My work with Hills District Netball Association (HDNA) over the semester has culminated in the creation of an interactive digital timeline which reflects significant events, achievements and anniversaries throughout the association’s history. To support this timeline, I have created two short video clips to be posted to HDNA’s social media to drive awareness of and engagement with the timeline. Moreover, I have digitised an extensive collection of physical posters which detail HDNA’s history, ensuring that the contents of these posters are preserved and kept in an accessible online archive.
My project reflects how HDNA has acted as a significant local organisation which has fostered a sense of community and provided women and girls with a space to thrive in their sporting endeavours. Through spotlighting the efforts and achievements of pivotal members of the HDNA executive team, players and umpires, my project showcases how community netball organisations have created opportunities for women to demonstrate leadership and carve out a path for themselves in sport. Netball is the number one team sport for female participation in the country, playing a significant role in the lives of scores of Australian women and girls. This digital documentation of HDNA’s history reflects one example of a community netball organisation which has offered a space for women and girls from the local area to demonstrate their leadership capacity, develop strong friendships and flourish in sport.
I chose to present my project through this digital timeline format as I wanted to present the history of HDNA in an engaging, interactive and visually rich manner. I researched several different online timeline programs through which I could present my project, though I ultimately decided to use TikiToki. I was particularly interested in the 3D view option that this program offered, which allowed me to showcase HDNA’s history in a visually stimulating and engaging way, rather than presenting a static, text-based timeline. This platform also enabled me to create an interactive digital timeline, with users able to scroll through the years using the slider at the bottom of the webpage, and click on various elements of the timeline to reveal further details and more visual media. The timeline has also been divided into categories, including HDNA History (general key events), Achievements, Umpires, Anniversaries and Snapshots. Each event in the timeline is colour-coordinated in alignment with the corresponding category, allowing users to visualise different themes.
A snapshot of the interactive digital timeline.
It is my aim for this interactive presentation format to allow the history of the association to be easily digested and engaged with by a wide range of audiences, especially younger audiences who would likely be averse to engaging with large amounts of text-based information. This is particularly important in the context of my organisation, with young players, from 8-year-olds to teenagers, constituting a significant portion of the HDNA community. Through the integration of various multimedia elements, including photos, videos, text and external links, I have been able to create a digital timeline that can be displayed on HDNA’s website, capturing the rich history of the association in an engaging way. As someone who has been playing netball at this association for years, it was fascinating to see how the association has evolved over time and to see how a place that I know so well came to be. I hope that engaging with this timeline will provide a similar experience for other HDNA community members, enabling them to visualise the significant events and instrumental volunteers that have shaped the association into what it is today.
In collaboration with the Glebe Community Op Shop, I have created short promotional videos to be posted on the shop’s social media account to attract more customers. My project blends creative audio-visual tools and methods of storytelling like text overlays, transitions, and voiceovers with ‘traditional’ historical sources like photographs from archives and oral history interviews for a more novel and interesting way of presenting the history of the op shop beyond text-based mediums. This campaign serves a dual purpose; it is an easily accessible, audiovisual archive of the shop’s oral histories and also promotional material for the store to a new audience of Gen Z shoppers.
This project will benefit the Glebe Community Op Shop by addressing their need for more customers and storage space. Heather, the manager of the shop, shared that some residents have lived here for decades without knowing about the store as there is no signage directing customers patronising the popular Glebe Markets to this corner shop off the main road. This compounds a secondary problem; the store is so small that Heather often gives excess stock to other opportunity shops, but the frequent donations she receives mean more footfall is needed to drive sales and free up space. While a physical sign placed strategically on Glebe Point Road would be a more direct solution, Heather’s appeals for this have gone unheard since 2018.
