Have you ever wished to record a light-bulb moment or memory but forgotten it moments later, never to reappear?
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For museum manager Luke Grealy, the thought of missing out on precious Wagga memories and prospective exhibits is almost unbearable.
“It honestly keeps me awake at night, the prospect of losing information or people whose stories we can share,” he said.
“Trying to collect everyone’s stories and insight is like a race against time.”
Now, Mr Grealy and his team at the Museum of the Riverina have found their silver bullet – oral histories.
The idea is simple: sit down with a family member and get them to share their stories of Wagga and the issues of yesteryear.
“We really want to invite people to take an interest in oral histories and sharing stories,” he said.
There are so many incredible stories and snippets of information that will be lost forever if we can’t get them down on record.
- Museum of the Riverina manager Luke Grealy
“Our new project, Memory Lounge, is just about encouraging people to get involved.”
The project will see volunteer interviewers and interviewees take centre stage at the Museum’s Historic Council Chambers site to share stories while being recorded by a professional team.
Interviews will be mediated by a professional oral historian and documented by a stenographer before the final product is gifted to participants on a USB.
More than five decades of secrecy could be unlocked this Saturday when Wagga veteran John Marsh takes to the microphone.
Mr Marsh, along with daughter Robin McNeice, are two of the earliest participants in the Memory Lounge.
The former Air Force engineer swore a 50 year oath of secrecy after his duties in World War II, but Mrs McNeice is hoping to tease out the stories that will leave a lasting legacy.
“Dad was really strong about his secrecy but that ended a few years ago and he’s opened up since then,” she said.
“I just feel as though that generation has so much to share with us and we need to preserve it.”
The family is deeply rooted in Wagga with ties back to the original Collins family, after whom Collins Park is named.
“We marched together at Anzac Day … I think here’s a really good history there.”
Joshua Sarantakos, 12, believes his grandmother’s stories would make a fine addition to the Museum’s record.
“We saw this [project] come up and we thought it might be a fun thing to do,” he said.
“Our family have come from America and they’ve also been through Germany.”
Aunty Gail Manderson is another Wagga resident preparing to put her story on the record.
“This project is something I wanted to get involved with because I want to share my life and the things I missed,” she said.
“I want to share the highs and lows of my childhood, how I searched for my birth mother, how I was accepted by the other [Wiradjuri] elders.”
Aunty Gail said it was important to collate information to pass down to future generations.
“I missed out and my children missed out, so I want to see my grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren given an insight into our history.”
It’s a sentiment shared by fellow participant Milena Dunn.
“My parents migrated here from Serbia and Switzerland back in the 1950s,” she said.
“My children know their stories, but I want to make sure that more people know about the different cultures that co-exist in our city.”
For more information, see the project website here.
