Uncategorized Archives - History Matters

Dive into the History of Cabbage Tree Bay, Manly

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.

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.

Of course, in the modern internet era, multimedia content such as photos and videos produced by Dive Centre Manly must not be missed. Please also spend some time watching the video on the Dive Against Debris event and listening to Richard Nicholls, the founder of Dive Centre Manly, about marine conservation at Shelly!

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!

Rental Rights in Focus: How the Tenants Union Supports Australians

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.

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/ .

Distant Music – The Hidden Heart and Craft of Sydney’s Pipe Organs

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

Riding Develops Abilities

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.

https://rdaryde.org.au/
https://www.facebook.com/rdaryde/

The Sydney Convicts History Project

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.

The Sydney Jewish Museum

Sydney Jewish Museum’s Sanctum of Remembrance

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.

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 2^nd 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.

The Australian National Maritime Museum: A unique perspective on Australia’s past

The Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney is Australia’s national centre for maritime history collections, exhibitions and knowledge. Opened in 1991, it is one of six museums directly administrated by the Australian Federal Government and the only one located outside of the ACT. The museum also plays a key role in supporting local maritime museums and smaller historical organisations across Australia. The Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme, which began in 1995, has given over $2.53 million to support smaller historical organisations, and provided funding for more than 551 projects and over 85 museological training opportunities.

The museum’s collection includes a huge variety of objects significant to Australian and international maritime history, varying from photographs, paintings and models of ships to the 4 ships displayed on the water outside the museum. The Museum’s exhibitions and programs include topics as diverse as immigration, colonial history, Indigenous Australian history and maritime archaeology.

Photo from The Australian National Maritime website: https://www.sea.museum/en/whats-on/our-fleet/hmb-endeavour-replica

I had visited the Maritime Museum many times when I was younger, but Peter and Roland’s tour of it for our class gave me a new perspective on it. Hearing their insights about the process of acquiring objects for the collection and designing exhibitions at this museum gave me a glimpse into a particular way of producing history that I hadn’t encountered before in my History degree.

Unlike many of the organisations that students are working with in History Beyond the Classroom, the Maritime Museum’s entire purpose as a national museum is to engage with the public. Museums are a space where the skills of academic history are used to write and present quite a different form of history, addressing the general public with concise object based histories. I was immediately interested in the process behind this way of producing history, which could be limited by the fragility of certain collection objects, or the architecture of the exhibition space, but which offers unique opportunities to bring together varied physical objects from the past to educate the public.

Maritime history offers a particular lens on Australia’s history, cutting through the chronological periodisation, geographical and cultural partitions I am familiar with. The sea and human societies lives on and around it has always been a part of Australia’s past, and has played a pivotal role in Australia’s recent history. Maritime History appears narrow in its focus, but it is expansive in the varied themes it can encompass.

After the tour Peter Hobbins mentioned there were volunteering opportunities at the museum and I was keen to get involved in volunteering there, even though at that point I had already contacted another organisation to work on a project for History Beyond the Classroom. I wanted to learn more about the kind of historical work the museum did, and I also found their approach and purpose interesting.

When I realised that my previous choice of organisation wasn’t going to work due to the lack of response, I chose to contact the Maritime Museum to find out if I could work on a historical project there. The topic of my project is still undecided, but Peter Hobbins has proposed two suggestions of projects focused on presenting either photographic primary sources or archaeological reports to the public. I am still planning on volunteering at the Museum alongside this, either now, or in future.

Levelling the Scales: Marrickville Legal Centre

This post was written on Gadigal land, and discusses an institution developed on Wangal and Gadigal land. I pay my respects to the traditional owners. This land was stolen, but sovereignty was never ceded.

In 1979 ‘Little Greece’ sprawled along the Cooks River and up Illawarra Rd, consumed by the scent of hot bread which plumed from Vietnamese bakeries. The ever-exotic ‘cappuccino’ was just making its debut. Marrickville was considered a recognisably migrant community in Sydney at the time, and was a broadly working-class area. The Marrickville population did not have easy access to legal aid. A group of University students recognised that this lack of legal aid, alongside differing literacy levels and greater economic vulnerability, meant that a pro-bono community legal centre had to be developed, and so Marrickville Legal Centre (MLC) was established in the Town Hall.

Despite humble beginnings, MLC now has a catchment area of over 1.5 million people, and has expanded its service to advise and advocate in several different areas of law, including:

General legal services
Family and domestic violence (FDV) services
Youth legal services
Strata services
Family law
Tenancy services

MLC’s services are not isolated purely to direct legal action, as the Centre runs several community workshops and education efforts to give the communities they serve the knowledge and dignity to act. It is this demystifying approach that has been instrumental in generating lasting impact – in precedent and spirit.

Information cards created by the Law Foundation of NSW, featuring MLC as a point of contact for young clients.

The passion with which MLC approaches its work is palpable, and it is evident that the Centre thrives on the stories of hope and solidarity that emerge from it. So, to mark its 45th year, I will be facilitating an oral history project (with video) for MLC, focusing on the impact of the organisation on migrant communities. This will involve interviewing prominent community members, community organisations, and significant individuals directly involved in past matters. The integrity of the project lies in providing space for the people that MLC was established for, to be the people who tell the organisations history.

MLC represents a shifting attitude in legal spaces towards education and power, posing direct questions to the traditionally guarded institution surrounding who deserves advocacy, and how legislative dignity can be derived from immediacy with the communities that the legal system dictates and serves. While access to legal aid is significantly less difficult today, the proverbial road is still long. It was only this year (2024) that visa workers saw genuine protections be brought into their workplaces – reforms like this will save lives.