Pictured: Susie, Heather and Dawn (left to right), photos from @glebeopshop on Instagram
Instead, a more feasible solution is creating short videos highlighting the shop’s key selling point —its community, past and present— to enhance its social media presence with coverage of engaging human stories for a more personal touch. The videos feature stories shared by Heather, the current store manager, Marla who has volunteered at the shop for 20 years, and Martin, a regular customer for 3 years. The slogan of this social media campaign is, “A Shop Full of Stories and Spirit”. The tight-knit community that has grown through the shop is the key element that sets the Oppy apart from a regular Vinnies or Salvation Army. The shop presents a rare opportunity for the community to both give and receive at the same time, by donating items or volunteering their time in exchange for affordably priced goods and funding for community initiatives. Heather has made it the Oppy’s mission to fulfill the needs of its community by fundraising and supporting other local organisations, like ADF NSW-Kathleen York House and the Rainbow Lodge Program. Hence, these promotional videos will hopefully help expand the shop’s already loyal customer base, attracting new visitors who may help to boost sales —and in turn free up space in the store for new donations— and spread the word to potential volunteers.
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!
A little-known treasure lies in the bustling area around the University of Sydney: the Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital Museum. Despite its proximity to the university, many students and locals remain unaware of its existence. Open only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, this museum may be small, which comprises merely a corridor and a few rooms, but it is rich with the history of one of Australia’s most prominent hospitals. The RPA Hospital Museum has chronicled the history of Sydney’s healthcare system in terms of the artifacts from hospitals in the surrounding region, offering visitors a glimpse into the evolution of medical care.
The RPA Hospital was founded in 1882, and over its long history, it has seen transformative changes in healthcare practices and medical technologies. Therefore, displaying medical artifacts, documents, and photographs from over a century of service, the museum gives visitors an in-depth look at how the hospital has grown alongside the community it serves. It doesn’t just highlight technological progress but also reflects on societal changes, such as the shifting roles of medical professionals and the evolving perceptions of healthcare workers.
Among the many compelling exhibits in the museum, one that stands out is the story of nurse training and its evolution over the past century. A hundred years ago, nursing as a profession was vastly different from what it is today. Nurses were often regarded similarly to household workers or chefs, with no requirement for formal higher education. In fact, hospitals themselves provided training, as nurses’ primary responsibilities were focused on patients’ daily care and comfort rather than on medical tasks. However, as the demands of healthcare grew, nurses began taking on more and more responsibilities that had previously been reserved for doctors. This shift required nurses to gain a deeper understanding of medical practices, leading to nursing becoming a respected profession in its own right. This made nurses highly trained medical professionals who play an indispensable role in patient care.
Beyond the evolution of nursing, the museum also sheds light on the broader advancements in healthcare technology and institutional systems over the past 150 years, which is also what mental healthcare has come through. In the past, individuals suffering from mental illnesses were often isolated in asylums, where they were treated as criminals or societal outcasts. Mental health patients were misunderstood and ostracized, with little consideration for their human dignity. Today, society has made significant progress in understanding and treating mental health conditions. Patients are no longer viewed as dangers to society but as individuals who need care and support. This transformation is mirrored in the history of mental health services in the surrounding area, which played a pivotal role in changing attitudes toward mental illness in Sydney. For my incoming history project, I am going to delve deeper into this topic in the context of hospitals in the Sydney Local Health District. When did the mental healthcare services start to be neutralized? Who are the main drivers of these changes? What are the main factors that induce these changes? How did these emergencies perform compared to other regions in Australia, or even different countries?
The power of community organisations to provide care for those who are struggling is immense, especially children. Centipede Out of School Hours Care (COOSHC) located within Glebe Public School plays an integral role in offering a safe and enjoyable haven every weekday morning and afternoon. Starting with just a gold coin donation in the mid 80’s, after-school care became formally organised under the Centipede name in 2012. Working in conjunction with the state government, Centipede is able to provide experiences many of the Glebe students wouldn’t normally get.
“We aim to broaden our horizons to new experiences, learning opportunities and challenges”
– Centipede Website: Philosophy
Centipede also places a significant emphasis on their connection to the local Indigenous community, acting as an arm of support for organising events such as community BBQ’s and education sessions. With a proportionally high number of Indigenous families attending the centre, the week-to-week programming of activities include Dot Painting and Aboriginal sports. An emphasis on engagement as well as respect creates a sustainable and mature environment for the children which attend.
