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Back to the Future - Rescuing Historial Records
Understanding our past helps us make sense of our lives and plan for the future. For Western Australians, the best place to find out about the past is in the J S Battye Library of West Australian History. Here you’ll find photographs, films, newspapers, books, periodicals, maps, oral histories and all kinds of ephemera dating from the first journeys of exploration in the 17th century to the modern day.
While the Battye Library has all this marvellous material, it needs to be accessible and to last for future generations to enjoy.
Many of the documents are on materials which are unstable. Old newspapers crumble, and film and photographic negatives disintegrate or the images can fade or disappear completely. The result is that many unique moments in WA history from previous generations, are being lost for ever.
Realising that the deterioration of some collections was occurring at an alarming rates, staff sought the support of the Friends of Battye Library.
A Project of Herculean Proportions
Aware of the collection’s worth, and the enormity of the task of preserving it, the Friends reached out to others who shared their passion for the preservation of historical records. Historical and heritage groups, genealogical societies, representatives of the Indigenous community and private donors agreed to collaborate on a rescue project of Herculean proportions. Together they formed the Historical Records Rescue Consortium (HRRC).
Meeting in August 2003, the Consortium reviewed the considerable challenge facing them. With the help of a Lotterywest grant of $24,000 members embarked on a State-wide community consultation process to determine the priorities for the mass of material needing preservation. Community endorsement for the rescue was overwhelming and encouraged the Consortium to apply for a ‘Special Initiatives’ grant from Lotterywest to preserve and make accessible the most at risk, significant and vulnerable photographic negatives, films and newspapers.
Supporting community access
Lotterywest provided a grant of $3 million towards the cost of rescuing over 700,000 newspaper pages, 75,000 photographic images and 150 films over the next two years. The project will also make these records accessible to everyone through the Internet and, in the case of films, DVDs supplied to public libraries throughout WA.
The photographs below are just two examples of the thousands of captured moments in time from our past which will be preserved under the project. One concerns the remarkable journey of Winifred Wells who travelled by motorbike from Perth to Sydney and back in three weeks from 26 December 1950. The second shows Western Australian innovation which saw Chamberlain Industries manufacturing tractors at Welshpool in 1949, which were sent all around Australia. By 1950 the first 50 tractors were sent overseas bringing export income and providing employment for 850 Western Australians.
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Winifred Wells on the return from her journey from from Perth to Sydney, 16 January 1951, Battye Library 234761PD. |
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Some of the 50 Chamberlain tractors |
To view other preserved photographic images visit the State Library’s catalogue www.slwa.wa.gov.au. Go to ‘search the catalogue’, ‘pictorial’, ‘keyword’ and type in ‘HRRC’. To find out more about the Consortium visit their website www.fobl.org.au/hrrc.