South Australian Educator and Children's Author Colin Thiele, interviewed in
Brisbane in 1996 for Conversations by Radio Adelaide's Tony Ryan

Conversations is an ongoing National Oral History project, to record and preserve extended audio interviews with significant educators in all Australian States and Territories.

Commencing in 1994, with a seeding grant from the SA Chapter of The Australian College of Education, the Conversations project has enabled extended recordings to be made with 45 significant educators in many parts of Australia, 30 of which have been edited and lodged with the Oral History unit of the National Library in Canberra. thus providing 47 hours of original oral history recordings of significant educators to date

Possible interviewees are determined in consultation with the relevant Branch of The Australian College of Educators. The SA Branch Committee provides oversight and monitoring of the project.

Stage 1 involves the actual recording of interviewees, a prime consideration in any Oral History project. The signing of a release form ensures that the wishes of the interviewee, with regard to any access to or use of the recording, are respected into the future.

Stage 2 occurs at a later time, when funding and resources are available, to edit the interviews, and lodge with key libraries (see below). To date, Stage 2 editing has been possible with funding from the National Library of Australia in Canberra.

When interviews are edited, only minor editing is done to ensure a better flow of the recording by eliminating any gaps or corrected inaccuracies.

In the early years, interviews were edited onto cassette tape. In recent years, the edited interviews are recorded onto CDs, for longer-term preservation.

Copies of many of these interviews are also available for audition at the libraries of The University of Adelaide (courtesy of Radio Adelaide), and The University of South Australia (courtesy of the SA Branch of The Australian College of Educators).

Founder member Miss Bessie Mitchell (right), with then NSW Chapter Secretary Miss Ruby Riach,
after recording Miss Mitchell’s interview for Conversations in 1997

Radio Adelaide 101.5 FM (formerly known as Radio 5UV) at The University of Adelaide has provided considerable in-kind resources to the project, in terms of access to digital editing and field recording equipment and state of the art studio and recording facilities at its North Terrace studios at The University of Adelaide. In addition, Radio Adelaide has provided ongoing office and computer facilities and related project management resources. The project would not have been possible without the whole-hearted support over the past eight years of Station Managers Dr Jeff Langdon and Deborah Welch.

The following bodies have provided funding or support in kind for this project since its inception in 1994:

The Oral History Unit, National Library of Australia, Canberra

Radio Adelaide 101.5 FM, The University of Adelaide.

The Australian College of Educators

• ACT Branch
• National Office
• NSW Branch
• Queensland Branch
• South Australian Branch
• Tasmanian Branch
• Victorian Branch
• Western Australian Branch

College medallist Mr Lyall Fricker - at Radio Adelaide
for his Conversations interview in 1995

Series Producer and Interviewer
Tony Ryan
Executive Producer Lifelong Learning
Radio Adelaide 101.5FM
The University of Adelaide

Technical Producer
Don Balaz
Radio Adelaide 101.5FM

Web Designer
David Billington
Radio Adelaide 101.5FM

Volunteer Assistants
Terry Nicholls
Diane Hobbs

Founder member and long time College Registrar, The Reverend Tom Timpson, with
Tony Ryan, following the recording of his Conversations interview in Melbourne in 1995

These interviews remain unedited, and are being held securely in the National Archives of The Australian College of Educators, pending additional funding to complete.

With funding from the WA Branch of The Australian College of Educators, four extended interviews were recorded in Perth in early November 2002
Dr Walter Neal
Mrs Allison Densley
Mr John Moody
Mr Bill Dickinson

These interviews have been edited and lodged with the National Archives of The Australian College of Educators, and also with the National Library in Canberra, and libraries at The University of Adelaide and The University of South Australia.
Click here to view the details.

Tony Ryan FACE
National Archives Project
The Australian College of Educators
PO Box 103
Torrensville Plaza, SA 5031

Telephone/Fax: 08 8232 4994
Email: tryan@austcolled.com.au
Website: austcolled.com.au