The State Library of WA: Recent Episodes
StateLibraryWA
The State Library of Western Australia collects and preserves Western Australian history. The State Library collects voices and stories through oral histories, diaries, journals, maps, photos, films, music and oral histories. Delve into WA history though our regular ABC Radio interviews "History Repeated"" series or listen to some of our live panel event recordings. Discover more about WA UFO files, nuclear testing and Bob Hawke's school report.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that the State Library of Western Australia's recordings of public talks may contain names and voices of people who are now deceased.
Suzanne Franklin's keepsake is a picture of her great-great-grandmother, Alice Franklin, the Lady Mayoress of Perth and an unused leather-bound railway ticket to the official opening of Parliament House in 1927.Alice's husband, James Thomas Franklin, was the last Mayor of Perth and the first Lord Mayor of Perth. In 1927, James and Alice were invited to the grand opening of Parliament House and given first-class railway tickets with sleeping berths from Sydney to Canberra and then Canberra to Perth. Many events and newspaper articles were written about them leaving for this historic event. The tickets went unused. A few days before departure, their eldest son George, 48, was run down on Bulwer Street while on his way to work. Alice and James stayed by his side in the hospital. George passed away two days later. On the day they were meant to be leaving, they buried their son.A week later, they went to the opening of Parliament House to represent Western Australia and meet the Duke and Duchess of York, who they would soon be hosting in Perth.As part of the State Library of Western Australia’s exhibition Keepsake: Cherished Family Mementos from the Collection, we asked The Chin Wagon to create a podcast series collecting stories from members of the public about their family treasures and heirlooms. Scrabble boards, cookbooks, medals, fishing lures, trinkets and tools. Why are these items so important to the people that hold onto them?The Chin Wagon is a mobile recording studio designed to capture WA’s stories. Run by much-loved storytelling collective Barefaced Stories , The Chin Wagon provides a fun, cosy hearth for people to share their most treasured memories, tall tales or embarrassing spills. Andrea Gibbs interviewed seven members of the public in this mini podcast series.Keepsake exhibition runs at the State Library of Western Australia until 4 February 2025.
Sophies keepsake is her husband's grandma's handwritten cookbook. Joan Patricia Vowles lovingly added to this cookbook over forty years (1950 -1990), and Sophie inherited it when she passed away in 2006.The cookbook is made out of a notepad and filled with delicately handwritten recipes and poems, resplendent with butter, egg and oil stains. The recipes come from friends, family, church group members, and cutouts from cereal boxes and magazines. There are recipes for cakes, puddings, sauces, jams, relishes and pies. Ticks appear next to the recipes she likes and crosses next to the ones that didn't work out.Sophie has made many recipes from the cookbook, but perhaps not the Veal with Bananas. Her favourite recipe is the light ginger cake with golden syrup or treacle running through it with a hint of lemon. Sophie was interviewed and published in Coles Magazine in March 2021 with this recipe after posting a few recipes from the cookbook in the Coles Cooking Club Facebook Group.Joan Patricia Vowles (nee Keeping) was born in Narrogin in 1917 and lived in Tincurrin, a small town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The town has a street called "Keeping" named after her father, Walter. Joan became a hairdresser, moved to Perth in 1935, married in 1938 and had three kids (Patricia, Rupert and David). She loved a good chat, and her secret to a good cheese and tomato sandwich was celery salt.As part of the State Library of Western Australia’s exhibition Keepsake: Cherished Family Mementos from the Collection, we asked The Chin Wagon to create a podcast series collecting stories from members of the public about their family treasures and heirlooms. Scrabble boards, cookbooks, medals, fishing lures, trinkets and tools. Why are these items so important to the people that hold onto them?The Chin Wagon is a mobile recording studio designed to capture WA’s stories. Run by much-loved storytelling collective Barefaced Stories , The Chin Wagon provides a fun, cosy hearth for people to share their most treasured memories, tall tales or embarrassing spills. Andrea Gibbs interviewed seven members of the public in this mini podcast series.Keepsake exhibition runs at the State Library of Western Australia until 4 February 2025.
