Rob and Olya at work, interviewing Cathy Hutchinson in Tasmania, 2018
Rob Willis has been collecting oral history and folklore since 1982. Initially in the company of John Meredith, John Harpley and others, he was later joined by his wife, Olya Willis. Together, they have created the most extensive archive of Australian lives and traditions yet recorded. At the time of writing (2021), the Willis Collection consists of over 2,250 hours. As well as sound recordings, the collection includes film, video, still photographs, ephemera and manuscripts of interviewees.
Olya’s method of summarising at the point of interview is unique and allows a seamless, digital transition from the field recording to the NLA online catalogue. All relevant details of, time, place, names, topics and key words are included. Olya is also the sound recordist and photographer.
Taken together, this is an historical resource of great importance, covering every state and territory – and beyond.
The contents of such an extensive collection can only be summarised but include music, song, verse, dance, customs, beliefs, stories, crafts, together with the life experiences of a diverse number of Australians, young and old, living and dead, rural, regional and urban, from many of Australia’s diverse cultural groups, lifestyles and occupations.
LOCATIONS AND ACCESS
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA
https://www.nla.gov.au/selected-library-collections/willis-collection
https://www.nla.gov.au/what-we-collect/oral-history-and-folklore
NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection (Search for ‘Rob Willis’)
NFSA YouTube search ‘Real Folk” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkDSUGwOG5o
Several items from the collection have appeared on the VERANDAH MUSIC BLOG:
https://verandahmusic.blogspot.com
and YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcnvSkP5h7FQwcVGq4gZTHg
ROB WILLIS YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOrA5H7ULWbJG4vyiLslzAQ
Many recordings made in Western Australia as part of the Western Australian Folklife Project are available in the WESTERN AUSTRALIAN FOLKLORE ARCHIVE (2004-2016) in the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library at Curtin University
http://john.curtin.edu.au/folklore/
ROB AND OLYA WILLIS can be contacted at robwillis44@gmail.com
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