Francis Blair was born on January 17th, 1910. He was born in Bendigo, and lived in Daylesford from pre-school to the age of thirteen. His father was a miner who died in an explosion when he was one years old. As a result he was handed from relation to relation, commenting that he can never remember seeing his mother. He has a sister and aunt who owned a hotel in Daylesford. His sister was placed in the local convent to be looked after. He overheard his aunt talking about having him work in a drapers store, and not liking the idea, took a bicycle and rode off. He headed to Bendigo, staying with a relative where he eventually got a job at a wholesale food manufacturing company, making jelly crystals, custard powders and other things. He arrived in Beechworth in 1952, due to having built up a consultancy in the food manufacturing business. When he moved to Beechworth he had no prior contacts except the firm that was in Beechworth (Beechworth Brewery). He eventually became a well known personality around Beechworth, becoming president of the hospital and the bowls club. 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.Francis Blair's story is significant because he details how many food and beverages were crafted in the 1900s in Victoria. His story also allows the craft to stay alive by detailing the different aspects required to create specific food and beverage items.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 strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, burke museum

Ken and Doreen came to Beechworth on boxing day in 1959, when they were offered a business at a good price. This business was the Ovens and Murray advertiser, one of the oldest running newspapers in Australia. When they arrived Ken already had a background as a professional linotype operator, however both him and Doreen had no experience running a town newspaper. Ken and Doreen owned the paper till the 1980s, when they formed the Blake press. Throughout the years the Blakes kept up to date with Beechworth news, politics and events happening throughout the community, Ken was even permitted to sit in on the town committee meetings. They saw the town develop from a small mining town in rural Victoria, to a bustling, tourist hotspot.This oral history is significant because it shows how the town of Beechworth developed from a small outpost mining town to a popular tourist destination. It also showcases a different perspective of the towns development, that of the new owners (at the time) of the Ovens and Murrary Advertiser. The advertiser is an integral part of Beechworth's history and has been running since it was proclaimed a town (proclaimed a town in 1856, the advertiser first ran its paper in 1855). Without the advertiser the history of Beechworth would be buried, but with newspapers dating back all the way to 1855, Beechworth is provided with a rich and vibrant retelling of the history of their town and what life was like from 1855 to present day. Ken and Doreen's oral history provides an insight into what it was like revitalising a worn out part of history, of restoring it back to its former glory. They demonstrate the highs and lows of living and running a business in Beechworth through economic lows and the impact of both social and physical isolation.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 strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.newspaper, blakes, ken and doreen, ovens and murray advertiser, beechworth, development, o&m, 1960s, 1980s, 1970s

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

Bill Gerrard was born in Albury in 1934 and moved to Beechworth in 1960 when his wife was employed as a nurse at Mayday Hills Hospital, later becoming nurse-in-charge. Gerrard first worked for the local railway and then as a taxi driver in Beechworth, and was involved in volunteer fund-raising activities such as raffles for charitable causes. 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 Bill Gerrard's account of his life in Beechworth and the local area during the mid-to-late 20th century is historically and socially significant to the cultural heritage of the region. He recounts aspects of community life and working conditions in Beechworth, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s, as well as conditions for staff and patients at Mayday Hills Hospital where his wife worked during that period. His story also provides insights into economic hardhsip and the role of voluntary fundraising in the Beechworth community. 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.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 strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Mr Bill Gerrard /listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, burke museum, bill gerrard, mayday hills hospital, taxi driver, beechworth railway, religion, beechworth 1960s, beechworth 1970s, social welfare, community cohesion, twentieth-century working conditions, twentieth-century regional victoria, hibernian hotel, fund-raising

Herbert McFeeters as born in Wooragee Creek in 11th July 1905. Mr McFeeters would walk to school in Beechworth by foot, about 3.5 miles through the hills. It would take him and his siblings one hour to get to school. Mr McFeeters worked at the local tannery from the age of 14 for 11 years. After which he worked for himself, farming cattle and selling milk around the region. Mr McFeeters bought land from the Crown, who were selling lands after many miners had left the region. Mr McFeeters recalls the Chinese community that remained the Beechworth area and the social activities in the town, including the pictures, football games and Harvest Festivals. 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 McFeeters oral history provides detail of life in rural Victoria during the early 20th Century. Mr McFeeters describes his early childhood and working life, including details of the social activities 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. 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 strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Mr Herbert McFeeters /listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, burke museum, herbert mcfeeters, wooragee creek, reid's creek

Mrs. Vanessa McDonald was born in Beechworth in 1917. Christened, Agnes Bertha Collins, Vanessa changed her name in 1960. Mrs. McDonald's family's connection with gold mining in the district reach back to the first of Beechworth's gold rushes, when her great grandfather, a Dutchman who adopted the name Charles Collins, arrived in 1851-1852. Mrs. McDonald spent her childhood in the isolated hamlet of Stanley, in the area known as 'Little Scotland', where she recalls helping her mother to raise younger siblings, picking apples and walnuts on the family farm, and roaming the hills for wildflowers. As a young woman Mrs. McDonald attended religious and social gatherings in the local community. In 1940 she went to Melbourne to work as a mothercraft nurse during the Second World War. She met her husband at a Beechworth football match and was married at the Stanley Methodist Church in 1941. The gold diggings known as the 'Nine Mile' became the hamlet of Stanley, after the British Prime Minister, Lord Stanley, in 1858. By the late 1850s, Stanley boasted schools, an athenaeum, a church, a weekly newspaper and several hotels and other civic infrastructure to cater for a growing population. The area attracted large numbers of Chinese miners, whose presence was frequently resisted. Like other early Victorian mining settlements, Stanley was a hotbed of political and racial tensions during the gold rush. One side of the Nine Mile Creek was known as 'Little Scotland’, the other, 'Little Ireland'. A number of Christian denominations built congregations and churches in Stanley, including the Church of England, Methodist Church, the Catholic Church, and Presbyterian Church. Stanley became part of the United Shire of Beechworth in 1871. By 1880 timber was being cut and two sawmills were established by 1887. River-dredged gold mining consumed vast amounts of timber from the forests in the area, and in 1931 the first of several softwood plantations began. 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.Following the decline in the mining and associated industries during the early-mid-twentieth century, the Beechworth district experienced a period of general economic decline. On the east side of the Dingle Range, Mrs. McDonald's father, William Henry Collins, felled timber and the family were pioneer apple orchardists. The establishment of apple orchards in Stanley reflects changes to how land was used and contributes to our understanding of the historical development of rural communities following the gold rush. Mrs. McDonald's recollections are significant for understanding family and social life in a small rural town in years leading up to the Great Depression and prior to the Second World War. This oral history recording may be compared with other oral histories and items in the Burke Museum's collection. This oral history account is socially and historically significant as it is a 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 20th century, many of which will have now 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 strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Mrs Vanessa McDonald /listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, burke museum, emigration, gold rush immigration, victorian gold rush, mining families, apple orchard, forestry, forest plantation, little scotland, stanley, twentieth century history, regional australia, rural australia, farming, harvest festival, great depression, dingle range, the nine mile, australian wildflowers, high country wildflowers, mothercraft nurse, rural and regional women, social history, collins, mrs. vanessa mcdonald, building community life, shaping cultural and creative life, fruit growers, family history, changes to land use in regional victoria