Reading, Writing and Recording History
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‘She said: He said:’ Reading, Writing and Recording History Oral History Australia (formerly the Oral History Association of Australia) Journal No. 36, 2014 Oral History Australia (formerly Oral History The Editor of the Journal welcomes offers of material Association of Australia) Journal for possible publication in the 2015 issue, No. 37. See No. 36, 2014 Call for Papers at the end of this Journal, or the Oral History Australia website, www.oralhistoryaustralia. The Journal of Oral History Australia is published org.au. Suitable items include papers for peer-review, annually. Its content reflects the diversity and vitality un-refereed articles (such as project and conference of oral history practice in Australia, and includes reports) and book reviews. contributions from overseas. Enquiries: Dr Sue Anderson, Sue.Anderson@unisa. The views expressed by contributors do not necessarily edu.au reflect the views of the Editor, the Editorial Board or the publisher of the Journal of Oral History Australia. Editor: Dr Sue Anderson David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research University of South Australia GPO Box 2471 Adelaide SA 5001 [email protected] Editorial Board: Dr Ariella van Luyn, Chair [email protected] Beth M Robertson, Bill Bunbury, Dr Sue Anderson Reviews Editor: Dr Jayne Persian [email protected] Cover and content design and typesetting: LeighSet Design 18 Hill Street, Plympton Park SA 5039 Phone: 08-82974375 [email protected] ISSN: 0158 7366 Copyright of articles is held by individual authors. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process without permission of the author/s. Please address any correspondence concerning copyright to the Editor. i Editor’s notes This edition of the Journal is delivered under the new Thompson identified all those years ago as the re-writing name of our organisation – Oral History Australia of history through the narratives of the ordinary person (formerly The Oral History Association of Australia) Inc. and the marginalised. This change has come after considerable effort by the National Committee and in particular, Sandra Blamey Ben Morris’ paper covers the very sensitive situation and Jill Cassidy. I would formally like to acknowledge of reinterpreting an event in the Vietnam War from the their considerable contribution to the revision of our perspective of the commander interviewing his platoon constitution and to the day-to-day workings of our about a particular inflammatory incident. Ben’s project organisation. challenges the official records and returns validity and dignity to his men and his and their place in the conflict. I am delighted to say that the Journal is now fully I commend him on his bravery, not only in the War, but functional, having acquired a Reviews Editor in Jayne in broaching this difficult issue and the hurdles he has Persian. This means that we again have a rounded had to manoeuvre in the process. edition with the inclusion of six book reviews this time, all of which have great relevance to our field. I certainly As ever, we also have a range of fascinating articles enjoyed reading them and I feel sure you will too. I included in this volume. It is pleasing to be able to thank Jayne for her efforts and look forward to working publish a sequel to last year’s article by Carol Roberts with her in the future. on the Hawkesbury artist Greg Hansell. Helen Stagg’s article this time, while not a sequel to her last on the The Editorial Board has also changed with the construction of locks and weirs on the River Murray, resignation of Janis Wilton and the subsequent co- offers a literature review of three publications relevant option of Bill Bunbury from Western Australia. Bill to it. really needs no introduction as so many of us know him as a former radio broadcaster and producer for the In addition we have Terry Whitebeach’s article on her ABC and an accomplished historian and writer who has work with the Sudanese community in Tasmania and the worked across a broad range of fields. Bill joins our wonderful publication outcomes that bring oral history Chair, Ariella van Luyn, Beth Robertson and myself in into meaningful media. Past President Jill Adams assessing papers for peer-review. This year we have provides a revisionist account of women and cooking in three worthy peer-reviewed papers and I congratulate the 1950s and 1960s to demonstrate that despite popular the authors for passing the rigorous process we have in sentiment, women did have agency in that era. place. Ben Arnfield’s article on the Australian Credit Union Hannah Loney has generously shared her amazing archives is demonstrative of just what our field of project on East Timorese women who grew up under endeavour can add to the often dry archival record, Indonesian rule. The oral histories for this project were although