Participating in the National Library of Australia's Badja Forest Road Fire oral history project has been a revelation for Keith Dance.
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His 2500 acre farm in the valley of Belowra, west of Bodalla, was extensively damaged and he lost their family home on New Year's Eve 2019.
Mr Dance has been a farmer for 52 years.
He has served on the region's catchment management committee and the Rural Lands Protection Board and was a Eurobodalla Shire Councillor for eight years.
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Enlightening for those who take the time to listen
His initial motivation to get involved in the oral history project was to ensure that the Good Good fire that came from the Monaro was included in the history because his property was hit by two fire events.
Until he saw the notice about the project, he had never heard of oral history and didn't give it much thought until the interviews began.
He didn't know what to expect and was surprised to learn it was a whole of life history, not just about the bushfires.
Mr Dance took the opportunity to share his thoughts on why the fires were so catastrophic, namely changes in the vegetation and management of state forests and national parks.
"We can actually tell you the differences between what was happening in the 1960s and in the lead up to the bushfires," he said.
He hopes that in years to come people listening to his oral history will say, "hang on, these blokes were saying this before the fires".
First-hand, not hearsay
As the interviews progressed Mr Dance saw the potential for oral history to narrow the divide between city and rural people.
"Rural people have very broad knowledge of what goes on in the country whereas city people are very tunnel-minded," focused on things immediately around them and directly impacting them.
Ultimately, oral history can capture the true, multi-faceted character of Australia.
That is why Mr Dance encourages people from all walks of life to participate in oral history projects.
Furthermore, by telling his story, he has also recorded some of the knowledge passed on to him by his parents, grandparents and others including WG "Super" Sutherland whose family was the first of the Europeans to settle in the Belowra valley.
He had recordings of some of the stories characters like Super Sutherland told him but lost them in the fires, along with most of his family's photographs.
Mr Dance said he was "of a vintage" that he appreciated recording his life story including talking about those who have influenced him over the years.
"It is the difference between a story being told first hand and hearsay," Mr Dance said.
Dr Shirleene Robinson, director of curatorial and collection research at the National Library, said they have been really moved by the experiences people have shared as part of the project, and their generosity and courage in taking part.
"This is going to be an incredibly important oral history project.
"It gives voice to the people who experienced the Badja Forest Road Fires in a way that is meaningful to the impacted communities and individuals, and will be a very unique and significant resource into the future."
The Badja Forest Road fire oral history project is a partnership between the Cobargo Bushfire Resilience Centre and the National Library of Australia.
It was jointly funded by the NSW Government through BCRRF Stream 2 and the National Library of Australia.
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