Seven Stuart Town and Geurie residents are the first to feature in Dubbo Regional Council’s (DRC) Oral History: Stories of Village Life project that gives a voice to the past, sharing stories and memories from growing up and living in a village.
“Oral history and recorded interviews are a great way to capture lived experiences as first person records of past times,” Dubbo Regional Council Local Studies Officer, Simone Taylor said.
The first three recordings published feature residents Ness Hartge, Carmel and Hilary Cohen along with Laurie Pope, Robert McGregor and Barbara and Richard Eade.
Ness is a young mother who discusses her family’s decision to move to the small village of Geurie and why she continues to enjoy being involved in the local community.
Carmel and Hilary, along with their friends and neighbours Laurie and Robert all grew up in Stuart Town. Together they share their memories of the village in the years gone by and how it has changed over the years.
Barbara and Richard also grew up together in Stuart Town and discuss their ongoing involvement in community life and the joy they still find living in a small village.
“The oral history recordings are now available online for the community to listen to and will introduce listeners to the rich and engaging histories of Stuart Town and Geurie. Whether you are familiar with the village or not you will enjoy the stories being shared,” Ms Taylor said.
The Oral History: Stories of Village Life can be listened to at www.westernplainsculturalcentre.org/oralhistory.
The Stories of Village Life oral project aims to create an oral history archive of village life in the Dubbo Region and is an ongoing project with more interviews to be undertaken and added in the future.
“We want to capture more stories, memories and experiences from the past about the different villages in our local government area.”
“We are continuing to look for more residents who are keen to be involved in the project and share stories of village life in the Dubbo Region,” Ms Taylor said.
The Oral History: Stories of Village Life project is funded through the SPARC Cultural Plan.
If you are a resident of a village in the Dubbo Region and would like to learn more about the Stories of Village Life project contact Dubbo Regional Council Local Studies Officer, Simone Taylor at 6801 4444.