In this current day and age, primary school children are being loaded with activities both before and after school – whether it be sport, music, tutoring etc. As part of Centipede’s philosophy, it aims to provide a space where children can use their imagination and count on having the resources to learn and grow. Cooking, self-led art, free play and incursions create an environment which kids look forward to coming to before and after gruelling school days.
– Images Supplied by Centipede
Undertaking a project such as this, I hope to collate a collection of oral histories from a number of pivotal people in the organisation. In correspondence with coordinator Keryn Jaos, the brief is relatively open – in her own words “I am excited to see what you find”.
The website is suitable at current, but with the introduction of an “about us” or “our history” section with work collated in this project, the significance of the service will be promoted far more. Along with this, I hope to publish the content in a bulletin of the Glebe Society (a community newsletter) in order to seek further donations and support. Selfishly, its fascinating learning about the history of such a pivotal local organisation – but to think that maybe my work can help its financial viability, makes me more excited to do a thorough job.
An important feature of Centipede is its recognised status by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. This means, that while fees are included, the service goes above and beyond to support disadvantaged children within the community. This may simply be in the form of subsidised attendance allowing parents to have more flexibility with work opportunities OR serving up to three meals a day for those who don’t receive it at home. Creating a space such as this which offers a wide array of services is integral in the function of the Glebe community.
The service counts on community organised fundraisers – often through the Glebe Society – as well as individual donations to keep providing these opportunities to kids in Glebe.
If you would like to donate, you can do so through this link:
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.
I acknowledge that I write on stolen land, the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and I pay my respects to elders past and present. For over 65,000 years, before British colonisation, this land has been a place of storytelling. As a history student at the University of Sydney, it is imperative to recognise the significance of this past and the enduring impact of colonialism on the stories and histories of Australia today. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.
On Dunghutti land, not so far from where I grew up in Port Macquarie, lies what used to be Kinchela Boys Training Home – an Aboriginal Children’s Home established in 1924 by the Aboriginal Protection Board. For more than 400 boys, KBH was a site of incarceration. It was justified as a protection act, yet it was anything but that. The boys who passed through the gates of Kinchela were not known by their names but by a number. They endured conditions that were hostile and dehumanising, no home for any child or person.
The stories of KBH are just one in countless others from the Stolen Generation, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children across Australia were forcibly removed from their families by the Australian Government with the intent of assimilation and cultural destruction.
However, this story of pain and trauma is also a story of strength. In 2002, the survivors of KBH established Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation, an organisation “built on and informed by the guidance and unique insights offered by survivors and which, contributes to the social and emotional wellbeing of survivors, their communities, and culture.” KBHAC offers services such as:
Kin Connect Program, created to support the healing of KBH survivors, and address the intergenerational trauma faced by their descendants and families.
Connecting Abilities Program, which provides NDIS registered services for Indigenous or non-Indigenous Australians with a disability.
Education Program, to further First Nations truth telling on the Stolen Generation. Initiatives include the Mobile Education Centre and Educational Resources available to schools for History, English and Aboriginal Studies curriculum across NSW.
Support for those eligible to gain access to the National Redress Scheme
As a proud Gamilaraay women, and niece of a survivor of the Stolen Generation, the work of KBHAC is powerful and so important to everyone it reaches. KBHAC not only advocates truth telling, preserving the stories and memories of survivors, but it also is making the meaningful steps needed for healing and rebuilding cultural connection and community.
Indeed, there is the opportunity to get involved and help out this October on the 18th – 19th! This October will mark one hundred years since Kinchela Boys Home first opened. KBHAC invites KBH survivors, their descendants and families as well as you, your families and the wider community to “honour the spirits of the children who walked through the gates of KBH.” If you would like to volunteer on the day, contact 100kbh@kbhac.org.au.
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.
