History Matters

My project is the result of my combined passion for history and food. When considering what organisations I would like to work with, The Monday Morning Cooking Club (MMCC) made its way to my list – an outlier amongst the more conventional, historically-orientated museums and libraries. Currently, MMCC is a group of four women who, working as a non-for-profit, preserve, test, curate and share heirloom recipes from the Jewish community. Based in Sydney but focussed globally, these recipes are shared through their cookbooks. As a fan of MMCC’s books, though not sure what form my project would take, I knew that their mission resonated with what I love about history. My project is multi-layered and the result of conversations mainly with Lisa Goldberg, a founding member of MMCC. From these discussions, a focus on both the future and the past of MMCC emerged. 
Looking toward the future, part of my project has been focused on the preparation of several biographical vignettes about the recipe contributors who shall appear in MMCC’s next book, due for publication in 2020. This part of the project is informed by historian Carol Harris-Shapiro, who argues that the way people engage with food, particularly in Jewish culture, communicates identity of individuals and groups. Working on this, I came to realise that I was collecting valuable historical sources, in particular about Jewish heritage, culture and lives. I have thus compiled the information into an accessible archive in the form of a Google Doc to be shared with MMCC in case future historians want to continue work with this information.
A secondary aim for my project is stimulating ‘historical consciousness’ about how these personal stories fit within the broader history of the global Jewish diaspora. Inspired by SBS’s Cronulla Riots website, this has been achieved through the creation of an online, interactive StoryMap through which the stories can be considered simultaneously as part of this historical phenomena. See https://uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/0a3c0812ade313d5efd123bf633c7f89/mmcc/index.html
Another element of my project has been looking back at the past three MMCC cookbooks, in order to map the heritage of the MMCC community. Whilst MMCC has been aware that the cooks who had contributed to their last three books hailed from diverse places and backgrounds, they had not kept comprehensive records about these details. Using the bios from the previous books, I created a spreadsheet documenting where the cooks of each book were born and grew up, where they had now moved to, and where their forebears had originated from. I then compiled this into a summary per book as well as an overall summary, drawing the data together to create a clearer picture of the heritage of the MMCC community. From this data, I calculated statistics and used data-visualisation to create an infographic report to communicate my findings to the MMCC team. This part of my project is layered in presentation and audience, with my findings about the diversity of the contributors being communicated to MMCC’s audience through a guest blog post that I was invited to write. This has been published to the MMCC blog and is available at https://mondaymorningcookingclub.com.au/2018/11/26/the-monday-morning-cooking-club-melting-pot/.
It seemed wrong to do a project focused on food without any cooking or eating and so, toward the end of semester I baked one of MMCC’s recipes. As I formed the sweet, date-filled pastries called Menanas, shaping each one by hand I felt a connection to the cook who had contributed the recipe. It was from this that I came to appreciate the way in which cooking is a tangible form of history, with it, in a way, constituting a form of historical reenactment. In this way my project is also inextricably informed by my personal experience of cooking MMCC’s recipes. Over the years, by cooking from the MMCC books, I have gained valuable insights into Jewish culture and history. This idea is informed by the arguments of several historians, including Michelle Moon, Cathy Stanton and Monica Janowski, who all concur that the sharing of food can forge connections between the past and the present. My project constitutes a creative and original contribution to this scholarship, as well as a significant contribution to the mission of The Monday Morning Cooking Club. 

Finally, it has been such a privilege to work with the wonderful ladies of The Monday Morning Cooking Club as well as their contributors in producing this project.

The process for my ‘History Beyond the Classroom’ assignment began with contacting various organisations. With some luck and persistence, I spoke with a man named Miguel from the Blacktown Arts Centre, who directed me to a lovely lady named Debbie Higgison (Solid Ground Education Project Officer). Debbie had been helping an Aboriginal Elder named Uncle Greg sort, catalogue and archive his personal collection of historical ephemera.
