AuthorDr Victoria Shepherd Archives
March 2024
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STORIES22/3/2024 My research visit to Sydney as part of my Churchill Fellowship is sadly coming to an end. One of the last events was a symposium at the University of Technology Sydney to bring together a wide ranging group of people, from a number of institutions in News South Wales and beyond, to explore advance planning for research. The topic was developing evidence for practice, and the aim was to start developing the international research agenda. It was also an opportunity to start drawing together the themes of what I have learned during my fellowship to date, and to start writing the 'story' which will form the basis of my final report to be drafted over the next couple of months.
It was also an opportunity to reflect on the many stories that have been shared with me during my travels. Life stories have been a common thread in the conversations. Many of them personal, some professional, and quite a few are a combination of both. All of them a privilege to hear. It was also echoed in the Gadigal shields which can be seen in a number of locations, including the nearby Australian Museum (shown in the photo above) and at UTS itself. These shields are a symbol of respect to the Gadigal people, and their traditional ownership of the land on which Sydney is built. This respect is also shown in the Acknowledgement of Country that is delivered at the start of meetings and events (and also in Canada), including the acknowledgment that they are the traditional custodians of knowledge for this land on which the meeting is taking place. I was also reminded of life stories when I checked the news back home and coincidentally saw this story on the BBC. Apparently, on this day 155 years ago, a Welshman called Joseph Jenkins set off from Tregaron for Australia where he later became the inspiration for the song Waltzing Matilda as the 'Jolly Swagman'. His diaries, which cover 50 years of his life and were lost for 80 years before being rediscovered in his grandson's attic, have been a set text for high school pupils since 1978 and run to 25 volumes! His story includes struggles with his mental health, and some progressive views during his time in Australia (he believed that the land had been stolen from First Nations people for example) alongside some less favourable views including about women (and his wife in particular). The BBC piece says that the Welsh Swagman Drinking Fountain at a railway station here has a plaque with a quote from his diary which reads 'Through this [diary] I am building my own monument'. This is a reminder that we each have our story and, while not all of it might paint us in a good light, it serves as our 'own monument'. It is this life story that people should use when making decisions about us - including authentic decisions about research. I look forward to writing up and sharing my diary of adventures from this Churchill Fellowship when I get back home to Wales! Comments are closed.
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