History Matters

Through the process of creating my historical project on the Cooks River, the thing that struck me the most was how much I personally learnt about the place that I grew up next to. Obviously I had a basic understanding on some of the history that is centred upon the Cooks River. I knew that it had an important Indigenous history from doing a walking tour when I was younger. The tour guide explained all the Aboriginal uses for the flora and fauna around the river, for medicine and food as well as for building huts – and this knowledge was something that informed my project. With that obviously comes European invasion, so I felt that I had to highlight the events that happened with colonial development around the Cooks River. However, it was the little historical stories that I read that left me spellbound – from the fact that limestone was not available for building houses in the early 1800s and how oyster middens provided lime and mortar instead, to learning about how the river was once so clean that visitors used its water to make tea!

The form I chose for presenting my research was to create a webpage on the Cooks River Alliance’s website, under their ‘learn more’ tab. I still have more work to do, such as commissioning the artwork and working further with my organisation to ensure the webpage is what they want. So, the form my project ended up taking for the course was a mock-up of what the website will hopefully look like. The webpage will consist of a timeline from around the mid-1700s up until current times and is an informational and educational source for the greater public to learn more about what the Cooks River has provided in terms of its historical impact on the city of Sydney and the communities who are part of the geographical locale.

What I feel is unique about my project is that there has not yet been a thorough and conclusive timeline on the Cooks River. Online, the Dictionary of Sydney which has multiple webpages on the Cooks River but it is not centred in the one place. As well, the addition of my father’s watercolours for the webpage, as symbolic guidance to each historical event that includes the river, will differentiate it from other historical projects – making it a piece of visual history.

The argument I am attempting to present with my project is that the Cooks River, a river that has often been called a variety of not so flattering names, and as a public space, has only just recently returned to being a spot for recreation, deserves its stories to be told and to be heralded as an important place within the history of Sydney. This includes looking at how it shaped the development and progress of suburbanisation, industrialisation and leisure.

The river also reveals a lot about the people who lived around it, what their interests were; for example, the illegal boxing matches in the early 1800s, and what they metaphorically fought for, such as the outbreak of typhoid in 1894 that led to an outcry from the public regarding pollution in the river. These mementos of history shine a light on the historical depth of Sydney itself and provide a stronger connection to place and belonging, something I feel is needed as a resident of the Cooks River community.

The significance of my project is that it captures not only the previous history of the river but will serve as a watermark for the river’s progression into the future, environmentally and societally. Many changes are occurring with the river currently and it will be interesting to see in ten years or more how else it has evolved. I think it is important for the Cooks River Alliance, which is a council-run organisation, to acknowledge the river’s history on their website, including both the negative and positive aspects. They must be aware of what has come before and disclose all facets of the river’s past to be able to move forward and aptly shape the river’s current role in the history of Sydney.

This semester I worked with Manly Museum and Art Gallery (MAG&M) to create a children’s exhibition booklet for their 2021 Sydney Harbourside Exhibition. This exhibition booklet will have a wide range of activities, from drawing to writing, to get young children (aged 7-12) engaged with the exhibition. While volunteering for MAG&M I was fortunate enough to help them create their exhibition labels, this allowed me to be exposed to different artists and the history of the Manly area. Prior to this volunteering, I did not entirely appreciate the close relationship between art and history, and how this can be a way that people can use art as a way to explore their personal and public history.

MAG&M is an organisation that is committed to education, particularly to the education of young people. This was evident to me through previous exhibition booklets, that try to engage young people and get them interested in learning. Whether it be learning about art, history or a combination of both. I used previous booklets as inspiration for my booklet, though my booklet did have more of a focus on history due to the fact that I was coming at this project from a historical standpoint.

Doing this project for MAG&M got me thinking about how we should get the public to engage with history, especially with younger members. It has made me realised that there are many interesting and different ways that we can teach history – and that there is something for everyone. For example, in the booklet, I have activities that range from drawing with inspiration from the paintings to writing stories about features of paintings. By having a variety of activities there are multiple ways for young children to engage with the past of Manly and Sydney Harbourside, regardless of where the children have come from.

