Harnessing the River Murray, a Journey of Discovery: Archives and Voices from the Past
Helen Stagg presented on 17 July 2018 'Harnessing the River Murray, a Journey of Discovery: Archives and Voices from the Past'.
Helen’s talk took a journey through her research for the book, 'Harnessing the River Murray: stories of the people who built Locks 1 to 9, 1915-1935'.
Helen shared the genesis of the book and her motivation to record the stories of those involved in South Australia’s share of locking the River, to reveal the experiences of people who did not get the chance to author their own story. Her presentation gives background to the River Murray Scheme and stages of lock building. Helen explores some of the challenges of discovering the names of the workers and discuss some of the documentary evidence. A valuable adjunct to this was her discovery of a metaphorical time capsule which gave a rare and valuable perspective, an up-close and personal insight into the past.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
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