Oral histories offer important historical insights into our past (and present), particularly for groups, such as Chinese immigrants and their descendants, who have been sidelined and overlooked in our histories. I am a member of the Oral Historians Association (Victoria) and have had the pleasure of conducting a number of oral history interviews with descendants of Chinese immigrants for the Chinese Museum in Melbourne. The Museum holds copies of these interviews.

Oral histories are not only important sources of historical information but can also be used in lots of different and exciting ways to present to the wider public. I’ve really enjoyed working with oral histories to produce other kinds of history.

I developed the ‘Remembering Chinatown’ self-guided audio tour of Melbourne’s Little Bourke Street area for the Chinese Museum. This project received a Commendation in the Multimedia category at Victorian Community History Awards in 2009.

I also worked with Jean Chen to pull together existing oral history interviews into a multimedia display for the ‘The Chungking Legation: Australia’s diplomatic mission in wartime China‘ exhibition and Kate Bagnall and I also worked together to include oral history quotes in the exhibition book. The multimedia display and book was highly commended by judges of the Oral History Association (Victoria) Innovation Awards in 2015.

Working with lead curator, Moya McFadzean, I conducted and edited oral history interviews which were animated and displayed with significant objects as part of the Immigration Museum’s ‘British Migrants: Instant Australians?‘ travelling exhibition in 2017.

List of Chinese Australian oral histories recorded:

Fay Anderson (b.1934, Ballarat, Victoria), recorded 2010
(‘Saving Chinese-Australian memories from the White Australia period’)

Robert Dawson (b.1931, Carlton, Melbourne), recorded 2011
(‘Saving Chinese-Australian memories from the White Australia period’)

William Sang Fong (1927), recorded 2010
(‘Saving Chinese-Australian memories from the White Australia period’)

Raymond Kim (1923, Casterton, Victoria), recorded 2011
(‘Saving Chinese-Australian memories from the White Australia period’)

Walter Kwan (b.1926, Shekki, Kwangtung), recorded 2011
(‘Saving Chinese-Australian memories from the White Australia period’)

Marjorie Law (b.1934, Lacey Place, Melbourne), recorded 1999
(‘Australia-China Oral History Project’)

Winnie Lee, recorded 2009
(as Curator, Chinese Museum)

Alan Lew (b.1926, Toisan, Kwangtung), recorded 2008
(‘Remembering Chinatown Walking Tour’)

Raymond Lew Boar (b.1934, Celestial Ave, Melbourne), recorded 2008
(‘Remembering Chinatown Walking Tour’)

Paul Liu (b.1928, Toisan, Kwangtung), recorded 2011
(‘Saving Chinese-Australian memories from the White Australia period’)

May Poon (b.1914), recorded 2008
(‘Saving Chinese-Australian memories from the White Australia period’)

Albert Quai Hoi (b.1922, Brunswick, Melbourne)
(‘Saving Chinese-Australian memories from the White Australia period’)

Possy (Dorothy) Thorne (b.1928, Preston, Melbourne), recorded 2011
(‘Saving Chinese-Australian memories from the White Australia period’)

Mabel Wang (b.1924), recorded 2008
(‘Remembering Chinatown Walking Tour’)

Alfred Whee (b.1939, Hong Kong), recorded 2010
(‘Saving Chinese-Australian memories from the White Australia period’)

Ken Wing Jan, recorded 2009
(as Curator, Chinese Museum)

Alex Woon (b.1916, Carlton, Melbourne), recorded 2011
(‘Saving Chinese-Australian memories from the White Australia period’)

Kevin Yon (b.1921, Brunswick, Melbourne), recorded 2010
(‘Saving Chinese-Australian memories from the White Australia period’)