The background story to NFSA Owls

As we approach the fortieth anniversary of the opening of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (the NFSA or the Archive, hereafter) on 3 Oct 2024, former officers of the Archive were already meeting informally to establish and maintain access to the special skills and knowledge they accumulated while working there.

After some shuffling of ideas about what this group should be called, the description NFSA Elders seemed to be the best.  The idea of ‘elders’ as being a repository of information and ideas likely to be of continuing value to an organization and the public

Once retired, those who joined former colleagues in an informal grouping, agreed to remain available to share the rich collection of knowledge they had acquired during their time at the Archive. Initially, the word Alumni was used to describe the group. That proved unsatisfactory, in as much as it was generally used to imply graduation after study. And, of course, Alumni can be people setting out on careers, a group we had not necessarily expected to represent. Besides, most of the cultures represented in the NFSA collection have used the word ‘elder’ to describe people who had retired but who consented to maintaining some consultative, advisory connection with their former place of employment.  What elders are in any society is generally understood as older folk valued for their past contribution who might continue to contribute.  The value of sharing retiree’s knowledge, usually accumulated over decades (or longer) and not necessarily accessible in conventional recorded forms, is self-evident. Elders in any culture (for example, Jewish, Presbyterian and many others) are a sort of living repository of useful, often highly specialised knowledge.

However, for the archive, the word elders is also problematic, where elders implies indigenous heritage that may be confusing, and unwelcome in today’s political and social media climate.   A lengthy discussion followed, and the word owls encompassed all that elders did, and more.  In March 2024, the group formally adopted the name NFSA Owls.

The ‘story’ of any time is likely to be best served by hearing from all of those involved in it. ‘Single source’ history was the subject of considerable and sometimes acrimonious debate in the later 20th century. The methodology of the collection of oral histories, for example, especially those gathered with scant reference to corroboration from other participants in that history was sometimes considered suspect; often inclined to present a self-serving narrative or a skewed and perhaps inaccurate sense of what might have actually happened in the past. Several perspectives provided by several participants in any history will always best serve the truth.

So, the National Film and Sound Archive Owls is, generally speaking, a diverse group of retired people who formerly worked for the Archive and who are available for consultation when an occasion to be helpful presents itself.  Age is not considered an important factor, though of its nature, the word ‘owl’ implies a certain patina!

Institutional histories can be bland affairs. This collection is not one of those. It will give voice to many people who are able to share experiences they recall, with affection. Personal recollection, such as these, preserve aspects of (often) a life’s work undertaken by for the Archive, reflecting incidents that might otherwise be lost because they have been recorded in no other way.

Any person who has worked for the NFSA is invited to join their fellows in building a more comprehensive, intimate picture of the development of the institution and their role in it.

Form: This website is thought to be the best means in preserving those stories and anecdotes, and allows presenting individual ‘chapters’ as they become available. They can then be gathered into a publication. But that is a matter for further discussion.  So… what might an entry or a chapter of reminiscences look like?

Following are a few basic questions that might help to get an NFSAOwl chronicle started. Jeff has filled in the beginnings of a few answers he might include.  They are not complete, of course, but they might give a sense of where a contributor might go with their own stories. The questions are not meant be prescriptive.  Jeff also suggests that this is an opportunity to achieve a goal raised several months back at the inception of Archive Owls. At the first meeting, it was agreed to make publicly available a brief account of members skills, interests and contact information.  This chronicle will be useful in a number of ways and will assist interested bodies (singular and collective!) to find people who have knowledge they seek.

Remember, the following questions are meant to be pointers only, to areas you might wish to cover. Please contact, Jeff, Marilyn or Ron should you wish to discuss what you might include and how you might participate. Jeff has added a list of things he can talk/write about… some say interminably!

Who are you? Where did you come from and (if you can remember) why?

I am…the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Ned Kelly’s twin sister… whatever.

Did you work in a team and would it be useful to note those others with whom you worked? And, of course, what did you do at the Archive?

I worked closely with building services/ two NFSA sound and radio teams/ in the video lab/ in HR/ on the front desk/ the Archive’s Director… wherever. 

Can you recollect a few valuable, entertaining, humorous even elevating things you did while you were there?

For Jeff (for example, one or two of these): 1. Meetings with Quenny Ashton and the Lady in Black, 2. Being the wandering national historian for the Centenary of Federation for six years, taking audio and moving image history to the nation (esp. the Federation story… first country to film itself being signed into existence etc.). 3. And there is much else… the haunting, volleyball on the front lawn, writing a play about Billy Williams and Florrie Forde, releasing CDs and video with Frank Thring Jn…

Other folk have already suggested: a meeting the Queen, the Opening Night forty years ago, supporting the folk festival, finding tapes of several months of Blue Hills, building the new extension, a chemical spill … 

What are you doing now?

I left the Archive in 2005, moving to… retiring to the serenity of…

Please talk to Ron, Marilyn or Jeff (perhaps Jeff first) about how you might record your stories, or with questions and ideas… But we will gather for lunch/coffee at Tilley’s soon and you might do that face to face.

We have a goal to ‘launch’ this project on 3 October 2024 with your contributions to that point… possibly at a morning tea for NFSAE members at the NFSA, so please join in the project.

Jeff Brownrigg, Marilyn Dooley and Ron Brent