Petronila's keepsake is a traditional Tokelauan hand-carved mother of pearl fishing lure (Pa Hi Atu) made by Papa Fofo Poasa, her father-in-law. Papa Fofo Poasa hand-carved this traditional fishing lure with his son, Himona Poasa, the week before Himona suddenly passed away in February 2023. They carved the Pa Hi Atu in their home in Mandurah, Western Australia, using mother-of-pearl shells from Broome.Pa Hi Atu translates to fishing lure to catch the bonito (type of fish). Papa Fofo Poasa is one of the few Tokelauan traditional carvers in the world. Tokelau is a small, dependent territory of New Zealand in the Pacific Ocean consisting of three atolls. Petronila's husband, Himona, regularly caught fish in the Mandurah Estuary and distributed them to his community's elders and families according to the Tokelau traditions. The fishing lure is a special heirloom because it was made with love and represents the relationship between father and son.As part of the State Library of Western Australia’s exhibition Keepsake: Cherished Family Mementos from the Collection, we asked The Chin Wagon to create a podcast series collecting stories from members of the public about their family treasures and heirlooms. Scrabble boards, cookbooks, medals, fishing lures, trinkets and tools. Why are these items so important to the people that hold onto them?The Chin Wagon is a mobile recording studio designed to capture WA’s stories. Run by much-loved storytelling collective Barefaced Stories , The Chin Wagon provides a fun, cosy hearth for people to share their most treasured memories, tall tales or embarrassing spills. Andrea Gibbs interviewed seven members of the public in this mini podcast series.Keepsake exhibition runs at the State Library of Western Australia until 4 February 2025.
Cheryl Burton was adopted in 1962 and immigrated from the UK in 1967. Her mother didn't know she would be giving Cheryl up for adoption until the birth and had mere moments to say goodbye. In 1990 when Cheryl was 28, she flew back to meet her mother for the first time. Cheryl's keepsake is a gold kangaroo brooch she gifted to her mother when they first met.Her mother never wore the brooch but kept it as a prized possession. Upon passing, she left Cheryl many items and personal treasures under her bead, including the brooch.As part of the State Library of Western Australia's exhibition Keepsake: Cherished Family Mementos from the Collection, we asked The Chin Wagon to create a mini podcast series collecting stories from members of the public about their family treasures and heirlooms. Scrabble boards, cookbooks, medals, fishing lures, trinkets and tools. Why are these items so important to the people that hold onto them?The Chin Wagon is a mobile recording studio designed to capture WA’s stories. Run by much-loved storytelling collective Barefaced Stories, The Chin Wagon provides a fun, cosy hearth for people to share their most treasured memories, tall tales or embarrassing spills. Andrea Gibbs interviewed seven members of the public in this mini podcast series.Keepsake exhibition runs at the State Library of Western Australia until 4 February 2025.
Gerry's keepsake is his great-granddad's utility knife, which was gifted to him for saving the life of a world-renowned and revered Australian test pilot, Harry Hawker, in 1913. Harry Hawker was the chief test pilot for Sopwith Industries; this was only 11 years after the Wright brothers flew the first-ever successful aeroplane flight. Harry Hawker and his copilot (mechanic) Harry Cauper (also Australian) were test-flying a biplane over the Bay of Loughshinny in North County Dublin, Ireland, when they crashed into the sea. Gerry's great-granddad, Frank Ryan, was a local fisherman who rowed out and rescued them. No one in the community had ever seen an aeroplane. The next day, when a team tried to salvage the aeroplane, it was gone, except for one spark plug; the fascinated locals had stripped it for souvenirs. The local Lord of the Manor, Roger Palmer, gifted Frank a special engraved utility knife for his service. Gerry's father handed the utility knife down to him. Gerry's father inherited it from his mother (Gerry's grandmother), who got it from her dad, the hero fisherman.As part of the State Library of Western Australia's exhibition Keepsake: Cherished Family Mementos from the Collection, we asked The Chin Wagon to create a mini podcast series collecting stories from members of the public about their family treasures and heirlooms. Scrabble boards, cookbooks, medals, fishing lures, trinkets and tools. Why are these items so important to the people that hold onto them?The Chin Wagon is a mobile recording studio designed to capture WA’s stories. Run by much-loved storytelling collective Barefaced Stories, The Chin Wagon provides a fun, cosy hearth for people to share their most treasured memories, tall tales or embarrassing spills. Andrea Gibbs interviewed seven members of the public in this mini podcast series.Keepsake exhibition runs at the State Library of Western Australia until 4 February 2025.
