Allan Parkinson was born in Beechworth in 1924. The eldest of eight children, his mother provided laundry services to the people of Beechworth whilst his father worked for the local tannery, trapping rabbits. Allan fondly remembers times spent during his childhood catching rabbits with his father. As his younger years were set amidst the experiences of World War Two and the Great Depression, Allan recalls a feeling of solidarity amongst the residents of Beechworth that was present during this time(for instance, sharing food with neighbours in wartime), as well as the disassociation he felt as a returning soldier after the war. Allan talks of the great number of 'New Australians' who arrived in Beechworth in the post-war years, many of them coming from war-torn countries in Europe. Before being integrated into Australian society, these 'New Australians' would often first spend time at the Migrant Reception and Training Centre in Bonegilla, Northern Victoria. They were taught English and learnt about Australian life before being billeted out across the country to fill labor shortages. Following time spent up in Queensland, Allan worked in the forestry industry, clearing thousands of acres across Victoria which were needed to plant pines. The interview ends with discussions of the famous Wheelbarrow Push from Beechworth to Mt Buffalo in 1935, of which Allan's Uncle Tom was a central participant; this is an event which has since become an annual fundraising tradition in Beechworth. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: Voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke. Mr Allan Parkinson's account of his life in Beechworth and the local area during the twentieth century is historically and socially significant to the cultural heritage of the region. He details important historical events and hardships that had lasting local, regional and national impacts, including Australia during wartime, post-war migration and economic struggles. This oral history account is historically and socially significant as it is part of a broader collection of interviews conducted by Jennifer Williams which were published in the book 'Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth'. While the township of Beechworth is known for its history as a gold rush town, these accounts provide a unique insight into the day-to-day life of the town's residents during the twentieth century, many of which would have been lost if they had not been preserved. This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white stripe and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up to forty minutes of recordings on each side. Mr Allan Parkinson / allan parkinson, oral history, beechworth forestry, forestry industry, beechworth tannery, jennifer williams, rabbit trapping, new australians, australian depression, rabbiting, bonegilla, bonegilla migrant camp, 20th century beechworth, wheelbarrow push beechworth to mt buffalo, barrowthon, wheelbarrow push 1935, listen to what they say, listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century beechworth, world war two, wartime, wartime solidarity, burke museum

Pickwick Clubs were established around the world in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, inspired by the first novel of Charles Dickens. A Kew branch was formed in 1897 and lasted until c.1912. Its membership was drawn from a number of notable Kew families. The club published two booklets, the first in 1904 and the second in 1912. In addition to holding meetings, club members performed in productions of Shakespearian plays in the Recreation Hall in Wellington Street Kew. Members of the club adopted pseudonyms based on characters in Dickens' novels.Literary publication of of artistic (literary) significance recording the social and cultural activities of a group of residents of Kew and its environs that operated from 1897 to c.1912. Copies of volume 1 are held by the State Libraries of Queensland and New South Wales.Contents of The Pickwick Portfolio, Vol.1, No.1 - Frontispiece [Illustration] Pickwick Portfolio / Mark Tapley (Alice Bale); Foreword / Mantalini (Mr A. Barlow); D. Copperfield (Mr H. Brown); Sonnet to celebrate Pickwick Club's birthday's eight and to congratulate it on its happy fate / John Jarndyce (Mr G. Bell); A new planet / Mikawber (Mr H. Mollard); The melancholy heart / Samuel Weller (Mr P. Vines); Time / Florence Dombey (Miss C. Turner); A day in Japan / Miss Moucher (Dr G. Halley); His yellow affability / Mark Tapley (Alice Bale); A tragedy / N. Nickleby (Mrs J.T. Dill, nee Miss Pullar); Bill Sykes [Illustration] / (Micawber (Mr H. Mollard); The norseman's song / Pickwick (Rev W. Slack); The maker of the soul / Squeers (Mr N. Brown); Glory / Jingle (Mr H.M. King); My first conquest / Agnes Wickfield (Miss A. Vines); The mosquito / D. Copperfield (Mr H. Brown); The blind baggage / Mantlini (Mr A. Barlow); The Pickwick Tree [Illustration] / Mark Tapley (Alice Bale); The freedom of life / Toots (Mr W. Shum)fictionthe pickwick club - kew, literary clubs, pickwick clubs, charles dickens