19813519f400079bcc91f651bd8709561d23b1fa209c053
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City of Sydney oral history collection, 1982 - ongoing
Description
Unique IDAS-1265Date1982-ongoingDate qualifiercircaFormatAudio - DigitalAudio - CassetteShort descriptionThis series contains oral history recordings made by City historians or people commissioned by Council. DescriptionThe City of Sydney’s oral history collection contains more than 600 recorded interviews. Historians at the City have generated oral histories since the late 1980s as a part of a program of research, publications, websites and exhibitions. The earliest interviews in our collection date from 1982.
Oral histories were collected for a range of purposes, Initially, interviews were collected as background research to write histories of local areas like Surry Hills and Chippendale, and later to write a history of Sydney’s Chinese community. Over the years, interviews were collected with long term City of Sydney staff and councillors, as well as Sydney residents. There are some vox-pops; collections created by other organisations and individuals; and most recently, purpose-generated projects developed along thematic lines.
Formal collecting and a focus on public access to the oral history collection began in around 2007 with the appointment of oral historian with the History Team. As the work shifted from being reactive to being proactive, collecting principles were established. The central collecting principle for City of Sydney oral histories is that interviews must be relevant to our local government area. Within that broad remit, the History Team aims to selects interview subjects that might otherwise not be covered in the written historical record, and preferably not replicated or represented in other collections, such as the State Library of NSW or the National Library of Australia. Several interviews in the collection have been donated.
The organising principles of the collection have likewise evolved. Initially, collecting was informal, with no arrangements for cataloguing or permanent storage. In more recent times, project-based collection and organisation for the deposit of both old and new interviews was developed, as well as systems for storage, back-up and retrieval. Web-based presentation of the oral histories saw another shift in organising principles from project-based to theme-based to absorb growing numbers of project-based interviews.
The history team took approach of addressing universal historical subjects, things that are fundamental to all human societies.
• People always have to live somewhere
• They always live in a religious, or ideological or ethical framework of some kind – even if they do not know it.
• Human beings are constantly negotiating between the built and natural environments.
• People all make a living in some way.
• And culture is always part of human life.
The collecting themes for the oral history collection are:
- Shelter
- Belief
- Shared Terrain
- Open All Hours
- Art and Culture
- Our City
Importantly, these overarching themes also guide the way the oral histories are presented online. These broad themes lend themselves to an in-depth and ongoing approach to Sydney’s history rather than encouraging simplistic nostalgia. The purpose of the themes is to show the rich diversity of Sydney’s history as it is represented in the people who live and work here.
The Sydney Oral Histories website was launched in 2013 and revamped in 2016. The website showcased around a third of the City’s oral history interviews.
In 2025 the process began to move the oral history collection to the City Archives.
LanguageEnglish (eng)
Oral histories were collected for a range of purposes, Initially, interviews were collected as background research to write histories of local areas like Surry Hills and Chippendale, and later to write a history of Sydney’s Chinese community. Over the years, interviews were collected with long term City of Sydney staff and councillors, as well as Sydney residents. There are some vox-pops; collections created by other organisations and individuals; and most recently, purpose-generated projects developed along thematic lines.
Formal collecting and a focus on public access to the oral history collection began in around 2007 with the appointment of oral historian with the History Team. As the work shifted from being reactive to being proactive, collecting principles were established. The central collecting principle for City of Sydney oral histories is that interviews must be relevant to our local government area. Within that broad remit, the History Team aims to selects interview subjects that might otherwise not be covered in the written historical record, and preferably not replicated or represented in other collections, such as the State Library of NSW or the National Library of Australia. Several interviews in the collection have been donated.
The organising principles of the collection have likewise evolved. Initially, collecting was informal, with no arrangements for cataloguing or permanent storage. In more recent times, project-based collection and organisation for the deposit of both old and new interviews was developed, as well as systems for storage, back-up and retrieval. Web-based presentation of the oral histories saw another shift in organising principles from project-based to theme-based to absorb growing numbers of project-based interviews.
The history team took approach of addressing universal historical subjects, things that are fundamental to all human societies.
• People always have to live somewhere
• They always live in a religious, or ideological or ethical framework of some kind – even if they do not know it.
• Human beings are constantly negotiating between the built and natural environments.
• People all make a living in some way.
• And culture is always part of human life.
The collecting themes for the oral history collection are:
- Shelter
- Belief
- Shared Terrain
- Open All Hours
- Art and Culture
- Our City
Importantly, these overarching themes also guide the way the oral histories are presented online. These broad themes lend themselves to an in-depth and ongoing approach to Sydney’s history rather than encouraging simplistic nostalgia. The purpose of the themes is to show the rich diversity of Sydney’s history as it is represented in the people who live and work here.
The Sydney Oral Histories website was launched in 2013 and revamped in 2016. The website showcased around a third of the City’s oral history interviews.
In 2025 the process began to move the oral history collection to the City Archives.
LanguageEnglish (eng)
Access
Public access statusRestricted (sensitive information) - personal (general)Public access noteSome oral histories are publicly accessible, although redactions may be made. Some contain sensitive information or are closed on donor request. Check individual items for details. Master files are closed to public access.
Oral history recordings may contain content which listeners/readers find distressing. The City of Sydney recommends that content should not be listened to or read by persons under 18 years of age or by those who are easily disturbed.
Oral history recordings may contain content which listeners/readers find distressing. The City of Sydney recommends that content should not be listened to or read by persons under 18 years of age or by those who are easily disturbed.
Identification and Arrangement
System of arrangementVarious - see descriptive note
Digitisation
Digitisation statusBorn digital
Data Quality
Authenticity & integrityOral history recordings may contain language and attitudes that can cause offence. The views expressed in the recordings and transcripts may not reflect City of Sydney views, but rather those of the people interviewed and the period in which they were recorded.
Relationships
OrganisationSydney City CouncilCreating agenciesCity Life
City of Sydney oral history collection, 1982 - ongoing (01/09/1982 - //), [AS-1265]. City of Sydney Archives, accessed 16 Sep 2026, https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1981351