Additionally, what makes the exhibition unique, is the artworks interpersonal connections to the Manly area – even though it is a Sydney Harbourside exhibition, it is situated within the context of the Manly area. A number of the artists, such as Joan Ross, have their own connections to the Manly area – either living there now, used to living there or having familial/personal history with the area. By showcasing artworks and artists that have a personal connection to the area, we are able to show children that their personal histories are something that they can take pride in and show off to the public, and that we can get people to relate to our personal histories, regardless of where we have all come from.

I was lucky enough to have a supportive organisation throughout this entire project, who gave me the resources and mentoring required to finish this booklet. I am excited to see this booklet in use next year – in whatever capacity that may be – and I hope that this will excite children to learn more about art and history. This project has shown me possible future historical projects that I would potentially like to undertake and has shown me how personal and public history can impact communities, and educate young people.

I wonder how many people who have sat down for a beer at the Shoal Bay Country Club (SBCC) have at some stage in their lives thumbed through the pages of The History of the Peloponnesian Wars by Thucydides? Or immersed themselves in the history of the Holocaust? Which patrons love to spend a rainy afternoon snuggled up reading a Peter Fitzsimons novel, or sit down on a Friday night to watch a documentary on Pompeii? Quite a fair few, I’m sure. In the same breath, there must also be many who wouldn’t fancy any of these options, occupied instead with, say, something sciencey or sporty or arty. And that’s fair enough! Everyone is different. Or maybe, just maybe, is the way in which we traditionally tell history inclined to appeal to a particular audience, thereby rendering itself inaccessible to the rest of society? 

Conducting an investigation into the history of the Shoal Bay Country Club got me thinking about the correlation between how we write history and who engages with history. When I was sorting through the archives of the venue, I was intrigued to learn of the role of the SBCC in WWII, and find out about the fire that partially destroyed the building in the 1950s. When conducting further research, I immersed myself in the Aboriginal history of the area and came across extensive newspaper coverage of a missing SBCC guest in 1949, who was presumed dead. My first instinct was to collate all of these pieces into one streamlined historical account of the venue. I acted on this and completed a 12 page ‘History of the SBCC’ that includes all the photos, drawings, cartoons and anecdotes I collected from both the venue and further research. Yet whilst this was a step in the right direction, it didn’t feel right that the history of a pub was exclusively located in a written document, accessible primarily to the few who actively attempted to seek it out. What format of history was most appealing to a crowd of beer drinking, holiday going patrons? As I pondered this question whilst sipping on my drink at the public bar of the SBCC, the answer lay right underneath my Lychee Lane cocktail… 

The beer coaster originated from somewhere in Germany in the 1880s, and was formally manufactured by the print shop Friedrich Horn. For centuries, coasters have absorbed condensation, prevented spillages and at one point or another been the object on which a mobile number has hastily been written and handed to an unsuspecting target. Scattered across pub tables and used by nearly everyone, this object offers the perfect canvas upon which to incorporate small, bite sized pieces of history to beer drinking patrons about the venue they sit in.

To action this plan, I drafted five different designs. Each of them represents a ‘moment’ in the history of the SBCC. On one side is a date and few sentence summary about the particular era, and on the reverse is a collage of photos from both that period as well as others. If eventually implemented, I believe the coasters could kickstart conversations, inform patrons and engage a certain audience in the history of the venue who may not have otherwise had any means of doing so. When reopening the venue in 2018, new owner Andrew Lazarus stated that “we wanted to reignite this passion with the refurb and bring something fresh and exciting to the Port Stephens area whilst ensuring the hotel’s history has been preserved.” Achieving the desired balance between the past, the present and the future requires innovative approaches to the telling of history, and I hope that I have in some part contributed to the objective.

‘History beyond the classroom’ has been a whirlwind of managing expectations, tackling unanticipated obstacles and adapting to change. My project is far from over, but my appreciation for the weird and wonderful world of history and history-making has never been greater. I am excited to continue to watch my project with the SBCC unfold and look forward to future historical endeavours of this nature.

Cheers!