Debbie and I agreed to meet every Thursday from 3pm to 5pm at Uncle Greg’s house. The first day I turned up at Uncle Greg’s house I was amazed by the artwork and tools sitting on the front porch. I was welcomed inside by Debbie and we had a chat about what the project involved, my role and how I could help her in relation to Uncle Greg’s historical records. Throughout the project I made sure to take direct cues from my supervisor, based on what they needed me to do. When I first met Uncle Greg we began talking. During the first half an hour our conversations were short and slow. It was not long before Uncle Greg had me entranced with stories about his family and Indigenous culture. He often talked about how the past always related to ‘good old values’. This was a clear indication of the importance of values, knowledge and lore passed down by the Elders before him. Everything had purpose. Learning was often done outside of the classroom. The photographs I began to explore documented a timeline of Uncle Greg’s involvement in the community and his participation in important historical Indigenous events since the 1960’s. Examples of this include Uncle Greg’s involvement in a Land Rights Protest, and his visit to Uluru when it was being handed back to the traditional owners of the land.
The project is made up of several parts. The project was created mainly through Uncle Greg’s need to clean up and sort the physical ‘stuff’ in his house that had gotten in the way of his ability to get around. The ‘stuff’ was made up (partly) of amazing photographs that dated from the 60’s to the present day and featured key events in Indigenous history that corresponded with Uncle Greg’s life. I loved the idea of working with photos, especially ones taken by a 35mm camera. Photographs allows us to visit the past, but also understand the values placed on ideas in the present. Photography acts as a primary source, but can be interpreted in many different ways. Archiving is crucial for those that come after us, stepping into the historical landscape. The photographs are physical links to Indigenous history which uses storytelling to teach about lore and connection to the community.
I was asked by my supervisor to categorise the photographs in a way that could be used to contribute to a potential Indigenous museum and with Uncle Greg’s future autobiography in mind. My supervisor reminded me of the importance of storytelling and it’s inextricable link to Indigenous history. She stated that often the physical items like photographs can sometimes be forgotten. The project consists of an online photographic archive, with a corresponding excel sheet that are both easily accessible. It is also made up of a presentation and interview, merging the public history process and Uncle Greg’s story telling.
This project is highly unique. Stepping into the household of another person and going through photographs that include intimate details about one’s life create a sense of trust between the two parties involved. It is unique in the sense that documenting this community history is not just about the physical objects, but rather about the connection between historian and history maker.
This assignment had me asking lots of questions like:
What is my responsibility for this kind of public history making sure its told how it should be? Does archiving photos with the creator and featured person create more meaning? How does one create a comfortable space for oral testimony?
Creating the online archive and the excel sheet was extensive and hard work. I chose to create an online archive because of the easy accessibility for Uncle Greg, those working on his book, and (if he decides to donate his collection) future museums. Google Drive seemed like the easiest platform for sustainability as it can be contributed to at any time and can change with changes in the historical landscape. Using the Google Drive means that museum’s will already have online records on the photographs. I began first with sorting through several boxes that had been used to store photographs, after Uncle Greg’s house had being cleaned.
There was what felt like thousands of photographs. Previously the photographs had not been stored correctly and many of them had been partially damaged. I began picking up bunches of photographs and sorting them thematically into different boxes (artworks, family, important people, significant events and Uncle Greg). After I had sorted through majority of the photographs, I began scanning and uploading images onto a USB and then copying them to the Google Drive archive into different folders using a numbering system. For example, all photos of Uncle Greg have a sticker on the back with a number from 1001 to 1999. I began to inquire about different photos with Uncle Greg and record details about them on the back. After scanning the photos I placed them into a plastic box to keep the photos dry and to prevent the possibility of them getting further damaged.
I then went through all the photos and created a record of each one on the excel sheet. Each photo was given a number on the back and then corresponding details like the date, event, and a description were added to the excel sheet.
The presentation was created to support Uncle Greg during his Welcome to Country ceremonies. Together Uncle Greg and I began adding the photographs we both thought would be appropriate and relevant to his work in the community and that reflected his life. The presentation would be used to play behind Uncle Greg and to act as a visual aid for when he is sharing his stories.
At the beginning of my visits Uncle Greg would tell me the most amazing stories about his family and what it was like growing up in La Perouse. I was unsure how to interrupt him and how to record his stories. I also began to question my ethical position. Was it ethical to record his story telling, because storytelling is such an important part of Indigenous belief and culture. In fact – I struggled to interrupt him when he was talking because I was too engrossed in his stories and with his storytelling ability. When creating the interview, I would have to ask Uncle Greg in advance. I would prepare and provide explicit questions that evoked stories I had heard before and thought reflected the archive. I had a conversation with Uncle Greg about whether he would mind doing an interview with me for my assignment and provided him with potential questions. He agreed straight away. Prompting Uncle Greg and creating what is more like a conversation, with follow up questions ensured the interview flowed.
