Allan writes that having reached New York he has 'signed off' the 'Fenris'. "After ten months I'm a civilian again....". He describes the eighteen hour voyage from Boston to New York when they came through the Cape Cod Canal and Long Island Sound in New England past holiday homes, sailboats and launches. He mentions that, in New York, Bing Crosby's latest film is 'Top of the World', Ingrid Bergman is appearing in 'Under Capricorn' and that you can buy a 12" television for the equivalent of fifty pounds, a smaller one for twenty-six pounds. Quinn CollectionSingle-sided letter written on seven sheets of thin, blue unlined paper (0821.a1-0821.a7) dated 3/09/49 and headed New York. No envelope was found. The letter is from Allan to his mother.letters-from-abroad, quinn, 1949, new york

Allan writes of his two-weeks in Buenos Aires where he witnessed a "..great parade.." on Independence Day and heard Peron speak in the city. He also attended several orchestral concerts and saw 'Gone with the Wind' for the fourth time. He writes "The papers have been full of the coal strike in Australia down here....".Quinn CollectionSingle-sided letter written on two sheets of unlined blue air-letter paper (0816.a1-2) headed M.S.Fenris, Montevideo, and dated 22.07.49. The blue airmail envelope (0816.b) has a 4cm border of diagonal green and yellow stripes. There are two Uruguayan stamps, one blue, one green. The postmark is indistinct. The letter from Allan to his mother is written in blue ink. letters-from-abroad, quinn, 1949, m s fenris, independence day, buenos aires, australian coal strike

Quinn CollectionA self-folding letter written in green ink (0872.a) headed Oslo and dated 23/05/51. It is addressed to Mrs K Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. The return address is Allan Quinn, C/- General Delivery, G.P.O.,Oslo, Norway. letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, norway, oslo, alette andersen

This letter contains news of mutual friends. Allan plans to leave London for a few months in Oslo.Quinn CollectionA four-page letter written in green ink on one sheet of buff coloured paper folded in book form (0858.a) headed London and dated 02/02/51. Letter is from Allan to his mother. No envelope has been found.letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, london, pat charlton, mr hayes

Allan writes in detail about his six-day, 3500 mile car trip from New York to Los Angeles. Only one of the five other passengers shared the driving with him. He describes the excellent roads, the beautiful countryside, the towns, and the friendly people. He thought New Mexico the most beautiful state he saw and Tombstone was the most interesting place.Quinn CollectionSingle-sided letter written in green ink on eight sheets of thin, blue unlined paper (0825.a1-0821.a8) dated 7/10/49 and headed Los Angeles. Matching envelope (0825.b) has a border of alternating yellow and green diagonal stripes.The letter is from Allan to his mother. There is no stamp on the envelope and the postmark is indistinct.letters-from-abroad, quinn, 1949, new york, los angeles, road trip

Quinn CollectionA self-folding letter (0879.a) headed Oslo and dated 15/07/51. The letter is written in green ink. It is addressed to Mrs K. Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St. Kilda, Victoria Australia. The return address is Allan Quinn, C/- G.P.O. , Oslo, Norway. The Oslo postmark is barely legible.letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, oslo, norway, alette andersen

Allan writes that, although he is still waiting to sign on to a ship, '....I am at the top of the list now at the union and definitely expect to be away in a day or two.'Quinn CollectionOne and a half page letter written in green ink on two sheets of thin, blue unlined paper (0828.a1-0828.a2) dated 5/11/49 and headed San Francisco. Cream coloured envelope (0828.b) has a border of alternating pale blue and cream diagonal stripes.The letter is from Allan to his mother. There is a 15 cent airmail United States postage stamp on the envelope. The postmark is barely visible.letters-from-abroad, quinn, 1949

Quinn CollectionA blue self-folding letter (0912.a1) headed London and dated 21/03/53. Letter is written in blue ink. It is addressed to Mrs K Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia and postmarked London W.1. The return address is Allan Quinn, C/- Australia House, London.letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, folies bergere, graham hannon, oxford-cambridge boat race, london 1953

Quinn CollectionA blue self-folding letter (0911.a1) headed London and dated 25/02/53. Letter is written in blue ink. It is addressed to Mrs K Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia and postmarked London W.1. The return address is Allan Quinn, 8 Gloucester Walk, London W. 8.letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, vera south, graham hannon, victoria league, london 1953

Letter contains news of family members in London Quinn CollectionA pale blue self-folding letter (0898.a1) headed 8 Gloucester Walk, London W 8 and dated 3/05/52. Letter is written in green ink. It is addressed to Mrs K Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. It is postmarked Kensington and is barely legible. The return address is Allan Quinn, 8 Gloucester Walk, London W8.letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, alette andersen, london 1952, vera south, hampton court, pat hannon

Quinn CollectionA pale blue self-folding letter (0904.a1) headed 37 Elsham Road, London W 14 and dated 9/10/52. Letter is typed using a very small font. It is addressed to Mrs K Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. The postmark is not legible. Return address is Allan Quinn, 37 Elsham Road, London W 14. letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, alette andersen, london, pat hannon

Quinn CollectionA pale blue self-folding letter (0907.a1) headed 37 Elsham Road, London W 14 and dated 12/12/52. Letter is typed using a very small font. It is addressed to Mrs K Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. There is no visible postmark. Return address is Allan Quinn, 37 Elsham Road, London W 14.letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, alette andersen, pat and barry hannon, london

Quinn CollectionA pale blue self-folding letter (0905.a1) headed 8 Gloucester Walk, London W 8 and dated 22/10/52. Letter is written in green ink. It is addressed to Mrs K Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. It is postmarked London. Postmark is very faint. Return address is Allan Quinn, 8 Gloucester Walk, London W 8.letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, alette andersen, london 1952, vera south, jim hayes, sir malcolm sargent, albert hall,, marian anderson

Quinn CollectionA pale blue self-folding letter (0897.a1) headed 8 Gloucester Walk, London W 8 and dated 23/04/52. Letter is typed using a very small font. The print is uneven and difficult to read. It is addressed to Mrs K Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. It is postmarked Kensington. The return address is Allan Quinn, 8 Gloucester Walk, London W8. letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, alette andersen, london 1952

Quinn CollectionA letter written in green ink on a single sheet of very thin paper folded in book form (0877.a) with writing on three 'pages' only. Letter is headed Oslo and dated June 30th. The off-white envelope (0877.b) is addressed to Mrs K Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. Australia is written twice. On the front of the envelope are four Norwegian stamps; 1 purple, 2 blue-green and 1 small brown one. It is postmarked Oslo. On the back is a return address: Allan Quinn, General Delivery, G.P.O. Oslo. Allan writes that he has enclosed few snaps but none have been found.As the paper is so thin the first and second 'pages' are very hard to read letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, alette andersen, oslo, norway

Quinn CollectionA pale blue self-folding letter (0896.a1) headed 8 Glousester [sic] Walk, London W 8 and dated 16/03/52. Letter is typed using a very small font. The print is uneven and difficult to read. It is addressed to Mrs K Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. It is postmarked Kensington but is barely legible. The return address is Allan Quinn, 8 Glousester [sic] Walk, London W8. letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, alette andersen, london 1952, barry hannon

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