The Memory Tapes
The Memory Tapes is a podcast from the National Library of Australia that brings history to life through oral history recordings. Drawing on the country's largest oral history collection, it explores stories of resilience, innovation, creativity, migration, activism, and everyday life. Hosted by oral historian Dr Shirleene Robinson AM, each episode combines firsthand accounts with expert storytelling to uncover the people behind Australia's history.
Episodes
The Memory Tapes Episode 10 - Bright Sparks: Australian Innovation
Episode Ten – Bright Sparks: The Story of Australian Innovation In this final episode, Dr Shirleene Robinson explores the remarkable history of Australian innovation and scientific ingenuity. The episode investigates 65,000 years of invention and imagination from First Nations Australians and considers the stories of 20th century scientists such as Howard Florey's discovery of penicillin. Hear
The Memory Tapes Episode 9 - From Sand to Stadiums: Australians at Play
Episode Nine – From Sand to Stadiums: Australians at Play Few things capture Australia's imagination in the way that sport does. And yet, even in a country that celebrates sporting victories, the playing field has not always been level. In this episode, Dr Shirleene Robinson focuses on sport. From Cathy Freeman to avid fans of AFL, hear stories of First Nations athletes who carried pride and
The Memory Tapes Episode 8 - Power and Protest: Movements that Transformed Australia
Episode Eight – Power and Protest: The Movements that Transformed Australia In this episode, Dr Shirleene Robinson explores the history of power and protest in Australia. Dr Robinson uncovers some of those movements and inspiring Australians who joined together to take action for change. The episodes focuses on struggles that took place during a time of great social transformation in the 1960
The Memory Tapes Episode 7 - Invisible Enemies: Stories from Australia's Epidemic Frontlines
Episode Seven– Invisible Enemies: Stories from Australia's Epidemic Frontlines In this episode, Dr Shirleen Robinson invites you to consider the stories of some of Australia's greatest public health crises through the voices of many of those impacted and whose courage met the moments. Across three different eras, the 1919 influenza epidemic, the devastation of HIV and AIDS, and the more recen
The Memory Tapes Episode 6 - Unfolding Journeys: Migration and Memory
Episode Six – Unfolding Journeys: Migration, Memory and Australia Australia is a land that has been shaped by migrants. Before this, and throughout, First Nations people have cared for this Country for millennia. In this episode, Dr Shirleene Robinson begins with a remarkable recording of Matthew Ryan, who travelled from Ireland to Australia in 1897, believed to be the oldest surviving record
The Memory Tapes Episode 5 - The Long Reach: Stories of Distance and Connection Across Australia
Episode Five – The Long Reach: Stories of Distance and Connection Across Australia In this episode, Dr Shirleene Robinson explores the idea of distance and connection across the vast continent of Australia. You'll hear stories from those who have struggled with isolation. From the Overland Telegraph, to pioneering aviators, to access to broadband internet, you'll hear stories of ingenuity and
The Memory Tapes Episode 4 - Imagination Nation: Australia's Artists, Writers and Dreamers
Episode Four – Imagination Nation: Australia's Artists, Writers and Dreamers In this episode, Dr Shirleene Robinson looks at culture and Australian creatives. Dr Robinson discusses the long and sometimes challenging, and at other times exhilarating, process by which Australia began to imagine itself on its own terms. To learn more, the book The Memory Tapes is available where all good books
The Memory Tapes Episode 3 - The Land Remembers - Natural Disasters and Resilience in Australia
Episode Three – The Land Remembers: Natural Disasters and Resilience in Australia This episode includes descriptions of natural disasters, injury and loss of life, which some listeners may find distressing. Listener discretion is advised. In this episode, we will hear from people who lived through some of Australia's most devastating natural disasters. Dr Shirleene Robinson explores the s
The Memory Tapes Episode 2 - First Nations Voices: Country, Culture and Contribution
Episode Two – First Nations Australians: Country, Culture and Contribution In this episode, Dr Shirleene Robinson is joined by a very special guest, Theresa Ardler, a Gweagal woman of the Eora nation with cultural connections to the Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl people and her father's Yuin country, to explore the National Library of Australia's First Nations oral history collections. At the heart of
The Memory Tapes Episode 1 - Hazel de Berg: The Silent Revolutionary
Episode One – Hazel de Berg: The Silent Revolutionary Dr Shirleene Robinson begins the series with an introduction to Hazel de Berg, a pioneering oral historian who recorded the stories of over 1,290 Australians and built Australia's first oral history collection. For nearly 30 years, Hazel de Berg sat down with people across Australia - writers, poets, actors, artists, scientists, migrants,
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