Historical interviews should be conducted as a dynamic and fluid conversation, moulding and shaping as the interview expands. During my interview with Uncle Greg I was aware that he was shaping the story with my own nationality as an important part. He specifically talks about Maltese people to relate the story back to me. I think this is an example of an important part of storytelling in general. The idea that stories are used to engage people and teach them a moral lesson.
Throughout the project, I considered my own role in telling history and my responsibility to uplift Indigenous histories, not just tell them myself. A central part of the project was being conscious of what Uncle Greg wanted, and considering whether what I was doing was a true representation of how Uncle Greg wanted his history told. My goal was to contribute to the historical work Uncle Greg needed, instead of dominating the space with my own ideas.

Project Rationale
Patrick Sunderland
SID: 450239519
My project is a feature article about the world of historical re-enactment in Sydney, based on my experiences with the Australasian Living History Federation and my meetings with their various member groups. Throughout the article I have attempted to meld my own observations as an outsider to historical re-enactment, and the opinions and views of members of the ALHF groups. I have also included descriptions of the public events and pictures alongside to create a more cohesive image of what historical re-enactment is like.
My interest in this project was on the idea of alternate ways in which we might gain an understanding of history. Rather than, as some other students did, focus on history that has not been widely documented (e.g. local/indigenous history), I focused on history that IS well-documented in academia (i.e. European/British history) but that is being explored in a different way. I believe that there are many who are passionate or interested in history but do not pursue it because they aren’t interested in academia and find reading and writing essays tedious. For these people, historical re-enactment seems like a fantastic alternative – a way to understand history in practical terms, using a totally different skill-set and with much more personal freedom. However, historical re-enactment is quite a niche, unpopular hobby due to people feeling embarrassed to try it, or unable to afford it, or simply not aware of how to begin doing it. Furthermore, when I was talking to these groups I asked them about anything I could help with, but the only thing they seemed to be interested in was public exposure for their group so as to bring in new members. With all this in mind, I decided to aim my article at people who do not much, if anything, about historical re-enactment. In more specific terms, my aim is to educate people about medieval re-enactment, show them how entertaining it can be, and introduce some of the more charismatic and helpful members of the groups. This is why a large part of the article is focused on my experience participating in the St Ives Medieval Faire – as an outsider trying re-enactment for the first time, I act as an audience surrogate and encourage people to try it as I have. In other words, my positive experience becomes their potential positive experience.
In terms of evidence, I have no real secondary sources. This is a sort of ‘Gonzo’ journalistic piece, based entirely on subjective experience instead of objective or empirical evidence – the entire content of the article is my experience and the interviews that I personally conducted. The reason for this, again, was to make the piece as accessible as possible. Earlier in the semester I had planned to make my article more about the veracity of re-enactment, and the process by which historical accuracy is assured among the groups, but I came to realise that it wouldn’t be particularly effective as a project. I was interested in the historiography personally, but I decided that if I really believed that re-enactment provides an avenue to understand history for people less academically-minded, then it would be counterproductive to write a piece that concerned itself with the minutia of peer review.
There is also the question of how best to gain exposure for my project so that the people I am trying to reach can actually read it. The first avenue I aim to try is submission to various local newspapers. Once this project has received feedback, I will incorporate that feedback and then send it in to my local newspapers, the Village Observer and the North Shore Times. The North Shore Times would be particularly good as it also has newspapers in St Ives, where the largest Medieval Faire in Sydney is held, thus hopefully appealing to those who have heard of the Faire and wish to participate. I may also send it to Southern Highland News, a newspaper in Berrima which is not only a historical town itself but is also where I attended the Inter-Group Training Session. I feel like newspapers are a good approach because if the article is put online I share links to it, and if it is only printed then it will be a good way to have my article reach older generations, which anecdotally seem to make up a great deal of re-enacting group membership. I will also send the article to the member groups that I interacted with as well as the ALHF leadership themselves, in case any of them wish to post it or excerpts from it on their websites/facebook groups. Since the article is rather long (~3,000 words), I can imagine it would need to be condensed for a local newspaper article, but that can be easily done if I simply limit the scope to one of the events I attended, instead of three. If no newspaper is interested, then I can always post it on our ‘historymatters’ blog to keep an online electronic copy of it.
