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Podcast delivers enduring stories of community strength

Plug in your headphones and dive into a new podcast telling unique stories of people living through the COVID-19 pandemic in the Bega Valley.

L-R: David Ross Macdonald, musician providing podcast music; Rae Kennedy, interviewee and poet in Episode 1; Gabrielle Journey Jones, poet in Episode 4 of the podcast; and Craig Garrett, project officer.
L-R: David Ross Macdonald, musician providing podcast music; Rae Kennedy, interviewee and poet in Episode 1; Gabrielle Journey Jones, poet in Episode 4 of the podcast; and Craig Garrett, project officer.

6 December 2023

Plug in your headphones and dive into a new podcast telling unique stories of people living through the COVID-19 pandemic in the Bega Valley.

The Hope Loss Resilience podcast comes after a year of conversations between Bega Valley Shire Library staff and the community in their Talking Together: Reconnecting Through Oral Histories project.

Acting Library Services Coordinator, Linda Albertson said the aim of the project was to capture a living record of the pandemic specific to the Bega Valley.

“Having endured a global pandemic along with bushfires, drought and floods, it means our area has a very unique story to tell, and now through the podcast, we are able to share this with the community,” Ms Albertson said.

“The Hope Loss Resilience podcast is made possible through the efforts of many people, from library staff, volunteers and our funding partners. But of course it’s the generosity of the people who shared their stories that really makes this a special record of an unforgettable chapter in local history.”

Ms Albertson said all the oral histories and transcripts have been added to the library’s online catalogue so episodes can be searched and listened to in any order.

“These are stories of survival and everyday inspiration,” Ms Albertson said.

Library project officer, Craig Garrett, travelled around the shire and interviewed business owners, young people, health workers, teachers, community workers, musicians, and others over several months to create an exceptional oral history collection.

“A regular theme running through the stories is the resourcefulness of local communities who found different ways to cope and look out for one another, through unpredictable times,” Mr Garrett said.

“Some of the stories are confronting because many of the people we spoke to had already lived through bushfires, drought and flooding. The outcome is a permanent record that shows fragility and community fortitude side-by-side.

“By interviewing members of the community relatively soon after the numerous COVID-19 lockdowns, we have provided valuable material for researchers wanting to understand more about communities and how they react during times of considerable stress.

“These oral histories will also be captured by the National Library of Australia’s online discovery tool, Trove, which makes them permanently available for research and public interest.”

Ms Albertson said that audio recording equipment purchased for the project is available to borrow from the Bega Valley Shire Library.

“There is a complete audio recording kit with everything you need to make your own recordings and carry out your own oral history interviews. The library has portable Zoom recorders, headsets, microphones and a portable TASCAM recording and mixer console,” she said.

Library staff are available for one-on-one or group workshops to show you how to use the equipment and are keen to reach out to people who have an ongoing interest in audio production. If this is you, please feel free to contact the library by email:  library@begavalley.nsw.gov.au.

To find out more about the Talking Together project, go to the library website which includes links to listen to the oral histories and the Hope Loss Resilience podcast.

Download or subscribe to Loss Hope Resilience via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Hope Loss Resilience podcast and Talking Together project are funded by the joint Australian Government and NSW Government Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements 2018 through the NSW Reconstruction Authority.

Making an enquiry

All media enquiries and interview requests are coordinated by Council's Communication and Engagement team under the adopted Communications Policy. To view this policy, visit Public Policies and search 'communications'.

To submit a media enquiry or to request an interview:

Councillors

Councillors can be contacted directly for enquiries regarding decisions of the elected Council and non-operational matters. Interviews with the Mayor should be arranged through the Communication and Engagement team contact details above.

Receiving information

If you’re a journalist or media organisation that would like to receive media releases and notifications about media opportunities, please email your name, title and contact details to media@begavalley.nsw.gov.au and we will add you to our distribution list.

You can also subscribe to Bega Valley Together and Business News, Council's fortnightly e-newsletters, or follow @begavalleyshirecouncil on Facebook  and Instagram.

© Bega Valley Shire Council 2025

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