Our Page in History is all about telling stories of the past. Through the website, West Australians can share their stories and help the State Library capture what life looks like today for future generations – a pretty impressive feat!
In April, the Our Page in History project will focus on stories about the Flying Doctors. Perhaps you’ve heard your grandparents or even your parents talk about the Flying Doctors? Maybe you’ve been in a Flying Doctor plane? Or this might be the first time you’ve ever heard of the Flying Doctors? Either way, there are stories to be discovered, told and shared with Our Page in History!
And there is an amazing prize to be won!
Flying Doctor Competition
Tell the story and you could win!
By sharing your story on Our Page in History, you will have the chance to win a flight to Perth (for those who live in regional WA) with Skywest and luxury accommodation at the Parmelia Hilton. While in Perth, winners will attend the official launch on April 30th, have their own Flight Experience (as captain of a virtual flight), go on a white glove tour of the State Library and receive theatre tickets compliments of His Majesty’s Theatre Foundation as well as a tour of the RFDS at Jandakot.
The Judges will be looking at originality and authenticity rather than writing skills. In other words, stories that are new and true! Story possibilities include writing a family history or sharing a personal experience related to the Flying Doctors. Stories can be supplemented by photos, and you can even create your own gallery on Our Page in History. Stories need to be 500 words or less, but you can add as many photos as you like. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words!
How to Enter
The competition closes at 5pm on 26th April and winners will be notified the next day. To enter visit www.ourpageinhistory.org and register for free by using the promotional code FLYINGDR. Your registration is valid for a year, so you can add your family, school and town’s history at your leisure!
How do I collect a history?
Well, that’s what Student Edge wondered when we first heard about this competition. And we went straight to the experts at the State Library of Western Australia to find out some hints...
- Ask your grandparents or any other relatives if they can remember any incidents that involved the Flying Doctor Service. You may find that your grandmother doesn’t have any story to tell herself – but she may very well know of someone who has!
- Equipment – having equipment to properly record the interview can make all the difference and help you capture important details. If you have a tape recorder you could record the interview – but remember to ask permission first. A camera or video camera is also great, but again remember to ask first. Even if recording the interview, a pencil and notebook is handy for jotting down important points as well as questions that you want to ask.
- Before you start the interview, tell the person you are interviewing why you are doing so – and explain that their story, and photograph may be used if your story is selected. Make sure that you have their permission for this. Giving the interviewee a little background information about how the story will be used will help them know which details and how much detail to give you.
- Ask a general question to get them started “How did your family come to live in….?” Open-ended questions beginning with ‘how’ or ‘why’ usually get better answers than those with ‘did’ or ‘do’ For example “How did the family protect themselves during the fire?” rather than “Did your family get out safely?”
- Show interest in what your interviewee is saying. Nod occasionally and smile (if appropriate).
- As you ask additional questions, keep in mind the goal of your research and ask questions to find the information you need for a history centred on the Flying Doctors. Keep in mind the structure of the interview –think of it as a story with a beginning a middle and an end.
- Use your local library! Most public libraries have a local history collection, which can be a great place to find out more information from newspaper cuttings, photographs and oral histories.
Here’s a checklist of some questions that you would hope to have answered by the end of the interview:
- Do they recall any of the Flying Doctor Staff? If so, how did they meet them and why?
- Who else was involved?
- What happened in their story with the Flying Doctors? What effect did the Flying Doctors have on your family?
- Was the incident recorded in local newspapers? What did the papers say about it?
- Does your family have any photographs of Flying Doctor staff or planes
- Does the story have a funny, happy or tragic ending?
Our Page in History has another competition coming soon – for your whole school. The best school history will win a huge prize – so huge we can’t tell you just yet but stay tuned!
March 25, 2010
“Our Page in History” is a project owned by the State Library of Western Australia Foundation so that the State Library of Western Australia’s current collection can be digitised for full public access. Photos supplied by RDFS.