Finally, I’m quite happy with the originality of this piece. While investigating different groups to interview, a few groups sent me news articles that had already been written about them or similar re-enactment groups, but these articles were often quite critical of the hobby or treated it as a bizarre oddity. On the other hand, some of the re-enactors worked in academia and had published their own defences of re-enactment and living history, but this was an academic defence, using quite technical historiographical arguments that, as after mentioned, I did not want to immerse myself in. Ultimately this article provides a layman’s introduction to historical re-enactment that, ideally, will encourage people to give it a try. In doing so, I aim to demonstrate re-enactment’s value – to convey that one can find both entertaining and informative ways to pursue history outside the classroom.

Elizabeth Pope worked at the Australian Museum for over 33 years from 1939 to 1972.  Pope spent her life investigating the seashore in coastal towns all over Australia. As a public figure and head of the department of Worms and Echinoderms at the AM, Pope enthused and connected with intellectuals and interested amateurs over the minutia of seashore life. Her success as an educated female scientist stands out as unique. Rumored to have been of formidable character and forthright disposition, Pope worked hard to match her male colleagues, eventually becoming Deputy Director of the Australian Museum in 1971. The Australian Museum’s archive provides some semblance of her life and career. Of particular interest is the two road trips she took with  scientists William J. Dakin and Isabel Bennett  along the East coast of Australia, in 1946. These collecting trips surveyed a range of sea animals and their distribution on the rocky shore, and many of the findings were eventually published in the popular seashore guide ‘Australian Seashores’ (1952). The unpublished data from this trip is a scientific, literary and visual record that neatly demonstrates why her work should be considered of enduring significance to scientific, historical and heritage contexts.
It has been a pleasure working with the Australian Museum archives department to flesh out Pope’s story and make her materials more available to future researchers.

‘Getting what is needed most, to those most in need’.
This is the mission that has been motivating the Australian Himalayan Foundation (AHF) to continue the great work they have been doing in the remote regions if the Himalayas for the past 17 years (established in 2001). They achieve this through working in partnership with the people of the remote Himalaya to improve living standards through better education and training, improved health services and environmental sustainability.
I first became interested in working with the organisation when I heard about their flagship program; The Teacher Training and Quality Education Program. This program focuses on teaching teachers how to provide quality education to students. As an aspiring teacher myself, this is something I have very passionate about.
During my initial meeting with the organisations CEO Carolyn Hamer-Smith; Carolyn explained that one of AHF’s goals for this year was to create corporate history and major achievements timeline. A task, I must admit, was considerably more challenging than I first anticipated. This was useful to the organisation because due to lack of resources they had never made any sort of formal history or archives of the work of the charity. It will also give them a list of the major achievements/goals the organisation have accomplished over the years. This is something they can use on their website as a promotional strategy to show current sponsors the great work they are doing as well as encourage new sponsors.
Following the initial meeting, I was emailed a list outlining what exactly the organisation wanted to be included in this list and got to work researching and constructing. I quickly realised that this would not be an easy task. Due to the lack of online data on the organisation and the fact, there have been so many people coming and going through the company; both volunteered and paid, it has been very hard to access the needed information to create this list. I began by going through the annual reports and other online forums to gather all the needed information I could. This was useful for recent years but given the charity only began producing annual reports in 2009 there was a great deal of information missing. I, therefore, organised to meet the CEO and the former secretary at the AHF office to go through the achieves and find the missing information. This is incredibly useful and also very interesting to see how the charity operates. I managed to gather the majority of missing information about the recent years of the charity but still struggled to gather the necessary information about the early years. We decided the best way to gather this information was to meet with the founding chairman Simon Balderstone. I sent Simon the information I was still missing and he gathered what he could from his archives and the rest (particularly the information about the forming of the charity) I got from his oral history. This was the first time I had collected information through the form of oral history and I must say the reading by Lorina Barker, the websites in the unit outline and the lecture we had on oral histories were very helpful in planning the best way to approach this. Once I gathered the information needed and wrote it up in a formally I sent it back to Simon to ensure he approved and it was all correct. I have now sent the copy of the corporate history and major achievement list off to the CEO for approval. Once that has happened the charity will have a scaffolded copy of the organisations history that they can keep adding to, to ensure the charity continues to record the history of their great work in the future.