This semester, I have worked alongside the Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) in Redfern to develop a webpage that shares the organisation’s history as a centre of activism for both equal access to healthcare and Indigenous rights. The project emerged as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact that this had on the organisation in reducing its face to face operating hours and increasing the community demand for medical assistance. Therefore, the AMS’ priorities were heavily funnelled towards responding to the coronavirus, meaning that its less pertinent administrative projects were understandably side-lined. The idea of creating an easy-to-navigate and informative webpage that would share the organisation’s history with the Australian public therefore emerged in an effort to alleviate the AMS from the task of updating its website. I also thought that creating a space that shares Indigenous voices and centres the organisation’s longstanding concern with Aboriginal healthcare and equality would contribute towards building community trust in a period of considerable isolation and uncertainty.

To put it bluntly, my project aims to challenge the mainstream Australian conservative mantra that assumes “whiteness” as the default way of living. For instance, our national curriculum continues to be heavily influenced by European history and Western literature. Our federal government’s bushfire management plans are centred around Eurocentric understandings of the land rather than Indigenous knowledge. Our healthcare system continues to be obsessed with hypothetical deduction rather than acknowledging the role of spirituality and validity of bush medicine. Therefore, it is clear that our colonial past continues to haunt many of the powerful institutions in Australian contemporary society, continuing to centre “whiteness” whilst othering Aboriginal culture. My webpage counters this narrative by demonstrating how embracing traditional Indigenous constructs of health has played a major role in reducing Aboriginal mortality rates and supports “closing the gap” in healthcare, employment and education between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Whilst my project is not yet complete, the journey so far has been one of ups and downs. What has been very motivating throughout the process has been learning about the widespread impact and significance that a single, small-scale local organisation can have. Moreover, communicating with those currently central to the AMS’ operation and hearing their personal stories about engaging with Redfern’s local community and the differences they made in individual’s lives was extremely uplifting. What excites me, is that the webpage I produce will be the only location that exists to date where all of this information about the history of Indigenous healthcare, the AMS and the quest for Indigenous equality is collated in a comprehensive and interactive media. Further, making this a public webpage means that it will have far greater accessibility than previous journal articles, which often require institutional access and subscriptions, or local exhibitions, which are inaccessible to those who live out of the area. In terms of the challenges, I am still struggling with the development of this webpage, especially its aesthetics and the construction of more technically challenging aspects such as a timeline. I am hoping that over the coming weeks, I will be able to improve on this to shift my project from an academic text to a more engaging way of learning.

Beyond this unit, I hope to remain in touch with the Aboriginal Medical Service. As a neuroscience major and someone passionate about equal access to healthcare, I am hoping that I sustain this relationship with the organisation and will be able to volunteer as a member of the medical staff once I complete my degree. Throughout the semester, I have been consistently amazed by the social progress that the AMS has pioneered and am excited by the prospect that my webpage will be a space that celebrates these achievements.

This semester, I undertook two separate projects to assist the Hornsby Historical Society. Firstly, I wrote two 1500 word entries on the history of two of Sydney’s Upper North Shore suburbs – Beecroft and Cheltenham. This was part of a collaboration for a book on the local history of suburbs from the Hornsby shire. Secondly, I assisted in the society’s digitisation process by digitising severalaccession registers from the years 1994 – 2004 onto excel, as well as photographing artefacts for the register.

The entries on Beecroft and Cheltenham were strictly informative, with the aim of peaking interest and relevance to its readers. Nathan Tilbury, who invited me to work on the project, described it as a read which could be “completed easily over a morning cup of copy by interested locals”. These two entries argued towards the importance of local history by providing a quick overview of the development of local suburbs in an accessible way. I strived towards covering a range of local relevant topics, rather than focusing for too long on one aspect in order to capture the overview of the suburbs and made it as relevant as possible by providing present day evidence of locations and institutions discussed.