Anne Chapple's Grandfather's WW1 medals are an extraordinary keepsake as they signify the beginning of the Anzac Cottage story. Her grandfather was considered an older recruit (30s) and served in the 11th Battalion, C Company, who were amongst the first who landed on the shores of Gallipoli. He was wounded on the first day and then deemed unfit to serve. He was one of the first returned wounded soldiers to Mt Hawthorn. Due to his leg injury, he was unable to work and worried the family would lose their borrowed home. A neighbour from the Mt Hawthorn Progress Society heard his story, and the society decided to build a "practical memorial" honouring the soldiers who fought in Gallipoli and double as a home for Anne's grandfather and his family. The community rallied and donated money, goods, furniture, skills and labour. In one day, on 12 February 1916, over 200 people helped build the outside of the cottage, four thousand people watched, and the Ladies Patriotic Guild brought them lunches and refreshments.As part of the State Library of Western Australia's exhibition Keepsake: Cherished Family Mementos from the Collection, we asked The Chin Wagon to create a mini podcast series collecting stories from members of the public about their family treasures and heirlooms. Scrabble boards, cookbooks, medals, fishing lures, trinkets and tools. Why are these items so important to the people that hold onto them?The Chin Wagon is a mobile recording studio designed to capture WA’s stories. Run by much-loved storytelling collective Barefaced Stories, The Chin Wagon provides a fun, cosy hearth for people to share their most treasured memories, tall tales or embarrassing spills. Andrea Gibbs interviewed seven members of the public in this mini podcast series.Keepsake exhibition runs at the State Library of Western Australia until 4 February 2025.
Amber Blake's keepsake is a much loved and very used Scrabble board in the original box from the 1970s. Her family took an annual holiday to Rottnest Island, marking the years on the board (70s to 90s) and the odd landline phone number in "graffiti". Back then, the showers were salt water from the ocean and all food was BYO. Amber fondly remembers zero-screen holidays full of family tournaments, charades, sandcastles, rides, a few dramas and Scrabble!As part of the State Library of Western Australia’s exhibition Keepsake: Cherished Family Mementos from the Collection, we asked The Chin Wagon to create a podcast series collecting stories from members of the public about their family treasures and heirlooms. Scrabble boards, cookbooks, medals, fishing lures, trinkets and tools. Why are these items so important to the people that hold onto them?The Chin Wagon is a mobile recording studio designed to capture WA’s stories. Run by much-loved storytelling collective Barefaced Stories, The Chin Wagon provides a fun, cosy hearth for people to share their most treasured memories, tall tales or embarrassing spills. Andrea Gibbs interviewed seven members of the public in this mini podcast series.Keepsake exhibition runs at the State Library of Western Australia until 4 February 2025.