Australian Himalayan Foundation URL: http://www.australianhimalayanfoundation.org.au/

Several years ago I stepped into the Sutherland District Cricket Club as one of many young players striving to work their way through the grades, eyes set on reaching the furthest heights of the sport. At that point Sutherland was just like any other club, we had our up and coming stars breaking onto the representative scene through state cricket and the Big Bash League, we had the more experienced players, captains in particular, that were passing down their experience, sharing their stories of that time they hit a ton or took a five wicket haul, and the young players, including myself, that were taking everything in. And all of that was normal. Today the situation at the club has drastically changed as we have been thrust into the media spotlight. This attention has come from the return of the ex-Australian cricket team captain Steve Smith, a Sutherland junior, to our club.
As a result of this the SDCC has stepped up its presence on social media, aligning with this explosion of media attention and interest following Smith’s return to the club and grade cricket in general. Having such a high profile player come to the club, alongside rising stars on the domestic cricket scene, and joining another former Australian team member in Shane Watson, has placed a massive amount of focus on the club at present, but not necessarily upon its past. With the club having a broader reach and impact on the public, particularly in the local community, there presented an opportunity to inject some history into the discussion and discourse surrounding the club, not to deduct attention from the present, but to give people an understanding of how we got to where we are today, an insight into the path the club has taken to this point. Enter HSTY3902 and the major project. The timing was impeccable. My project was that opportunity to spark conversation over the history of the club, to tell the stories, the wild tales, the memories of great victories, or even memorable losses, that shaped the past of the SDCC and that are often contained only within an oral tradition between players, in team talks in the sheds after a match, or over a beer at the clubhouse, none of which was ever documented to share within our community. What history was being lost? This was the main question that my project was striving to answer.
Anna Clark (2016) identified the unfortunate paradox of public history in Australia, that we all share an enthusiasm to look back at our past, but that we do not truly engage with or connect to any historical narrative; she questions whether the idea of the past within the discipline of history matters to the general public. This was a concern that arose quite early in the project; what is ‘history’ within this community, and what ‘history’ matters to the club? I could not take a solely academic approach to my work with the organisation, but aspects to the discipline would still be essential. In a sense I needed to change the way I thought about history to a perception more alike to Martha Sears’ (2013) notion of history as a dynamic, holistic ecosystem that breaks down the barriers of popular/public and academic histories, and instead looks at the discipline as interconnected ideas. What mattered to the club were the stories of hardship, teamwork, victory and loss that drives the deep club culture, thus my task is to bring together some of those stories and document them so that they are not lost.
The path of my project was clear. I wanted to document some of the oral history of the club, to take the oral tradition of telling our past, but adapt it to continue passing on the stories of the past to the new players of the club in the form of video interviews, considering how our current world relies so heavily upon social media platforms to communicate information. This process however was not simple or short in any aspect. Planning when to conduct the interviews proved a difficult task initially, schedules not aligning until only a few weeks before the project was due. However this did provide an opportunity for me to develop a better understanding of how to shape my interviews and what history to consider in them.
The lightbulb moment during this development phase came late in the semester when we had a guest speaker, Tamsin Pietch, come to the class and share her thoughts and processes regarding podcasts. Tamsin spoke of the concept of the “‘e’ loop” in how we develop a narrative within our interviews that acts to better our chance of engaging our audience in the history we are presenting. This concept follows that we begin our story somewhere in the middle before building some context back to this middle point, then travel onwards closer to the present. This made sense to me, and at a time where I was stuck on what questions I would ask my interviewees it was exactly what I needed to solidify my approach going into the final stages of the project. As a result the questions in my interview with Steve Rixon, one of the club’s former head coaches, followed the path below:
1. A memory that stands out to you on your time at the club, a match, or a season, or even a smaller moment in time.
2. How we get there, go back further, tracing how we got to that point, when your involvement with the club first started and your journey (and the club’s journey) to this memory.
3. Anything notable that happened after at the club while you were still coaching, and what you see for the future of the club with the current players and up and coming.
A late addition to the interview saw the club treasurer Tom Iceton come in to answer some questions more specifically regarding the beginnings of the club, its main oval and clubhouse, history that not many of the current player group had been told before. What I learnt from these interviews was more than I had predicted, the past of our club held its surprises as I hope it will for other young players at the club and members within our community when they get to watch and listen to some of the history of the SDCC contained in these short interviews which are to be shared on our various social media accounts over the coming weeks. There is much more left to explore, however I hope my project will spark some interest into the club’s past and its journey to where it is today.

