Hazel de Berg oral history collection added to the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register
Made up of 1,301 tapes, the Hazel de Berg oral history collection captures the voices of 1,290 Australians, including artists, writers, composers and scientists.
The National Library is proud to house this collection, which will be added to the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register this year.
Hazel de Berg with her tape recorder, interviewing Michael Terry, 1964, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140522717
Hazel de Berg with her tape recorder, interviewing Michael Terry, 1964, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140522717
The Hazel de Berg collection was the National Library’s first oral history collection, and it is wonderful to see it now become the 13th item held by the Library to be added to the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register.
Established in 1992, the UNESCO Memory of the World program promotes awareness and preservation of documentary heritage.
About the collection
Recorded between 1957 and 1983, the Hazel de Berg collection provides a unique record of life during a time of great social and cultural transformation, as well as memories of the decades beforehand.
Making up more than 54,000 hours of recorded material, it covers a broad range of topics through diverse voices and perspectives. Among these are the notable voices of Nobel Prize winner Howard Florey, children’s author May Gibbs, photographer Max Dupain and First Nations poet and activist Oodgeroo Noonuccal. The collection also includes individuals whose names are less well remembered but whose perspectives enrich Australian memory all the same.
The Hazel de Berg collection, exceptional not only for its size but it’s diversity of topics and perspectives, is one of the highlights of the National Library’s collection.
Hazel de Berg, a pioneer of oral history
Hazel de Berg MBE was a forward-thinking and innovative historian dedicated to the preservation of unique Australian voices. She began her journey capturing life stories in interviews in 1957 and continued until shortly before her passing. Throughout her life her work was influenced by her many interests, including photography, radiography, language, literature, local history and visual arts.
Each voice she recorded, each story she preserved, added a vital thread to the rich tapestry of our national identity. In honouring her we honour all the people who shared their stories with her.
Hazel didn’t call them interviews, they were ‘The Recordings’. Her voice is never heard on them. She considered an interview as a conversation between two people, and as such it was dated. She saw her recordings as timeless. It was as if you were sitting in the room listening to the person you already loved, speaking to you. Consequently, knowing they were speaking to the future they spoke with integrity and passion. Hazel wanted to capture the ‘essence’ of each person.
Robert McFarlane, Archivist Hazel de Berg, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, 1978, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-152397216
Robert McFarlane, Archivist Hazel de Berg, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, 1978, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-152397216
Hazel de Berg’s work was supported and housed by the Library from 1960. The papers of Hazel de Berg, containing letters, personal notes, and other manuscript material, are also held by the Library.
Learn more about Hazel de Berg and the collection
In honour of Hazel de Berg and her pioneering work in capturing Australians’ voices and stories, the Library’s bequest program is named the Hazel de Berg Circle. This program is designed to formally thank and recognise those who include a gift to the Library in their will.
More to explore
David Moore, Portrait of Hazel de Berg interviewing physicist Professor Harry Messel, 1972, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138001621
Loui Seselja, Portrait of Geoffrey Dutton seated in the Oral History collection at the National Library of Australia, 1992, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151764316
Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue, image by Leanna King, courtesy of the Lowitja Institute