Article: The Australian, Wednesday 11th March, 2009

Your Story is History

AUSTRALIAN history has never been so popular. On Sunday night the ABC will screen part one of Rogue Nation, the colourful story of our early Colonial past.

But now the national broadcaster wants to tell a more recent story, the story of your lives.

A unique online and television project will see people posting their personal history through photos, home movies, live webcams, sound recordings and text to a dedicated website http://www.makingaustralia.com.au for possible inclusion in a television series.

Popular Australian actor William McInnes has written two memoirs about his life experiences and he has been recruited to walk the public through the process of story telling.

The ABC says The Making of Modern Australia (MOMA) will be an unofficial people’s history, with individuals and families sharing their stories of life in Australia since 1945. 

“The Making of Modern Australia allows everyone to be a part of history,” says series producer Ian Collie. 

“They might be sad or funny stories, memories of big events, or just the quiet details of everyday life. We’re making a history of Australia told by the people who lived it,” Collie says. 

“The Making of Modern Australia provides a wonderful opportunity for families to get together and talk about their past and their family history. We’re hoping younger family members will record parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents, and then upload their films or audio files, as well as photos or written material,” he said. 

People are being asked to frame their memories around four broad categories: 
faith and religion 
parenting and childhood 
romance and relationships 
the Australian home/a sense of place