Yorgas kaala katitje is a podcast and short film exploring the fire knowledge of Aboriginal women. Such knowledge has been essential to the survival and cultural practices of Indigenous communities across millennia. However, it was not within early explorers’ frame of reference to see women as fire managers, and these European understandings have shaped the way we have thought about fire management in this country. Over three centuries later, fire is pivotal to land management across a nation seasonally ravaged by fatal bushfires.Increasingly, Aboriginal women and men are creating better management by sharing their knowledge through the Bushfire Centre of Excellence in Perth and the Kimberley Land Council’s Nyul Nyul female ranger program based in Beagle Bay on the Dampier Peninsula.In the short film, we hear Nyungar Elder Irene Stainton AO; Traditional Custodians Barbara Hostalek, Marlene Warrell and Gladys Yarran; Wetlands Centre Elder in Residence Marie Taylor; Nyungar Maaman Neville Collard; and Professor Susan Broomhall, Director of the Gender and Women’s History Research Centre at Australian Catholic University.The podcast features these voices along with Traditional and Cultural Fire Officer Clifton Bieundurry; Whadjuk Nyungar Ballardong Nyungar and cultural fire practitioner Oral McGuire; the Kimberley Land Council’s Sarah Parriman, Jackie Wemyss and Zaripha Barnes; Nyul Nyul rangers Sharon Cox, Helena Williams and Lilian Lawford; Dutch texts read by Dr Arvi Wattel, The University of Western Australia, and producer Gina Pickering.Yorgas kaala katitje has recently been donated to the State Library’s West Australian heritage collection and is available online through the catalogue .Executive produced by Professor Susan Broomhall, supported by Australian Catholic University, and written and produced by Gina Pickering from Latitude Creative Services.The short film is available on the State Library of Western Australia website slwa.wa.gov.au
Join writer and storyteller Sisonke Msimang when she asks Elders Aunty Irene and Uncle Albert McNamara, Elder Farley Garlett and youth leaders Ezra Jacobs-Smith and Sophie Coffin to share their stories, thoughts and hopes on what the future will look like for all Australians in the next chapter of our shared history.In 2023, Australians will vote on whether to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. To help inform individual decisions in relation to this important national event, the State Library held two free public panel conversations called Voices. This is Panel 2, recorded at a live event in the State Library theatre on 4 October 2023.
Former Liberal Cabinet Minister the Hon Ken Wyatt, academic and expert on Indigenous human rights law, Dr Hannah McGlade, storyteller and intercultural dialogue specialist Shenali Perera, former Chair Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service Jackie Oakley and moderated by award-winning journalist Victoria Laurie to discuss the background to the Voice vote, why this referendum has become a political hot potato and what it looks like from an international perspective.Recorded at a live panel event at the State Library of Western Australia on 31 August 2023.In 2023, Australians will vote on whether to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. To help inform individual decisions in relation to this important national event, the State Library held two free public panel conversations called Voices.
Katelyn is an award-winning goalkeeper for the ParaMatildas. Founded in 2019, the ParaMatildas is Australia’s first national team for women and girls with cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury and symptoms of stroke. Katelyn recently won the inaugural ParaMatildas Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Tournament after a silver medal winning run in their first international Women’s World Cup campaign in 2022.
Tracey Wheeler is an early champion of women in soccer, representing Australia in our national team the Matildas, first as a midfielder, and later as a goalkeeper. She made her international goalkeeping debut against New Zealand in 1989, and has played 55 international matches for Australia, including three games at the 2000 Olympics.
Growing up in Margaret River and not truly taking soccer seriously as a career, Tash took an unusual route to becoming the current Captain of the Perth Glory Women’s League, replacing former captain Sam Kerr in 2019. Tash believes in making space for others to lead through their strength, and is honoured to join a movement of strong women paving the way for future generations of soccer-lovers.
Soccer runs through the Brooking family’s veins. Thembi and her daughter Ischia both play soccer, while Thembi’s husband coaches. After migrating from Zimbabwe to Perth, Thembi started out playing soccer in an area of Perth where there was less opportunity for young girls to play and is now proud to see that changing for her daughter, Ischia, who is playing at an elite level with the Junior Matildas.
Goalkeeper for international Women’s Super League clubs and Australia’s national team the Matildas, Lydia is a proud Nyungar woman who grew up playing in the red dirt of Kalgoorlie, a small town north-east of Perth, before moving to Canberra to pursue her career in soccer. She has been inducted into the Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame.