Nathan provided me with a sheet of possible topics to discuss. The guide mentioned institutions such as schools, sports clubs, churches and shopping centres as suggestions, all of which were included (where applicable) in my entries. I used secondary sources in order to gain an understanding of institutions and events, however also consulted primary sources (which I found in Hornsby library’s local archives) to reinforce important events. As the majority of the primary sources I used were newspaper clippings, they matched my writing style as they summarised important factors, rather than delving into a deeper analysis of the topic (as was done by some secondary sources). While books such as ‘Beecroft and Cheltenham: The Shaping of a Sydney Community to 1914’ by the Beecroft Cheltenham History Group were helpful for providing a consistent overview of information for Beecroft, I consulted a range of online sources such as the Hornsby Shire history page for information on Cheltenham. I also used images from the Hornsby Shire Recollect website, which provided me with visual information, which I thought would also be interesting for the readers.

This project is significant for local residents of the Hornsby Shire, as it will provide easy access to quick information about local suburbs, islands, national parks and landmarks. It will be useful and relevant to local residents, not just those with a background in literature or history, as it is descriptive rather than analytic, as well as quick and easy to read. The expected audience is made up of older residents who have lived locally for a number or years or have community involvement or interest. The format of the work – through short entries over a range of topics – will also effectively interest and capture the attention of the target audience.

I sent the entries to Nathan as a Word Document, and over the phone he explained to me that the work would be fact checked by an expert in those suburbs, and have the format edited to be consistent with the other suburbs by a co-writer of the book. The book is set to be published by the Hornsby Historical Society mid December 2020, and will be advertised at the local library, through Facebook and to local members of the society.

I also worked with Hornsby Historical Society representative Mari Metzke in assisting with the digitisation process for the museum accession register. Mari provided me with a USB containing scans of the accession register from the years 1994 – 2010, from which I managed to complete years 1994 – 2004. I additionally assisted in photographing some of the artefacts in the museum, which would later be included in the digital accession registers. In the provided scans, it was often difficult to interpret the handwritten component, either due to handwriting or a missing section in the scan (specifically in between the pages). I chose to be cautious when transferring and bolded any words I was unsure about so that Mari could double check my work. It will have a long term benefit for the Hornsby Historical Society, as existing data is much easier to find and organise in a digital format. I transferred the work from the scan of the register book, onto excel. From excel, Mari plans on transferring it onto a software which organises the societies accession registers.

Mari expressed her need for assistance with the digitisation process, and the volunteers at the society are often pressed for time. The work I have done on excel with be held privately by the society and will further be expanded upon as more accession registers are digitised. Due to time restraints, I have not been able to successfully finish all the accession registers which have been provided to me by Mari (the total amount exceeds the requirements of the Capstone Project).

Overall, the work done in this unit will be displayed both publicly (through the publication of the book) and privately (within the accession registers) and has benefitted the Hornsby Historical Society.

Mainstream medical practices in Australia are largely based on hypothetical deduction, with healthcare professionals treating symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation and surgery. Conventional medical advice is therefore heavily influenced by Western values. This starkly contrasts the traditional medical practises used by Indigenous cultures that instead, appreciate a balance between the physical and spiritual being, relying on traditional healers, bush rubs and naturopathic medicines.[1]

Data released in the Australian Bureau of Statistics March 2020 report, however, indicate that the health status of Aboriginal Australians was amongst the worst of any group in developed nations.[2] The report revealed a higher prevalence of ill health and disability and a reduced life expectancy across the Indigenous community. A proposed explanation for this is derived from the lack of synergy between Government funded health initiatives, largely based on Anglo culture, and Indigenous constructs of health. Therefore, re-shaping our healthcare system to include services considerate of Aboriginal health beliefs has the potential to be immensely effective.

Consequently, the Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) Redfern was established in 1971, partly to overcome the neglect and racism systemically engrained throughout Australia’s mainstream health services. The organisation was the first Aboriginal community-controlled health service in Australia, initially basing itself as a shopfront in Regent Street before moving to land donated by the Sisters of Mercy on Turner Street.[3] The service initially relied on volunteer doctors, nurses, nuns and medical students, however, it is now serviced by numerous paid healthcare professionals, including dentists, mental health specialists and general practitioners.

