The Importance of Records in Telling Our Stories

Description

The Importance of Records in Telling Our Stories covers the different types of records that are available in Australia and that are in the public domain and the different legislation such as privacy legislation that protects private information. The book is based on the records that I accessed, such as records from Births Deaths and Marriages, military records, historical newspapers, ship records, war crime records and personal family photos to search for the the history of my ancestors from Wales, their arrival in Victoria in the 1850s, my great uncles's experiences in the First World War on the Western Front, my grandfather's experience on Nauru working for the British Phosphate Commission to the advent of the Second World War and occupation of Nauru by the Japanese. I have included my own personal journey to the Western Front, Ypres in Belgium to visit my great uncle's war grave and my visit some of the famous battle sites around the Ypres Salient. I have covered some of the atrocities which occurred on the island of Nauru. There is a constant theme about the importance of remembering and why we should honour our ancestors and the memory of those who came before us. I have overlaid my family history with that of many of the survivors of institutional child abuse who I worked with in Melbourne, Victoria in a Support Service for Forgotten Australians, former Child Migrants and the Stolen Generations. I have changed details and names to protect their identities and ensure their privacy. I assisted many to access their records of time in care in state and church run orphanages and children's homes during the last century. However, often records were missing, very scant, with huge gaps and judgemental. The process to access records and family information was fraught. I detail how difficult this was for many. It is a personal account of what I learnt in helping others to access their family history when they were unable to find anything. It is also about what I learnt from my ancestors in researching my history and the importance of family.