Marilyn has the great honour of being the first West Australian female referee to crash into the male-dominated game in the late 1970’s. She progressed quickly from officiating schools’ football to State League, and in 1992 became the first woman to run the line in a National men’s Soccer League game. Marilyn also had the line for the 1992 Australia-Brazil youth international friendly.
Marilyn has the great honour of being the first West Australian female referee to crash into the male-dominated game in the late 1970’s. She progressed quickly from officiating schools’ football to State League, and in 1992 became the first woman to run the line in a National men’s Soccer League game. Marilyn also had the line for the 1992 Australia-Brazil youth international friendly.
In the lead-up to Perth hosting some of the games for one of the world's largest sporting tournaments, the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, we hear stories from local women who rose up against inequality and stereotypes to champion the game of soccer as far back as the 1970s. We hear from elite athletes past and present considered to be the best in the game both locally and globally; and from community role models who are courageously making soccer more accessible and equitable for future generations of women, young girls and newcomers of all genders to the game.Sports media journalist Kris Marano sat down and heard why self-belief, sacrifice and strength is what it takes to become a champion of soccer.The Game Changers oral history collection was produced and developed by the Centre for Stories for the State Library of Western Australia. Together, we are sharing stories that reflect our state’s rich heritage, diversity and history.
In the lead-up to Perth hosting some of the games for one of the world's largest sporting tournaments, the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, we hear stories from local women who rose up against inequality and stereotypes to champion the game of soccer as far back as the 1970s. We hear from elite athletes past and present considered to be the best in the game both locally and globally; and from community role models who are courageously making soccer more accessible and equitable for future generations of women, young girls and newcomers of all genders to the game.Sports media journalist Kris Marano sat down and heard why self-belief, sacrifice and strength is what it takes to become a champion of soccer.The Game Changers oral history collection was produced and developed by the Centre for Stories for the State Library of Western Australia. Together, we are sharing stories that reflect our state’s rich heritage, diversity and history.
In the lead-up to Perth hosting some of the games for one of the world's largest sporting tournaments, the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, we hear stories from local women who rose up against inequality and stereotypes to champion the game of soccer as far back as the 1970s. We hear from elite athletes past and present considered to be the best in the game both locally and globally; and from community role models who are courageously making soccer more accessible and equitable for future generations of women, young girls and newcomers of all genders to the game.Sports media journalist Kris Marano sat down and heard why self-belief, sacrifice and strength is what it takes to become a champion of soccer.The Game Changers oral history collection was produced and developed by the Centre for Stories for the State Library of Western Australia. Together, we are sharing stories that reflect our state’s rich heritage, diversity and history.
She’ll be Apples reveals the hidden backstory of the Lady Williams apple and the role of cultivator and innovator Maud Williams, who is truly at the core of Western Australia’s multi-million dollar apple industry.In this podcast, we hear from Maud’s family about frugal post-war regional life and know her passion for a particular apple tree that would create an indelible foundation for WA’s internationally renowned apples, including the Pink Lady and Bravo.We meet Lyn Green, who as a little girl, created the Lady Williams name and leading contemporary entrepreneurial women like Newton Orchards Director Nic Giblett, who is growing and rethinking the apple industry in fresh ways.Author Jon Doust introduces us to the genetic complexity of apples, while Dr Helen Cripps reflects on her father’s legacy and the role of women in agriculture.This curious and pomiferous yarn from Gina Pickering proves it's crunch time for women’s history. At the same time, Australian Catholic University historian Susan Broomhall reminds us the archive, more often than not, holds the answers. We just need to ask the right questions.This podcast shares a significant West Australian story not previously well-known. The podcast, photographs and other related material interviews have recently been donated to the State Library’s West Australian collections and are available online through the State Library catalogue.This podcast was commissioned by the Australian Catholic University, researched by Professor Susan Broomhall and written and produced by Gina Pickering from Latitude Creative Services.
