Recording Oral History

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"Oral sources tell us not just what people did, but what they wanted to do, what they believed they were doing and what they now think they did.” Alesandro Portelli

At one time I was both a full time veterans advocate for the RSL in SA/NT and a Legatee with Legacy SA. I met many WW2 veterans and war widows and heard some amazing stories. I wanted to record their stories but never got around to it. Now those veterans and widows have passed and their stories are fading away with the few people that had the privilege to hear them.

Now I have the time and means to record veterans stories for posterity.

The pace of the story is set by the veteran and it might take several hours in a day or over several days for them to comfortably to tell their story.

Recordings of Oral History Interviews will be deposited with either the Western Australia Military Digital Library or Virtual War Memorial Australia (links below). Both repositories require copyright release forms. These will be explained before an interview. The interviewee will also get a copy.

their words.....their stories

The Western Australian Military Digital Library showcases the personal military papers, treasured keepsakes and family stories that have a connection to Western Australia

Virtual War Memorial Australia is an outstanding commemorative collection, purpose built to honour the personal experiences of all those who have served the nation in times of conflict, from the Boer War through to Afghanistan. It pays special honour to those who lost their lives as a result of their service and equally honours those who returned, forever changed

In order for your Oral History Interview to be uploaded to either the WAMDL or VWMA you'll need to be able to prove your bona fides.  I'll ask you to please provide a copy of your Record of Service and this will form an important part of your story. if you don't have a copy you can request it via the link below