An Introduction to the ANARE Oral History Project
Posted in 2010

The National Council has approved $2000 towards funding an oral history project of ANARE members.

The project is seen as particularly important bcause it has become increasingly apparent that we are losing a large part of our history and identity as ANARE members age, and become cognitively impaired or die. 

The project would be initially aimed at those who worked in the Antarctic and subantarctic in the 1950s and 60s, but with time would be expanded to include more recent expeditioners, thus providing a more complete overview of ANARE men and women from a broad range of occupations and stations. 

The project would act to:
  • Preserve Australian Antarctic history,
  • Increase awareness of ANARE expeditioners and their contribution to Australian Antarctic history and affairs through education and utilisation of information by community groups and schools, and
  • Increase involvement and identity of ANARE expeditioners with the club.

The structured part of the interview will predominantly focus on:
  • Personal reflections and practical aspects of living in a small isolated community in a remote location;
  • Communication and maintenance of relationships back home. I am particularly keen to record perspectives of family ‘left behind’, an area that, to my knowledge, has not been previously documented in detail;
  • The impact of women expeditioners on the Antarctic community from the perspective of both male and female expeditioners;
  • Midwinter and other social events –areas which have been poorly documented in the past, but are a vital part of the ‘fabric’ of Antarctic expeditions; and
  • Recollections of Dr Phil Law.
The project aims to examine a diverse group of ANARE participants from a broad spectrum of time. Ex-ANARE expeditioners will be used to conduct the interviews, in preference to professional oral history interviewers, in order to achieve greater depth of information and a more honest appraisal of various experiences from the interviewed subjects than has been previously achieved. 

I have spoken to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery for initial discussions and they feel the idea has merit and would be interested in accessing the information for use in their permanent (and popular) Antarctic exhibition ‘Islands to Ice’. In addition the Antarctic Tasmania Midwinter Festival, organisers of the upcoming Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) Centenary (2011/12) celebrations and theAustralian Antarctic Division have expressed interest in utilising information gained from the project. 

Project Outline: Time frame: 18 months   

Outcomes: 
  • Generate copies of the recording and transcripts for use of the ANARE Club and other interested community groups 
  • Develop ‘picture boards’ with photos and excerpts of transcriptions for visual displays for use by the ANARE Club and other interested community groups, e.g. display or presentations at Midwinter dinners, in schools, libraries, aged care centres, U3A or as part of the AAE centenary celebrations. 
The pilot program will be initiated in Tasmania. There are several reasons for this: 
  • The project had already been discussed with a number of local ANARE expeditioners and has broad support,
  • I have applied for part funding through the Tasmanian Community Grants Scheme which has a specific focus on benefit to the Tasmanian Community,
  • I am based in Tasmania and am in a better position to initiate and ensure successful completion of the project.  
The project would then be extended nationally through State branches or individuals if there is sufficient interest. Brett Free is interested in co-ordinating a similar project in Victoria, and I am sure there are members from other states who would be keen to participate as well. The presidents of each state branch could canvass their state members to see if there is sufficient interest. 

I envisage that digital recording equipment could be passed between the various state programs to further minimise costs. I believe that this project is essential from a Tasmanian and National perspective. I also believe in it passionately as an individual. 

Please contact me via email at the address shown on the contacts page or ring on 03 6224 8573 if you have any further suggestions or comments on this project. Further details will be available in the Aurora and the National website as the project progresses. 

Many thanks, 
Ingrid McGaughey