Join Dr Kate as she discusses the State Library’s collections relating to the LGBTQIA+ community in Western Australia as part of Pride month celebrations.
The State Library holds a significant collection of 270 posters relating to Connections Nightclub – the longest running LGBTQIA+ nightclub in the Southern Hemisphere.
Located at 81 James Street Northbridge, Connections Nightclub exists in a building that had originally been used as a cabaret club called The Top Hat. In 1975 it re-opened it as a gay nightclub. Tim Brown began managing the venue in 1991 and instigated the venue's rebranding by regularly redecorating it, including more diverse staffing and in diversifying the entertainment in the club. The Connections poster collection includes hand-drawn graphics, gritty photo-realism, slick digital art and a huge range of visual styles in-between. Similarly, the range of events captured in this sample epitomizes the club's ethos of diversity and inclusivity. Search for PS02423 on the State Library catalogue to see the full collection.
The State Library has also recently acquired a collection of video oral history interviews with the LBGTQI+ community in Western Australia. In May 1971 the Campaign Against Moral Persecution (CAMP INK) was founded in Western Australia. Fifty years later the State Library has funded a project to capture stories of the history of LGBTQIA+ activism and community awareness in Western Australia. This series has evolved in consultation through the 'Connections' night club's Tim Brown, collecting stories from leading figures and contributors who have been involved in LGBTQIA+ activism in Western Australia. To explore these interviews on the State Library catalogue search for OH4579.
Join Dr Kate as she explores the life and cultural legacy of WA writer Randolph Stow (1935-2010), known as ‘Mick’ to family and friends. Winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 1958 for his novel ‘To the Islands’ and Patrick White Award in 1979, Randolph Stow published 8 novels, several collections of poetry, a children’s novella and a libretto. Growing up in Geraldton, the mid-West landscape and history had an enduring impact on his writing. One of his most well-known and loved books ‘Merry Go Round in the Sea’ (1965) was inspired by his childhood experiences in Geraldton in the 1940s. A prominent theme in Randolph Stow’s writing concerned the legacies of colonisation in WA, described in his novel Tourmaline (1963) in its opening passage ‘I say we have a bitter heritage, but that is not to run in down.’
Dr Kate explores the archives and writing of Katharine Susannah Prichard (1883-1969) with her biographer Dr Nathan Hobby, who has just published The Red Witch: a biography of Katharine Susannah Prichard (MUP, 2022). Katharine Susannah Prichard is one of Australia’s most beloved authors, who depicted a new vision of Australia within her writing. She wrote 13 novels, 4 collections of short stories as well as plays and poetry. Her lifelong commitment to communism and the Soviet Union contrasts with her marriage to a well decorated First World War veteran Hugo Throssell who was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Thanks to the Untapped Australian Literary Heritage Project, many of KSP’s out of print books are now accessible to contemporary readers.
Join Dr Kate on ABC Perth Radioas she delves into the Serventy family archives held by the State Library. Three of the eight siblings, Dominic (1904-1988), Lucia (1905-2003) and Vincent (1916-2007) Serventy, made major contributions to environmental conservation in Western Australia. The children’s early life in the Goldfields during the early twentieth century and move to the bush outskirts of Perth in Bickley and Maddington shaped their love of the bush. Dom went on to become a world famous ornithologist and started the WA Naturalists Club in 1924. Lucy, an accountant and public servant, was the treasurer of the WA Naturalists Club for many decades and instrumental in organising the annual Wildlife Shows at the Perth Town Hall from 1946-75, that aimed to promote interest in the natural history of Western Australia. Vincent Serventy, a teacher, naturalist, writer and documentary maker went on to publish over 70 books on the wildlife of Australia and more than 50 documentary films. Vin was active in numerous wildlife organisations, and was on the first National Trust of Australia (WA) council from 1959. His work helped to protect the Dryandra Forrest south of Perth as well as many sites of world significance including the Great Barrier Reef. The State Library’s collections offer a special insight into the personal lives and public contributions of this family of ‘conservation devotees.’ Dominic Serventy Papers: https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1821665 Lucia Serventy Papers: https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2060931
Left Right Out exposes the challenging legacy of how LGBTQ stories have been represented by our State’s cultural institutions, the State Library of Western Australia, the Western Australian Museum, and the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Left out of the archives altogether, overlooked, undescribed, or actively silenced – LGBTQ history has not been well recorded, preserved, nor exhibited by the State’s cultural institutions in the past.