The AMS, however, is tightly funded and has access to limited resources which have been stretched to their limits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Less crucial elements of the organisation, such as their community administrative efforts, have understandably suffered. This is most evident when navigating the service’s website, which lacks information about the AMS’ current goals and historical relevance. For my project, I would therefore like to create a web page that reflects the positivity and progressiveness of the AMS and their significant contribution to Redfern’s local Indigenous community. To capture this, I want to coalesce the organisation’s public history, demonstrated through the inclusion of timelines and infographics with their more personal impact, shown through oral history interviews and profiles on key figures such as Mum Shirl, the service’s first Welfare Officer. At the current stage, it has been relatively difficult to maintain a consistent line of communication with the organisation, however I am hopeful that as I continue to build my rapport, conversations will flow more naturally and enthusiastically.

References:

“Indigenous Health”. 2020. Australian Bureau of Statistics. https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/ViewContent?readform&view=productsbytopic&Action=Expand&Num=5.7.10.

“Our History”. 2020. Aboriginal Medical Service Cooperative. https://amsredfern.org.au/.

“Traditional Healing And Medicine – Cultural Ways”. 2019. Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet. https://healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/learn/cultural-ways/traditional-healing-and-medicine/.

Foley, Gary. “Aboriginal Medical Service 1971-1991: Twenty Years of Community Service.” Aboriginal Medical Service Cooperative (1991): 1-12.

---

[1] “Traditional healing and medicine”, Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, 2019. <https://healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/learn/cultural-ways/traditional-healing-and-medicine/>. Accessed 23 October 2020.

[2] “Indigenous Health”, Australian Bureau of Statistics, March 2020. <https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/ViewContent?readform&view=productsbytopic&Action=Expand&Num=5.7.10.> Accessed 23 October 2020.

[3] “Our History”, Aboriginal Medical Service, 2020. <https://amsredfern.org.au/>. Accessed 23 October 2020.

For my history project, I am working with Constitution Education Fund Australia (CEFA), which is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to increase public understanding and awareness of the constitutional framework of Australia.  More specifically, the focus of CEFA is to create teaching and learning resources to educate students about processes of government, the history of the Constitution and its contemporary relevance.

One of the most notable achievements of CEFA was the establishment of the Australian Constitution Centre through its collaboration with the High Court of Australia. Other successful programs include annual Governor-General Prize Essay Competition, CEFA’s Constitutional Forum and school parliament program. The work of CEFA interests me because I realised that many pre-service history teachers, including myself, have limited knowledge about the Australian Constitution and how to teach it. Yet, knowledge about the Constitution is extremely important to students in empowering them to get involved in civics activities in the communities and becoming informed and active citizens.  

During my first meeting with the research director and chief executive officer of CEFA, I was informed that the primary goal of CEFA at the current stage is to create fifteen interactive lessons about the Australian Constitution and its six underlying principles. The main challenge that CEFA is faced with is selecting the most relevant and core content that students need to learn about in such a dense topic, and then creating resources and lessons around it that are meaningful and interactive. After knowing my background as a third-year history student and also a pre-service history teacher who is interested in technology integration in history, they expressed their interests in having me help CEFA create an educational video for Year 9 students about the history of the Australian Constitution, its contemporary relevance, and the operation of Australia’s federal system of government.  

There is something magical about the pub. Somehow the sweating condensation of the glass, the stale smell of spilt beer and the buzz of chatter all merge together to create an atmosphere that feels homely to all. Across the humble pub table there have been plenty of friendships forged, plans hatched and memories made. And as a result, pub walls have no doubt bore witness to some of the critical moments of history. Whether it be the Great Depression, the World Wars or even more recently the COVID-19 pandemic, pubs have played a pivotal role in linking the experiences of locals with the history of the international. To view this first hand, one need look no further than the Shoal Bay Country Club which is a restaurant, bar, cafe and live music space situated on the shores of Shoal Bay.

The venue was bought by new owners in 2016 and underwent major renovations that saw the weathered old pub transformed into the now dreamy ‘Watson’s Bay’ inspired space. For locals, it’s the watering hole and for tourists, it’s the chosen destination for afternoon drinks after a big day at the beach. Whilst originally a Fishing and Games Club, the site was transitioned to a pub in 1934 and has operated as such ever since. During this time it has been temporarily made the WWII headquarters for British and American troops, accidentally burnt down by a guest and more recently experienced extended closures due to the pandemic. Upon this framework hundreds of thousands of visitors have stepped through the Shoal Bay Country Clubs doors, bringing with each of them their own experiences that forge the other, just as important, local and personal history of the pub.

