How it all began ...
Margaret Tickle enrolled in a week-long oral history workshop at the University of Western Australia in January 1985, conducted by Ronda Jamieson, Director of the Unit at the State Library. Margaret’s interest in doing this was inspired by a remark made by Frank Harding, Principal of the Busselton Senior High School, and who also served later as a Superintendent of Education for the region.
Over a long weekend in March following the workshop, Ronda graciously conducted a mini-workshop in Busselton, and Margaret invited a good attendance of mainly teachers and librarians to attend. One of the attendees at that workshop was Margaret Dawson (nee Thompson) from Pemberton, a teacher and married to a local farmer whose family history goes back to 1830 when the Bussells, Molloys and others travelled to Augusta to form a settlement.
In that same year, Margaret Tickle and Margaret Dawson founded The Busselton Oral History Group ("BOHG"), and along with a dedicated group of volunteers, have been active in recording local stories that would otherwise be lost, and disseminating them as publications, CDs and digital recordings to family and organisations.
The stories of people around us are unique and valuable treasures, not only for their families but for the wider community. They capture unwritten history and historical narratives which deserve to be collected and preserved, or they will disappear forever.
Since the BOHG inception in 1985, over 350 interviews have been conducted by 57 interviewers, amounting to 626 hours of edited recordings transcribed by more than 60 other volunteers.
In 2024, due to dwindling membership, BOHG amalgamated with the Busselton Historical Society.
These days, our oral history group administers local oral historical activities, and Interviewers work to capture the fascinating stories of people local to Busselton, Dunsborough and surrounding regional areas.
Readers of this oral history should bear in mind that it is a lightly edited transcript of the spoken word and reflects the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The State Library of Western Australia, Busselton Oral History Group (Inc) and also the Busselton Historical Society are not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for the views expressed therein, both of which are for the reader to judge.
Our interesting oral histories can be heard online from the State Library of WA, and also on CollectionsWA website under the name of Busselton Historical Society. Digital copies are available at the Busselton Library.
Should you have any questions about oral history, or are interested in becoming an interviewer, please contact us at oralhistory@busseltonhistoricalsociety.org.au