Today, our cultural institutions are grappling with the challenge of making this history visible in collections and exhibitions. Alec Coles, CEO of Western Australian Museum, comments on the role of WA Museum Boola Bardip and continuing consultation taking place with the wider LGBTQ community. Curators from the Art Gallery and State Library are actively addressing these gaps through collection development and public programs.
This podcast brings together interviews with prominent West Australian artists and curators, including Alan Muller and Jo Darbyshire, who discuss the importance of queer history being represented by our cultural institutions. Dax Jagoe, a young trans activist, reflects on what it means for young trans people to see their experiences represented.
In the context of the 2017 referendum for same-sex marriage, this podcast explores a critical moment in the history of LGBTQ rights and the positive steps that cultural institutions are making.
Welcome to Rare Stories from the West – a State Library of Western Australia podcast series. Through these podcasts, we hope to unearth tales of Western Australia’s past and present. Left Right Out: Queer Disclosure is the last of three podcasts produced by Gina Pickering. Part 1 - Walking on Water: Spirit of the Swan Coastal Plain, and Part 2 - On the Frontline: Rare Women of the West are available on SoundCloud and the State Library of Western Australia website.
Podcast created by Gina Pickering - Latitude Creative Services and commissioned by the State Library of Western Australia.
On the Frontline reveals the stories of two women who are significant voices in the story of the Swan River and its people. Mary Ann Friend and Fanny Balbuk each had very different experiences of colonisation. Until recently, their stories were little known.
Through her journal of a voyage to Hobart with an account of the settlement on the Swan River (1829-30), Mary Ann Friend provides a glimpse into the living conditions, the environment of the river, and encounters with Noongar people.
Fanny Balbuk, born around 1840, was a prominent Whadjuk Noongar woman who lived through the devastating impacts of colonisation. Whadjuk Noongar Elder, Marie Taylor, recounts the story of Balbuk’s life and her legacy.
This podcast explores how the State Library is helping to preserve their stories and why shining a light on the women’s stories of the Swan River Colony is essential today.
Podcast created by Gina Pickering - Latitude Creative Services and commissioned by the State Library of Western Australia.
You can view a digital copy of Mary Ann Friends journal, read a transcript or watch a short documentary on the State Library of Western Australia Catalogue.
Welcome to Rare Stories from the West - a State Library of Western Australia podcast. Through these podcasts we hope to unearth tales of Western Australia’s past and present. Walking on Water: Spirit of the Swan Coastal Plain is the first of three podcasts produced by Gina Pickering.
The Walking on Water podcast explores the significance of the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River) in the creation of the city of Perth. The podcast features Aboriginal elders Noel Nannup and Marie Taylor explaining the Aboriginal history of the river through the Waugal creation story on Whadjuck Noongar Boodjar (now metropolitan Perth) and a cultural evocation of the river through the words of poets Dr Nandi Chinna, Jennifer Kornberger and Daniel Hansen.
The environmental context of the river is explored and then the first historical and colonial perceptions of the Swan River by Freycinet and Stirling in the early nineteenth century are discussed. This content roots Derbarl Yerrigan at the heart of any discussion of Perth from its Aboriginal origins to its place at the heart of our twentieth-century multicultural and diverse city, showing why the river is such an important influence for the State Library in its role of telling the story of Western Australia.
Podcasts created by Gina Pickering - Latitude Creative Services and commissioned by the State Library of Western Australia.