When initially contacting the Maltese Community Council of NSW (MCC), I knew very little about the organisation. Through my initial research of the organisation, I identified early on that there was a need for it to more publicly acknowledge their own achievements and history, which was lacking from the website. This project was created from discussion with the organisation and the specific needs they identified, including not having a physical document of central information to present to individuals at events. From this addressed need, the decision was made to develop a brochure to have a written description of major achievements. This would include roles, services, contact information and key achievements of the organisation. It was further discussed to make sure this document was as accessible as possible a copy would be placed on the website to be downloadable. Further, it was agreed that the key achievements would also be placed on the website under a created ‘history tab’.
In creating a timeline of key achievements for the organisation, the goal of the project was to draw attention to the history and significant work of the MCC. This can be summed up in the question I am attempting to answer with this project: What does the MCC’s history, development and work reveal about the impact this organisation, on the local Maltese Australian community as well as the international Maltese diaspora.
The key achievements timeline was established through use of various sources and verbal consultation with the key leaders of the organisation who have personal knowledge.
The detailed timeline of key accomplishments of the MCC draws mainly from key primary and secondary sources, including key documents, images and publications.
The importance of the MCC having historical connection gave it a deep sense of community, a link to the national migration narrative of Australia and familial connections. I felt it was important to write the history of this organisation, that continues to remain a significant feature of the Maltese community. Further, being acutely aware that I was an outsider to this community and organisation, I ensured that I continuously engaged and discussed with them throughout the project.
The impact of this project is due to the identified need that the organisation did not have an established timeline, and this project significantly addressed this issue by drawing attention to the organisation’s work and contribution over the decades. In creating this project, the goal was to allow the organisation to have wider reach and create something physical that can be utilised and passed on to future generations by the MCC. The importance of this project is that it addresses a key area in which the MCC was lacking.
The choice of media use in this project is specific to the organisation’s needs. The mediums identified for the project was both physical, in the brochure, as well as digital, including digitization of the brochure and establishment of a history page.
The brochure was chosen as it is a physical form that was needed by the organisation to be used at events, both cultural and governmental. The brochure was made to be a direct and effective medium to convey key information about the organisation. Further, the colour scheme chosen reflected the Maltese flag, being a key cultural reference. The layout also was specific to be able to convey as much information as possible in this one document, addressing key areas, of role, services, affiliated associations, contact information and achievements of the MCC. The brochure will be utilised at local events as well as internationally.
The website, including creating a ‘history tab’ and placing a downloadable version of the brochure on the website, makes the project more accessible to a wider audience. The timeline placed on the website also has accompanying primary sources, which enhance engagement and provide visuals to accompany the development and achievements of the organisation. These visual aids were to compliment the written text and were specifically chosen as key sources of the organisation’s key achievements.
Further, placing the document on the MCC’s social media, specifically their Facebook page, will again widened the reach of this project. Spreading the project to as many platforms as possible will allow for the widest reach of this information in addressing the key goal of spreading the achievements and history of the MCC, including hopefully to younger generations of descendants.
A further major factor to consider in developing this project was sustainability. In designing this brochure and the inclusion of the timeline, this document can continually be updated by the organisation. Further, by establishing the history tab and adding the initial timeline, it will become another source by which the MCC will continue to add digitally achievements, historical information and sources, as they now have an established place to do this.
The strength of this project is that it arose from engagement with the MCC and though discussion of what would benefit the organisation. This was when the brochure was specifically identified. Further, the need for the organisation to enhance their digital presence was also discussed in the initial meeting, so the proposal of also including the website and social media was suggested. Due to these factors, the project was framed around the need to enhance awareness of the achievements and history of the organisation. The project serves the organisation’s identified needs as well as being able to be continue and sustain the organisation into the future. This project’s ultimate aim was to highlight to various audiences the key historical achievements and ongoing commitment and service of the MCC to the Maltese Australian community.
Links:
MCC NSW Website – Downloadable Brochure https://mccnsw.org.au/main/page_about_us.html
MCC NSW History Tab https://mccnsw.org.au/main/page_history.html
MCC NSW Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/1526025277656567/

For my project I have taken on a number of tasks with the St. George District Cricket Club. What started out as a cataloguing of historical artefacts turned into an online museum, a brochure, and a report for the clubs committee. The club had been wanting to compile a record of the items in its collection for some time but had not had the time or resources for it to be completed. It was clear to me that this was an area where the club required assistance. Consequently, I took on the role of recording information with some assistance from Mr Ronald Cardwell. Mr Cardwell has worked with the club for around 40 years in recording certain parts of its history. His information was very valuable in the work which was completed.
