.
Although I am no longer working with the previous organisation as mentioned in my first blog post, I would like to quote myself again as this project still aims at spreading this message:
“It is the waters which shaped our nation, it is the people who lived through a diverse experience and explored the land and the ocean. By preserving and sharing the stories of people from different communities, I believe that the public interest and curiosity towards the relationships between us and the ocean can be sparked…”
This semester, particularly my time in this unit, has been fruitful and fun – perhaps the best unit I have ever taken at uni. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank James and Mike for allowing us to temporarily get out of the classrooms and libraries and into the society we’re living in. The semester has ended, and it’s goodbye for now, but I hope to see you guys again no matter at Manly or in the public history field!
As a young Australian it is a common experience to be showered with cheery sentiments like “your generation is screwed,” “good luck ever owning a getting your foot in the door,” or the more blunt, “you’ll never own a home.” With that reality settling in, you turn to the rental market, only to wonder how you’ll ever manage to survive there. You hear of friends whose leases were cancelled just weeks before renewal. Who endured the uncertainty of 6-month lease after 6-month lease, or, worse, rolling leases. Friends who for years have tolerated mould, broken appliances, chipped doorframes, pests, and dismissive real estate agents, because they fear that if they complain too much, eviction will follow.
Tenants News Issue 59
I’ve had my fair share of bad rental experiences: a house that flooded almost every time it rained; a landlord who believed ownership entitled them to barge in unannounced. Mould has destroyed more than one item of my clothing, thanks to a wall leak that had been ignored for years, hidden behind layers of chipped paint.
It was during one of these challenging times that I first encountered the Tenants Union. We weren’t informed until the day before that our rental’s roof would be replaced, and when the work began, fine dust filled our home. All we asked for was the bare minimum – an asbestos report to assure us that it was safe to breathe in our own home. The real estate agent claimed one existed but refused to provide it when we asked. In the midst of this ordeal, we were referred by a friend to the Tenants Union. Although my housemates and I ultimately didn’t need their direct assistance, just knowing they were there – ready to offer advice and advocate on our behalf – was a tremendous source of reassurance.
The Tenants Union have been there for renters, borders, lodgers, the owners of mobile homes, the sick, tired and elderly for 48 years. Throughout their history they have partaken in protests, supported rent-strikes, helped win legal battles, and proved proficient in the political manoeuvring needed to garner support for the passage of the Residential Tenancies Act 1987, updating the previous, (appallingly outdated), 1899 legislation.
Additionally, the Tenants Union is the cornerstone of the NSW Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Services (TAAS), which provide 15 generalist services and 4 specialist services focused on Indigenous and elderly tenants across the state. These services allow for tenants to receive free quality advice to help fight battles against dodgy real estate agents and greedy landlords.
Their history is one that is increasingly important in Australia; as generational wealth threatens to create unbreachable class boundaries, and stable living becomes a luxury to all but a few, their work towards fighting for the rights of tenants across NSW is both inspiring and energising, serving as a light in what can, at times, seem like a darkening world.
If you need assistance or advice on your rights as a renter, visit the Tenants Union of NSW at https://www.tenants.org.au/ .
Across Sydney, high in the lofts of cathedrals and sequestered in suburban churches and school halls, lie hundreds of complex mechanical musical instruments. Some are silent and forgotten, and others thunder with music every day of the week.
The Sydney Town Hall Organ, the largest in the world when it was built in 1890, ‘with no expense spared’
The pipe organ doesn’t feature in the lives of many 21st-century Sydneysiders. What was once the herald of public occasions and celebrations, providing music for the joy of weddings, the grief of funerals, and weekly church worship in Sydney, is considered by many a vague curiosity from a bygone era. But for a select group, the organ is a cherished and time-consuming passion.
The Organ Music Society of Sydney has aimed to foster interest in these instruments and their music for almost 80 years. A mix of organists, musicians, and enthusiasts gather for regular recitals and organ ‘rambles’ (going from instrument to instrument in one sitting). They also organise competitions, advocate and fundraise for instruments in danger of loss, and publish a quarterly journal on the ‘organ world’ of Sydney.
What is a Pipe Organ?
Until the turn of the 20th Century, the pipe organ was considered the most mechanically complex machine ever built. Evolving from the Roman Hydraulus, an early keyboard instrument that operated on displacing air with water through a series of tuned pipes, the modern organ is a continuation of an ancient tradition. Most organs have more than one keyboard, which play multiple ‘sets’ of pipes that make different sounds. These different sounds are activated by pulling ‘stops’, creating a wide palette of timbres, from a soft flute to a whole orchestra. This is where we get the expression ‘pulling out all the stops’.
