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

Pat writes of the high cost of living in London, the meagre food ration, and the scarcity of flats for rent. Quinn CollectionA self-folding letter (0878.a) headed 19 Luxemburg Gardens, Hammersmith, W.6 and dated 02/07/51. The letter is typed using black ribbon. It is addressed to Mr Allan Quinn, C/- General Delivery, Post Office, Oslo, Norway. The return address is Mrs B. J. Hannon, C/- S.M.H.E.A., 1 Regent Street, Picadilly (writer's spelling). Below the return address is typed "Our telephone number is Riv. 1770 but in case of our moving Barry's business address is above and the number is Whitehall 3985." Below that is an Oslo postmark.Letter commences "My dear Allan," and concludes "With love from Pat." 'Pat' is written in blue ink.letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, pat hannon, barry hannon, hammersmith, u.k.

Quinn CollectionA two-page letter (0924.a) written on one sheet of unlined, pale blue paper headed The Meadows, Epsom, Surrey and dated 22/12/58. The matching envelope (0924.b) is addressed to Mrs Edna Hayes, No. 6 Flat, No.1 Park Street, St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia. The postmark is very faint and partly obscured by the blue air mail sticker.. There are some numbers penciled on the back of the envelope.Letter commences "Dear Edna.." and is signed "...sincerely James Hayes."letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, jim hayes, kip hayes