COLLECTING LIFE STORIES AND TRADITIONS OF AUSTRALIA

 Interviewing Cathy Hutchinson, Tasmania, 2018

Rob and Olya Willis have been collecting oral history and folklore around the country for many years. Their collection is held in various archives, libraries and other scattered locations. 

 

We have prepared a brief guide to the collection and points of access to it in a new page on the blog titled ‘The Willis Collection of Life Stories and Traditions’. From here, you can access much of the collection online and/or onsite at various institutions and locations.

VERANDAH MUSIC AT TOBRUK

One of the ‘Rats of Tobruk’, Walter ‘Jack’ Darnley, cheered himself and his mates up during the battle of Tobruk with this trench-made masterpiece. A toothbrush, a dixie and few other bits and bobs became  the ‘Darnley Dixaline’, a classic hybrid of banjo and mandolin.

 

Read all about it here on your ABC (use it or lose it) …

The Man, the Woman and the Edison Phonograph: Race, History, Technology and Song — Zoom presentation

 

Sunday 21 February at 2pm by Zoom. Bruce Watson will give a presentation about the 1903 recordings of Fanny Cochrane Smith. These are among the earliest Australian sound recordings, the only audio recordings of Tasmanian Language. The story behind them encapsulates significant themes in Australia’s history.

The event is free, but you will need to register by clicking this link:  https://www.trybooking.com/BOHOF. You will receive the Zoom link by email from TryBooking when you have booked.

The Man, the Woman and the Edison Phonograph: Race, History, Technology and Song  —  Bruce Watson

Fanny Cochrane Smith was born in 1834 in the Flinders Island ‘exile’ settlement for Aboriginal Tasmanians. She suffered neglect and abuse, but learnt culture and language. Following Truganini’s death, she was the last person to hold this traditional knowledge. Her 1899 and 1903 wax cylinder recordings are the only recordings of Tasmanian Language made and have been pivotal in reconstructing palawa kani, the revived Tasmanian language. The recordings were added to the NFSA’s Sounds of Australia in its foundation year and added to the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register in 2017. This multi-media presentation will tell the story behind the photo of Horace Watson recording Fanny Cochrane Smith with surprising twists and turns and reverberations through history. It is a story of history, genocide, technology and the power of song.

VERANDAH MUSIC ZAMBIAN STYLE

Zambian kids playing up a storm on their homemade instruments at

https://www.themusicman.uk/category/location/africa/

Plus lots of other improvised African music.

 

Also, lots of other world music at The Music Man, including a woman who rips out rock riffs on her hurdy gurdy, as you do.