Sydney Town Hall Organ console, with five keyboards and 127 stops
Some organs in Sydney have over 100 stops spread over five keyboards, producing a chest-shaking roar at ‘full organ’, and others only have a few stops, making a softer but still deeply moving and musical sound. Connecting a key to a pipe can involve complex electronics, magnets, valves, leather, bellows, and mechanical linkages that travel several metres, cross divides, and turn corners. Organ builders were at the forefront of mechanical engineering, creating intricate machines that filled entire rooms and weighed several tonnes.
The complex system of valves and tubing in a Pneumatically operated organ.
Organ Building Today
The Victorian organ-building industry in Sydney maintained stiff competition between large local firms and English builders, who leave behind instruments of every size and character. Today, only a handful of organ builders remain in Australia, and even less in Sydney. In partnership with the Organ Music Society of Sydney, I hope to document the work of these craftspeople in video, recording the rich skills handed down over centuries and promoting the work of the OMSS in popularising the organ. The clear passion and expertise held by the OMSS for this instrument will enrich an accessible, documentary-style introduction and record of the remaining Sydney organ builders.
Not being a portable instrument, the organ is a unique link between the aural and physical space they occupy. As history has shifted, the organ is a sound and a space that would be recognised by centuries of our forbears. Sydney’s organ builders are custodians of an immense tradition and skillset, and their dedication to preserving the organ for a new generation deserves recording and a wider interest.
A recording of the Sydney Town hall organ by City of Sydney Organist Titus Grenyer
This is the motto that characterises the Riding for The Disabled Association in Ryde, Sydney.
First RDA centre: England, 1970.
In riding a horse, we borrow freedom.
HELEN THOMPSON WOLLEY
The Riding for the Disabled (RDA) is a remarkable organisation dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with disabilities through equestrian activities. Founded in the UK in 1969, the RDA has grown into a global movement, with centres across Australia. I have chosen to work with the local Ryde Centre (NSW), which stands out for its commitment to providing inclusive equestrian experiences, fostering both physical and emotional development for its participants.
Young rider at the Ryde centre, NSW.
Empowering Lives Through Equine Therapy The core mission of the RDA is to promote the therapeutic benefits of horse riding, which can significantly improve balance, coordination, and confidence in individuals with various disabilities. The organisation offers riding lessons tailored to the unique needs of each rider, ensuring that everyone, regardless of abilities, can experience the joy of being on the saddle. Beyond riding, the RDA enhances life skills, teamwork, and social interaction, creating a holistic approach to therapy that empowers its riders. The Ryde centre does this through creating a safe environment and an inclusive sense of community that enriches lives.
I chose to work with this organisation as I am deeply passionate about their work. Growing up with horses, I know the enriching impact riding can have. I also have a personal connection to the RDA, as my family have been volunteers for many years. Even just volunteering three times with the centre in Ryde so far, I have witnessed the transformative effects of equine therapy. During my first visit, I was told a story that will stay with me forever. A young boy was riding a horse that wouldn’t move forward. The instructor encouraged him, saying, “Tell him to walk on.” With a quiet yet determined voice, the boy replied, “Walk on.” At that moment, his mother, standing at the side, burst into tears. When asked if she was alright, she replied, “that was the first time I heard my son’s voice.” This powerful moment exemplifies the profound impact that riding can have on individuals, further inspiring me to contribute to the RDA Ryde Centre, especially through a project that raises awareness and uniquely documents its wonderful history.
Ryde centre, NSW.
Upon discussing what I can do to help the organisation, we arrived at the idea of a promotional video that showcases the diverse activities and stories of the RDA Ryde Centre. The volunteers explained to me that many people do not know the centre exists so this project would help to spread awareness. This video could feature interviews with participants, volunteers, and instructors, sharing their experiences and the positive impacts of the RDA. I also intend to incorporate oral history into this project, capturing the voices of long-time volunteers and riders. This initiative would not only document personal experiences but also the history of the RDA Ryde Centre in a way that is widely accessible. By gathering these personal narratives, I could create an overview of the centre’s evolution, showcasing its commitment to serving the community for current and future generations. Ultimately, my goal is to create a project that not only promotes awareness of the RDA Ryde Centre but also documents its history in a way that has not been done before. By utilising visual technology, I can reach a wider audience, inspiring more people to engage with this vital organisation.
The RDA is not just about riding; it is about building confidence, independence, and creating lasting connections through the power of horses. As I embark on this project, I hope to honour the legacy of the RDA while highlighting the incredible work they do for individuals with disabilities.