Within the glass cabinets of the Booth-Saunders Pavilion, where many of the artefacts are kept, we took note of 168 items of historical significance. These items included things such as cricket caps, signature cricket bats, framed items, photographs of successful teams, blazers, and various cricketing trophies. The pavilion also houses an office space with a library of various books relating to cricket. Within the library, we took note of 121 books related to cricket, with approximately one-third written in relation to members of the St. George District Cricket Club. Most significant was a book written of the history of the club for its centenary, titled A Century of Achievement: The Players and People of the St George District Cricket Club. This book was the main source of information for many of the items and people within the club. Without this book written by Mike Coward, the research and writing of this project would have been significantly more difficult.
From this collection of data, I elected to create an online museum with some of the more notable items from the collection (Which can be found at https://stgeorgehistory.wixsite.com/museum). This would involve uploading images of the items and providing information for the item, or the person involved with the item. The plan for this online museum is to grow larger if more artefacts are found and if it is something that the club finds valuable. I am more than willing to continue work for this into the future. The online museum is a really valuable historical resource as it enables people who may not be able to travel to Hurstville Oval to see the items on display. It also allows people to gain more knowledge of the items in the collection. Within the Booth-Saunders Pavilion there is very little information regarding the artefacts. The museum provides a space for locals and regulars to also become educated about the history of the club through these items. Ideally, if some funding can be secured, the museum would be able to be linked to the main St. George District Cricket Club Website. A custom URL would also be attainable, as well as the removal of website creator ads from the website.
In conjunction with Mr Cardwell, I also put together a report which is planned to be submitted to the St. George District Cricket Club committee. The report outlines the work I have been undertaking as well as making some recommendations. The recommendations made in the report regard the preservation of the historical items in the club’s collection, as well as for improvements in storage and display. The overall argument that I have attempted to develop is the importance of physical artefacts to the club. I have also created a brochure which will be circulated with the aim to attain more items of historical note to the club. This brochure is an attempt to expand the collection of the club as well as reconnect with former players. These items are incredibly important in preserving the history of the club for future generations to observe. This preservation of items will benefit the club, the community, and the families of past players, as even when they pass away their memories will still be associated with the club. It will provide an opportunity for future generations to understand how the game of cricket has changed over time and how it has also stayed the same.
In all of the tasks I undertook with the club, my aim was to ensure that the history was at the front of what I was doing. With the online museum, I provided information with each photograph; a story to go alongside the item. These stories help to explain the historical significance of the items, distinguishing themselves from being just another cricket cap, or just another trophy. The report centres around the historical nature of the cricket club and the significance that holds today to both players and former members. Even the round previews are a look into the short-term playing records of the club. A history of the current decade of cricket played by St. George. This project has fuelled my interest in the history of the club, but also in public history itself. I have come to understand that without the efforts of ordinary people, public history would lose its appeal. Public history, if anything, is as much about the people as it is about the items.
The online museum can be found at:
https://stgeorgehistory.wixsite.com/museum
The following links will take you to the St. George District Cricket Club Facebook page for each of the round previews that I have posted:
1. https://www.facebook.com/stgeorgecricket/photos/a.2264469496928112/2321143367927391/?type=3&size=960%2C960&fbid=2321143367927391
2. https://www.facebook.com/stgeorgecricket/photos/a.2264469496928112/2334331136608614/?type=3&size=954%2C960&fbid=2334331136608614
3. https://www.facebook.com/stgeorgecricket/photos/a.2264469496928112/2358750500833344/?type=3&size=960%2C960&fbid=2358750500833344
4. https://www.facebook.com/stgeorgecricket/photos/a.2264469496928112/2373089716066089/?type=3&size=960%2C960&fbid=2373089716066089
5. https://www.facebook.com/stgeorgecricket/photos/a.2264469496928112/2403681523006908/?type=3&size=960%2C960&fbid=2403681523006908
6. https://www.facebook.com/stgeorgecricket/photos/a.2264469496928112/2416362101738850/?type=3&size=960%2C958&fbid=2416362101738850

When I was first introduced to the major project of this unit, my first instinct was to be worried and concerned as I have never engaged in a task like this before. With limited experience working as a historian, I felt as though it would be difficult for me and a hard task to complete, in addition to the fact that I had no idea what organisation I would would with. At this time, my community was under threat from bushfires and I was well aware through social media of the strain that the local voluntary bushfire service was under. With a cause so close to home, tt was this that made me feel as though I wanted to give back to my community in this way, by helping KRFB.
