Voices from the past: Uncovering local and personal stories

Before coming to the State Library of NSW in 2015, Alison worked as a curator or collections manager with the National Museum of Australia, the Australian War Memorial, the State Library of Queensland, and Museum of Tropical Queensland (Townsville). She has a BA (Hons), University of Queensland and Masters in Cultural Heritage (majoring in Museum Studies), Deakin University. She is passionate about public history and has curated social history exhibitions on a diverse range of topics from football, to long distance love, to the stolen generations.

Carrolline is the author of seven commissioned histories, the most recent being ‘The Evolution of Community’, the centenary history of Nambucca Shire Council and ‘Wheels’, a history of community transport. She has been a presenter at Byron Bay Writers Festival and the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival. A multi-award winning writer across a range of genres (including playwriting), she is a passionate and inspiring tutor. She says the aim of her historical publications is to bring times past to life. ‘I don’t report the past,’ she says, ‘my histories illuminate it’.

Marian taught for 22 years in NSW schools before family research led her to Australian History. Her recently completed Master of Research explored the experiences of four adulterous women whose husbands sued for divorce in NSW during the 1870s. Her current PhD thesis examines the rise of the New Woman in Australia between 1880 and 1914, and traces the effects of increasing emancipation on twelve ordinary women. Marian’s interests lie in histories of sexuality, gender and feminism and writing the stories of ordinary people.

Trudi has worked at Orange City Library for 11 years. Her current project – The Centenary of World War I in Orange – involves identifying the district’s servicemen and women and researching their stories. To date 1,882 servicemen and women have been identified, including Andrew Barton “Banjo” Paterson and NSW’s first Victoria Cross recipient, John Patrick Hamilton. Trudi completed a Graduate Diploma in Information Studies (Librarianship) at the University of New South Wales in 1990. She has worked in a wide variety of occupations, from rouseabout to kindergarten teacher, professional knitter, translator and interpreter.