Yet all of this history is subject to be forgotten. New ownership and mass renovations have meant that one of the few historical archives- four large framed photos and accompanying historical descriptions of the SBCC- have been taken down and are currently collecting dust in the storeroom. The only written history at the moment is a two page summary of the previous owners of the pub which includes multiple wrong dates and limited information. Other odd bits and pieces were also thrown into this mix. One such item was a framed written poem from the parents and kids who stayed there over the 1978 holidays to the ‘entertainment manager’ named Rowley Jenkins. In their poem that thanked Mr Jenkins for “making sure we’re all contented” and “teaching us the Shoal Bay Shuffle”. Another was mounted advertisements for the SBCC that are written in a strange language that is not quite English but also not quite not. So what does all of this mean? What was the Shoal Bay Shuffle? Who is the audience of the strange language? It is questions like these that might be left unanswered if the history of the Shoal Bay Country Club is not properly addressed.

My ‘History Beyond the Classroom’ project is a great opportunity to spend some time amongst these archives and create a written historical record of the pub which can be kept for future use or published on their website. I plan on also including a virtual interactive timeline which highlights the intersection of SBCC within international history. This project would be further complemented by conducting interviews with older locals, who might be able to clarify some of the more confusing elements of the archives.

Tucked away behind the trees in Kenley Park sits the Hornsby Historical Society. Many residents of the Hornsby and surrounding areas are unfortunately unaware of the hidden gem which sits in their backyards, and the historical treasures and significance it holds. The society contains very thorough records of the local area and valuable information about a range of different topics, such as local buildings and families. It additionally contains a small museum, full of local artefacts, which is open on Tuesdays and often hosts tours for school students. The students are given the opportunity to step back in time, and be transported to a shopping stall, laundry and kitchen from the early 1900s. With real artefacts from the era and experienced staff, the museum provides a deep understanding to locals of how different the world was only a century ago. The society is home to many local artefacts and archives, and its members are constantly working on local history which is published by the society’s magazine ‘Local Colour’. Overall, the society plays a key role in the community through history as it holds important records which relate to local affairs and is extremely valuable to the local community.

During my trip to the museum and based on various phone calls and emails, I got acquainted with two key society members. Vice president Nathan Tilbury, who also works as Councillor for the Hornsby Shire Council, is an active local history member and has written publications on local history such as ‘Man Made the City but God Made the Bush’. His position within the Hornsby Shire Council has been influential in the council’s involvement with local history. ‘Hornsby Shire Recollects’ is an online platform which displays over 4000 local archives, including photographs, documents and maps. The archives can be easily viewed by anyone on: https://hornsbyshire.recollect.net.au/. While the council has been actively engaged with displaying local history through an accessible platform, key society volunteer members such as Mari Metzke play a key role in gathering, organising and presenting artefacts and archives. Her former job as a teacher has also given her experience in working with children and makes her an exceptional guide for the museum during school tour groups at the Hornsby Historical Society. These two individuals are very passionate about history and are important members of the community and vital in recording history and making it accessible for locals.

I was impressed by the level of familiarity which I experienced when I visited the museum and read through some of the articles of ‘Local Colour’. As a history student, engagement with history – including photographs, documents and narratives – is something I am familiar with. However, experiencing local history with the guidance of local experts made history feel more intimate. I will be working with the society to write a publication on the history of local suburbs and will be working on Beecroft and Cheltenham. My work will be edited prior to being included in the publication. Being involved in this process is something I take very seriously, as it would be my first time being involved in written history work beyond the classroom. Additionally, having local ties with Beecroft and Cheltenham, an added dimension of familiarity will enhance my work. Supported by a dedicated team of historians on a topic which is intimately more familiar than previous academic work, I have high hopes for the outcome of the Major Project.