Please click here to learn more about the work of MLC, educate yourself on your entitlements, or otherwise engage with the Centre.

The Sound of Sydney: FBI Radio’s 30-Year Legacy

In the age of streaming and podcasts, has video really killed the radio star? fbi 94.5FM, a community-led radio station based here in Eora/Sydney would suggest otherwise.

In 1995, as the Keating government sought to allocate the remaining radio licenses in Sydney, fbi Radio was established. After several years of test broadcasts, fbi finally gained its permanent, full-time license in 2003 and has been broadcasting ever since. Their aim was simple, but radical: to showcase the diverse music and cultural scene of Sydney with a focus on independent artists. This was made explicit in their policy to play 50% Australian music, with half of that from Sydney.

Over their 21 years of broadcasting, fbi’s impact had spanned beyond the radio waves. In showcasing local and international music talent, with a breadth that defies the constraints of commercial radio, fbi has been integral in keep alive a local music culture trammelled by lock-out laws and corporate interests. No artist, song, or genre is too obscure or ‘left-of-field’ for fbi and they not only showcase, but celebrate subaltern identities and experiences

The shows on fbi range from quintessential breakfast radio to in-depth explorations of subculture and specific music genres. This ranges from shows such Race Matters which involves in-depth storytelling and interviews to explore modern racial identity, to Mosaic which celebrates Middle Eastern, Asian, and African culture and music co-hosted by the University of Sydney’s very own Jonathan Chalouhi. One of their flagship shows, All the Best, is a nationally syndicated program which curates and showcases community submitted documentaries, stories, and interview, demonstrating their commitment to representing the local community – in every form it takes. From the vast array of shows and content the station produces, at any rate, remains to have its finger on the pulse of Sydney’s culture.

Just some of the many photos taken in the infamous music library. Source: www.fbi.radio.

It is because of this that fbi is perhaps the ultimate organisation for a historical project. With thirty years in local scene, their importance spans beyond simply the local acts they have been integral in helping make ‘big’ (Flume, Julia Jacklin and Nina Las Vegas to name a few), but their continual support of the independent acts whose oeuvre may range from krautrock to Detroit house, ambient to grime. Not only is fbi’s local significance undeniable, but their capacity as a treasure trove of Sydney’s cultural history is an unmissable opportunity for a historian.

My work with fbi is centring on their mammoth CD archive of over 46,600 CD’s that they have acquired since their start in 1995. Anyone familiar with fbi will recognise their extensive shelves of CD’s, backdrop to many a photo op across their marketing and social media. This library is a physical manifestation of fbi’s almost thirty-year history. Accumulated over numerous music opens days (monthly events where the station invites local artists to hand in demos), personal collections, and demos from labels, this CD archive tells a story of the many lives of Sydney’s musical scene. By looking at the very history of this library, I hope to be able to help tell a story of the many lives that have walked through fbi’s doors, and the many lives its impacts beyond them.

Celebrating the Launch and Expansion of the 2024 HSC History Extension Mentoring Program

This November the History discipline celebrated the successful launch of the 2024 History Extension Mentoring Program, a key component of our Social Inclusion Program (click through for more info). More information about the program is available. Building on the success of our collaboration with Corowa High last year, we expanded our reach with a conscious effort to support regional and rural schools. As a result, we welcomed three new partners from regional NSW: Bomaderry High, Hastings Secondary College, and Gloucester High School. In addition to these new participants, we had two metropolitan returnees—Cecil Hills High and Canley Vale High. Following our successful launch, we are excited to see how a diverse range of interests and perspectives will develop into amazing History Extension projects.

This year we hosted three separate launch days to meet the various needs of our schools. We kicked off on November 16th with the Cecil Hills students and their enthusiastic teacher, Joshua Banks, coming to the University of Sydney campus. The students met their mentors, explored classic campus spots, and engaged in unstructured discussions with our academic team. On November 22nd, we conducted a Zoom launch with two of our new regional schools, Gloucester and Hastings, located along the Central and Northern NSW Coasts, respectively. Special thanks must go to the teachers Skye Sylvester and Lucy Neville for their hard work and initiative in bringing their students to our program! Our final launch on November 30th brought together Canley Vale and another new partner, Bomaderry High School, from the NSW South Coast. This third session went well despite the challenges posed by end-of-term assessments. We want to acknowledge the flexibility and dedication of each school’s teachers, Sue Neferis and Natalie Langley, who were critical in helping this session go ahead.

All three launches were attended by our academic team—Michael McDonnell, Niro Kandasamy, and James Findlay—who met the students, teachers, and our wonderful batch of mentors. James and Niro delivered a helpful presentation for the extension students titled ‘Turning Interests into Questions,’ exploring the surprisingly difficult process of transforming general interest into a tight question for historical interrogation. After these presentations, we broke the mentors off with their mentees, who reported many productive and friendly conversations. They exchanged emails and shared resources. Now, we look forward to seeing what they will achieve in the coming months!

We have several sessions moving forward, the next of which is scheduled for February in the new year. Until then, we want to express our gratitude to everyone involved in helping launch the program this year! Most importantly, we want to thank this year’s cohort of mentors for the enthusiasm, intelligence, and compassion they have brought to the program so far.

We look forward to seeing you all in the new year!