reprinted from Verandah Music with permission
Sunday February 28, 2021
https://verandahmusic.blogspot.com/p/the-willis-collection-of-life-stories.html
Rob Willis has been collecting oral history and folklore since 1982. Initially in the company of John Meredith, John Harpley and others, he was later joined by his wife, Olya Willis. Together, they have created the most extensive archive of Australian lives and traditions yet recorded. At the time of writing (2021), the Willis Collection consists of over 2,250 hours. As well as sound recordings, the collection includes film, video, still photographs, ephemera and manuscripts of interviewees.
Olya’s method of summarising at the point of interview is unique and allows a seamless, digital transition from the field recording to the NLA online catalogue. All relevant details of, time, place, names, topics and key words are included. Olya is also the sound recordist and photographer.
Taken together, this is an historical resource of great importance, covering every state and territory – and beyond.
The contents of such an extensive collection can only be summarised but include music, song, verse, dance, customs, beliefs, stories, crafts, together with the life experiences of a diverse number of Australians, young and old, living and dead, rural, regional and urban, from many of Australia’s diverse cultural groups, lifestyles and occupations.
LOCATIONS AND ACCESS
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA
https://www.nla.gov.au/selected-library-collections/willis-collection
https://www.nla.gov.au/what-we-collect/oral-history-and-folklore
NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection (Search for ‘Rob Willis’)
NFSA YouTube search ‘Real Folk” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkDSUGwOG5o
Several items from the collection have appeared on the VERANDAH MUSIC BLOG:
https://verandahmusic.blogspot.com
and YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcnvSkP5h7FQwcVGq4gZTHg
ROB WILLIS YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOrA5H7ULWbJG4vyiLslzAQ
Many recordings made in Western Australia as part of the Western Australian Folklife Project are available in the WESTERN AUSTRALIAN FOLKLORE ARCHIVE (2004-2016) in the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library at Curtin University
http://john.curtin.edu.au/folklore/
ROB AND OLYA WILLIS can be contacted at robwillis44@gmail.com
John Meredith camping on a field trip with Rob Willis near Mt Hope, NSW
The Bush Music Club was founded in 1954 to collect, publish and popularise Australia’s traditional songs, dances, music, yarns, recitations and folklore and to encourage the composition of a new kind of song - one that was traditional in style but contemporary in theme.
Articles © Bush Music Club Inc unless stated otherwise, photographs © individual photographer.
CLICK ON IMAGES FOR LARGER SIZE .
Showing posts with label Rob Willis Collection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rob Willis Collection. Show all posts
Wednesday, 26 May 2021
The Willis collection of Australian Life Stories and Traditions
Monday, 13 January 2020
What Bush Dances? by Rob Willis
Click on pictures for full-screen
image
Reprinted from Verandah Music with Graham Seal's permission
Following on our recent dance posts, here’s one to stir the possum a little. We begin with a relevant reminiscence from Rob Willis, with links to a video of John Meredith and Ollie Willis lightfooting some Eureka Youth League dances.
There is also a link to Rob’s edited version of the late Peter Ellis’s detailed discussion of this issue. (NB Some issues with these historical file formats).
Rob writes:
I was born and raised in Forbes, Central West NSW, and in my youth during the 1960s went to dances in the many country halls that were scattered around the surrounding countryside. We learnt, mainly from the older women, how to waltz and also have fun with such dances as the Barn Dance, Pride of Erin, Jolly Miller and a raft of others.
I was therefore mystified in the late 1970s when becoming involved in the 'folk scene', going to so-called ‘bush dances’ (a term that was never used in the Central West) and being taught dances that I had never heard of in the bush. As time progressed and I started to travel on field recording trips with John Meredith (a good dancer in his own right) I met and formed a very strong friendship with dance historian, the late Peter Ellis. It became clear that ‘bush dance’ was a dance genre that had evolved over recent decades.
In conversations on the track with John and also with the people we were recording then for the National Library, some born in the 1890s, it became clear that the dances of the bush were in reality the Quadrilles, Polkas, Varsoviennas, Mazurkas as well as the later ones I had learnt in the Forbes district.
Over the many hours that Meredith and I had on the track talking about the past he explained how the genre was formed and Peter's article puts it all together as well as John's explanation in a video I shot of him and my wife, Ollie, demonstrating a couple of these dances.
I can remember being with Meredith and Alan Scott at a Bush Dance at a festival in Newcastle when Merro leaned over to Alan and said "Geez mate, just to think that we were responsible for this".
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Reprinted from Verandah Music with Graham Seal's permission
Following on our recent dance posts, here’s one to stir the possum a little. We begin with a relevant reminiscence from Rob Willis, with links to a video of John Meredith and Ollie Willis lightfooting some Eureka Youth League dances.
There is also a link to Rob’s edited version of the late Peter Ellis’s detailed discussion of this issue. (NB Some issues with these historical file formats).