While KRFB was happy to take me on, they were not sure of what I could offer them. Together, we came up with the idea of creating a website. Personally, I did not know much about the role of KRFB outside of addressing fire hazards in the community, so I thought this was a great idea as i’m sure many other people in my community are in the same boat. Furthermore, the Kentlyn community is rather small and there is not an abundance of information about the History of Kentlyn available, which is another reason I felt that making a website would be so beneficial. In her text History in Communities, Sear discusses the way in which community histories remain as relevant as academic histories. This is a notion which was very important to me as academic history is not always accessible to the community which makes it difficult to be relevant. I really wanted my project to be something that people could easily use to understand a history of Kentlyn as a community as well as the work that KRFB do.
My project has allowed me to gain a deeper appreciation for not only the work that my organisation does, but the community I live in itself. Having the opportunity to gain deeper knowledge about where I live and how it has developed has given me a chance to appreciate the history of Campbelltown and how it has developed. Working with the organisation has allowed me to understand the complexities involved with being part of a voluntary community service organisation and their passion for keeping the community safe is inspiring in so many ways. While the creation of my project has not been without challenges, I have greatly enjoyed learning about my community and creating a space where KRFB can be appreciated.
Here is the link to the website that I made for my major project. https://krfb.weebly.com/

Never again will I walk into a library and just see books, I will now see multiple displays of local and community histories that shape and give character to an area.
Throughout the semester I have worked with the local history department within the Northern Beaches Library. Specifically, I have worked with Manly Library, Dee Why Library and Mona Vale library. This experience has opened by eyes to the rich history that this organisation has collected over the years. These local history department’s collect and store histories and collections that community members and local organisations donate. The local history collections within the three libraries, cover many aspects of life on the Northern Beaches, including indigenous and social history, the built and natural environment and many contemporary and current issues. The library preserves and archives these histories and allows them to be accessible to the public in a variety of ways. Overall, I spent two days at Mona Vale Library, two at Manly Library and four days at Dee Why Library. Through this experience I was able to understand and see how the local history department worked and the work they do for the community. Their knowledge of the history of the Northern Beaches was incredibly extensive and it was very useful to see the work of a historian beyond the classroom.
My first meeting with the organisation developed and created a basis for my major project. During this meeting I met with the local historians from Manly and Dee Why and they discussed with me their future goals and aspirations for the department. They revealed that their aim was to eventually publicise some information about all their collections on their website so that the public knows what is to offer. Between the libraries there are hundreds of collections that need to be sorted and categorised. For my major project I suggested that I could start this process. As I am unable to change or add to their website as it is a government site I suggested that I create a document and scaffold that can be used to compile the information needed to go on the website.
My first task was creating the document and scaffold. I decided to use excel as this was an easy way to track the collections and create it in table form. This is a document that can also be easily added too as well. Unfortunately, as I didn’t have an endless amount of time I was unable to get through all off the collections, but it was known that the volunteers would continue with my project after I had finished my own volunteer hours. For this reason, I made it very user friendly and I also converted the table to a word document as well, as I understand that not all people prefer to use excel.
During my time at the libraries I went through 17 collections. Some collections consisted of only one box while others consisted of as many as 13 boxes and took me a whole day to sort through. Some collections already had written descriptions of the contents, while others didn’t, and I compiled these lists as part of my work there. Eventually once all collections have been recorded on the document and placed on the website it will be very beneficial for the public. They will now know which collection is at which library and having this information will make it much easier for the local historians. Having started the process will also make it easier for the regular volunteers to continue on with the archiving. During my time there I had spoken to some regular volunteers and revealed what I was doing with the collections and they appeared to very optimistic about the project and were delighted to continue on with my work. What I didn’t expect to find when going through the collections was some of my own family history. Seeing my family members names within a local collection opened my eyes to the connection and history I have with my local area. It was amazing to sort through a history completely unknown to me and find a sense of belonging with this history.
Overall, I found the experience to be incredibly valuable as I felt a true connection to my local history and local area. I was able to see how the act of preserving and collecting can became one’s lifework and achievement. The amazing’s histories that have been donated should be accessible to the public and I felt fortunate to be able to help with this process.
Website:
https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/library/local-and-family-history/local-history