Young Queenslanders start local history society to keep past alive

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Local history societies across the country are struggling to find new members and many are likely to close when their current volunteers become too old. On the outskirts of Brisbane, a handful of young historians are rallying to try and keep the stories from the past alive.

Transcript

00:02Alice Sipple has the keys to the past.

00:07The 25-year-old is her local history society's youngest president.

00:12The majority of our volunteers, and especially on our committee,

00:16have been here for more than 20 years.

00:18So I'm quite a bit younger in terms of age and experience.

00:24In Ipswich, Zeke Montgomery is closer to high school than retirement age.

00:28His history obsession puzzles his friends.

00:32Some of them find it quite, for lack of a better word, boring.

00:36But he sees a compelling story almost everywhere he looks,

00:39like this 150-year-old church built to strengthen Ipswich's case

00:44to be the state capital.

00:45The volunteer groups that dig out these stories are losing numbers.

00:49These smaller local and family history groups,

00:53their membership is often ageing

00:56and so they can be one or two resignations away from shutting.

01:00The lightning pace of development is changing the character

01:03of dense heritage areas like Ipswich.

01:05Some say too many historic buildings have already been lost

01:08and fear what might happen if their strongest advocates disappear.

01:11People who are actually the backbone of local history societies

01:14are the ones who can explain why it's important

01:17to preserve those streetscapes,

01:19why it's important to preserve those old buildings.

01:22Historians say knowing their own history puts life in perspective.

01:26That's what my great-great-grandparents had to go through

01:28just to get a meal on the table.

01:30Makes us feel like maybe we should get up and do something,

01:33not just scroll on our phones.

01:36Do something a bit more valuable to society.

01:38that they're only standing on the table either could

01:39That means oneFRM Peter King just lasts for us in time.

01:42I think that after we take care of those buildings

01:42and then it'llCoD Leon will probably fit into place in China.

01:42Then I think that's even though why

01:43their best presents you for women to be involved.

01:44If Mary's ever vardır in the rural people

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