Rob writes:
I was born and raised in Forbes, Central West NSW, and in my youth during the 1960s went to dances in the many country halls that were scattered around the surrounding countryside. We learnt, mainly from the older women, how to waltz and also have fun with such dances as the Barn Dance, Pride of Erin, Jolly Miller and a raft of others.
I was therefore mystified in the late 1970s when becoming involved in the 'folk scene', going to so-called ‘bush dances’ (a term that was never used in the Central West) and being taught dances that I had never heard of in the bush. As time progressed and I started to travel on field recording trips with John Meredith (a good dancer in his own right) I met and formed a very strong friendship with dance historian, the late Peter Ellis. It became clear that ‘bush dance’ was a dance genre that had evolved over recent decades.
In conversations on the track with John and also with the people we were recording then for the National Library, some born in the 1890s, it became clear that the dances of the bush were in reality the Quadrilles, Polkas, Varsoviennas, Mazurkas as well as the later ones I had learnt in the Forbes district.
Over the many hours that Meredith and I had on the track talking about the past he explained how the genre was formed and Peter's article puts it all together as well as John's explanation in a video I shot of him and my wife, Ollie, demonstrating a couple of these dances.
I can remember being with Meredith and Alan Scott at a Bush Dance at a festival in Newcastle when Merro leaned over to Alan and said "Geez mate, just to think that we were responsible for this".
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Saturday, 16 September 2017
John Meredith - photos from the Rob Willis collection
Click on pictures for full-screen image
Thanks to Rob for sharing his photos.
Rob accompanied John Meredith on collecting trips from 1983 until Merro retired in 1994. Rob is still collecting
Willis collection in National Library Oral History collection.
The Rob Willis Collection is one of the largest oral history collections in Australia. He has recorded over 900 individuals in all states of Australia, as well as folk groups, singing groups, bands and choirs. To date, the collection totals 856 hours of playing time. (As the page is undated, the total will be greater today.)
Camping near Mt Hope NSW on a field trip with Rob (Rob Willis photo)
John at Gunnedah with a Stanley concertina with Chinese bellows grafted on which formerly belonged to Ken Bennett. (Rob Willis photo)
Merro playing Pop Craythorne’s accordion (Rob Willis photo)
Image taken in Holbrook Museum of John playing ‘Pop Craythorn’s Accordion’ similar to one that John played in early days.
Pop was a local musician who had a large impact on Merro’s music as he let him play the extras at dances and sit in with him when he was a kid. Meredith played this accordion on numerous occasions at dances. (email from Rob Willis, 9/04/13)
Merro with the original Lagerphone made by his brother Claude (Rob Willis photo)
Our tent on one of the early field trips, 1987 (Rob Willis photo)
Merro & Rob with their travelling accordions (Rob Willis photo using self-timer)
The two accordions that Merro and I are playing are our ‘travelling’ accordions that we took on many field trips. Busilachio in the key of C. Both were obtained from people we recorded – mine from Jack Smith of Forbes (grey) his (red) from Ollie Moore of Swan Hill. I still have mine with the original case and a Holbrook sticker pasted on it. (email from Rob Willis, 9/04/13)
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Thanks to Rob for sharing his photos.
Rob accompanied John Meredith on collecting trips from 1983 until Merro retired in 1994. Rob is still collecting
Willis collection in National Library Oral History collection.
The Rob Willis Collection is one of the largest oral history collections in Australia. He has recorded over 900 individuals in all states of Australia, as well as folk groups, singing groups, bands and choirs. To date, the collection totals 856 hours of playing time. (As the page is undated, the total will be greater today.)
Camping near Mt Hope NSW on a field trip with Rob (Rob Willis photo)
John at Gunnedah with a Stanley concertina with Chinese bellows grafted on which formerly belonged to Ken Bennett. (Rob Willis photo)
Merro playing Pop Craythorne’s accordion (Rob Willis photo)
Image taken in Holbrook Museum of John playing ‘Pop Craythorn’s Accordion’ similar to one that John played in early days.
Pop was a local musician who had a large impact on Merro’s music as he let him play the extras at dances and sit in with him when he was a kid. Meredith played this accordion on numerous occasions at dances. (email from Rob Willis, 9/04/13)
Merro with the original Lagerphone made by his brother Claude (Rob Willis photo)
Our tent on one of the early field trips, 1987 (Rob Willis photo)
Merro & Rob with their travelling accordions (Rob Willis photo using self-timer)
The two accordions that Merro and I are playing are our ‘travelling’ accordions that we took on many field trips. Busilachio in the key of C. Both were obtained from people we recorded – mine from Jack Smith of Forbes (grey) his (red) from Ollie Moore of Swan Hill. I still have mine with the original case and a Holbrook sticker pasted on it. (email from Rob Willis, 9/04/13)
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