in this case the archives have also delivered collected over a 16 month period of field work in East some very rich material. Donna Lee Brien and Jill Timor, assisted by an interpreter. Although Hannah is Adams reflect on the contribution of oral history to the reasonably fluent in the local language, working with an field of creative writing through an analysis of some of interpreter is no mean feat. The size, scope and practical the projects in higher degree research and thesis writing limitations of such a project demonstrate that the results that engage in this way. Finally, Elaine Rabbitt offers produced are impressive. Most significant is that this an up-date on the accreditation program and how OHA material provides an otherwise neglected history. member States can engage with it, which is a valuable next stage in the project. Through her interviewees, Valerie Bourke has provided an insightful view of the bombing of Darwin in World Another important contribution to this edition is the War II from the eyes of those who were on the ground Citation regarding Jan McCahon Marshall’s Life at the time. Their testimonies reveal a suppressed story Membership. My congratulations go to Jan on a very that has never properly been aired. Without giving well-deserved award. too much away I can say that Valerie’s interviewees I hope you enjoy this edition of the Journal of Oral reinterpret a hidden and unfairly tainted account of History Australia. this action. This, and other articles, places our Journal Sue Anderson in a ground-breaking position by means of what Paul ii Contents Articles Beyond board minutes and annual reports: the oral history collection of the Australian Credit Union archives Ben Arnfield 3 Cookbooks and oral histories: reassessing the 1950s housewife through the food that she cooked Jillian Adams 9 Three Madi Projects in Tasmania Terry Whitebeach 16 From the ground up: exploring the use of oral history in tourism Carol Roberts 23 Snapshots of rural life: three different approaches using oral history Helen Stagg 31 Oral history as a key methodology in higher degree research in writing: issues and possibilities Donna Lee Brien and Jill Adams 37 Accredited training: enhancing the prominence of oral history in Australia, Elaine Rabbitt 43 Papers (refereed) Re-remembering the Bombing of Darwin Valerie Bourke 51 ‘And I started to understand:’ moments of illumination within women’s oral narratives from Indonesian-occupied East Timor Hannah Loney 61 The Diggers’ wish: set the record straight Ben Morris 72 Reviews and Book Notes 86 1 Conference/Project Reports IOHA Conference Report Anne Johnson 97 2013 – 2014 President’s Report, Sue Anderson 99 OHA 2013/2014 Financial Report 100 Notes on Contributors 101 Citation for an Honorary Life Membership: Jan McCahon Marshall 103 Membership information 105 Call for Papers 106 2 Beyond board minutes and annual reports: the oral history collection of the Australian Credit Union archives Ben Arnfield Abstract Credit unions are retail financial institutions wholly owned by their members, who typically share a common bond of association such as religion, trade, industry or community. The first modern credit unions appeared in Australia in the late 1940s. Since growing to a peak of over 830 organisations by the early 1970s, credit union numbers in Australia have steadily declined to approximately 85 today. This has been due to significant merger activity and a trend towards demutualisation. The oral history collection of the Australian Credit Union Archives (ACUA) first began in the early 1980s, involving many of the credit union movement’s founders and early participants recording interviews amongst themselves in an attempt to preserve the movement’s early spirit and development. The project was later expanded with the engagement of a professional oral historian and over the following 20 years the collection grew to a total of over 650 recorded interviews. This paper will consider ACUA’s oral history collection in relation to the growth and evolution of the Australian credit union movement, in addition to examining how the collection serves to illuminate the foundational principles of an industry continuing to Advertisement, Universal Credit Union Co-Operative, n.d., from undergo significant change. It will also examine the the ACUA image collection issues from an archivist’s perspective, in particular the linking of an oral history collection with wider owners are also its customer base. Membership is non- archival holdings, and challenges regarding collection transferable and has no traded value; members share management and digital preservation. the benefits of ownership through better services, lower fees and more attractive rates of interest. Credit Unions and the Credit unions first developed in Germany in the mid- 1800s, arriving in Canada and the United States in Australian Movement the early years of the 20th Century.