My rugby career was longer than it had to be and ended with a whimper on a cool summer’s morning in 2020 in a something-nil loss against another GPS schools’ socials team. My Father’s was far more prestigious, from the Chevaliers First 15, to Woollahra Colleagues Rugby, to the Bowral Blacks, and finally coaching the Sydney Convicts in their 2004 debut year.
This connection with the Convicts turned into a meeting with one of its founders, Andrew ‘Fuzz’ Purchas, who returned to Sydney from San Francisco in 2003 intent on establishing an inclusive gay rugby team after his own experiences of exclusion from the sport after coming out as gay some years earlier.
In that meeting it was found that despite having won the International Gay Rugby Bingham Cup 5 times in its 24 year history, and hosting the 2014 Cup in Sydney, the Club’s activities on and off the field have been subject to an irregular amount of documentation. It seemed that the stars had aligned. I had several months of experience in the Australian Museum’s archives as part of their digitisation program and was already familiar with the front-end and user experience of an archive.
Archives are trickier than just shoving a bunch of folders into a cabinet in a cool & dry attic. The actual physical and digital storage of data that needed to be reliable enough to survive years without seeing the light of day but also accessible enough that that same data can be found at a moment’s notice. Especially because I had already dropped the word ‘digital’ in my meeting with Andrew.
A hard drive will last about 5 years with regular use, a SSD will last between 5-10, and that’s before considering the computer that goes with them. Hypothetically hard drives can actually last forever if the disk-reading mechanism remains intact and no one drags a magnet over the disk. Another option is 3rd party storage, with its own problems, what if the service stops in 7 years? Or someone forgets to change the card for the payment plan? What’s worse, human or technical error losing what could become the only copies of items of Sydney Convict history?
Aside from the logistics of archives, the act of retrieving the items themselves poses its own challenge. Media coverage by the likes of the Sydney Morning Herald and the ABC is simple enough thanks to their digitised articles, but from more local and queer specific sources recovery can be more spotty. Doubly so for items that only exist in physical form, did anyone keep a copy of the program of the 2014 Bingham Cup for 10 years?
Regardless of these difficulties, the club and its members have so far been very enthusiastic about the history project and a pleasure to work with. I’m looking forward to what can be achieved by the end of semester.
Since its founding the Sydney Jewish Museum has played a significant rule in the remembrance and education of the Holocaust. The Sydney Jewish Museum was founded in 1992 by Holocaust survivor and philanthropist John Saunders. According to the museum’s website, Mr Saunders desired the museum to be a “place to share their memories, commemorate the six million Jewish people who were murdered and provide important messages to future generations.”
Despite its relatively short history, the Sydney Jewish Museum has become well known for the vital service it provides in education on the Holocaust as well as in the history of antisemitism and the persecution of the Jewish people.
The museum provides a variety of educational opportunities for varying age groups, from school children to adults. The Sydney Jewish Museum could appear from the outset to be a “normal” museum where you just glance at objects without considering them. However, from my own personal experience I would say this is not the case. This is because the museum always ensures that the stories that are being told are human focused. This is what makes the experience of going to the Sydney Jewish Museum different and emotive.
Sydney Jewish Muesum’s Holocaust exhibt
The museum has demonstrated its ability to convey the story of one of the darkest moments in human history, the Holocaust. This is done in way that makes visitors reflect and consider the story of the people who once owned the artefacts they are now viewing.
I have always loved going to museums, but no museum has ever had such an emotional impact on me in the same way that the Sydney Jewish Museum has. I remember vividly on both occasions I had the privilege of going to the museum when I was 14 and 16 with school. I had tears in my eyes when I listned and considered the stories I heard. This was something I must admit was not common for the teenage me to do.
The museum has exhibits that tell the story of both the survivors and victims of the Holocaust through traditional curatorial means. This is done in a very powerful and emotive way and ensures that the appropriate respect is shown considering the very serious subject matter. However, the museum is also lucky to have several volunteers who are Holocaust survivors and generously give talks about their experiences. When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to listen to Dasia Black-Gutman on two separate occasions, her story of loss and survival has always stuck with me.
For that reason, I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with the Sydney Jewish Museum as I hope that by volunteering I may assist in the important work of Holocaust remembrance. Next year will be 90 years since the end of the 2nd World War and by extension the Holocaust. Whilst the Holocaust might have ended, antisemitism continues to be a stain on our society. For that reason, I strongly believe that it is important that we as historians and patrons support the work of institutions like the Sydney Jewish Museum that promote education on antisemitism and the commemoration of the Holocaust.
