In Australia, The 100 Project preserves the stories of centenarians — ABC News Australia
In Australia, the online project The 100 Project collects and preserves video stories of people who have turned 100 or older. More than 50 profiles of centenarians have been published on the website, including the story of Merle Moore, who died at the age of 106, ABC News Australia reports.
Moore's granddaughter, Beck Hyland, recorded an interview with her grandmother. Moore recalled times when horse-drawn carts were the main means of transport, the loss of her sister, and the arrival of electricity in homes. According to Hyland, her grandmother watched the recording of her story several times and was happy that her life would be preserved for future generations.
Hyland noticed The 100 Project while planning her grandmother's 100th birthday celebration in Depot Beach on the south coast of New South Wales. Several years later, she contacted the project. According to her, the opportunity to ask her grandmother questions and document her memories became one of the most important experiences of her life.
Interviews for the archive
The project was founded by filmmakers Ross Walker and John Winter. Relatives can submit an online application to participate and, once it is approved, upload their own video for free editing. The team conducts some interviews itself, while other participants are offered instructions, questions, and the option of filming on a smartphone.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
John Winter noted that centenarians are often willing to share their stories. The aim of The 100 Project is not only to record memories of the past, but also to hear participants' thoughts about the modern world and the future. The project's materials are preserved for current and future Australians and shared on social media.
Video and audio testimonies
Australia also has the National Library of Australia's The Memory Tapes audio collection, which contains interviews recorded since 1957. According to curator Shirlene Robinson, the archive has 58,000 hours of recordings featuring stories from well-known people and ordinary Australians. She believes that the audio format can sometimes help interviewees feel more at ease than video recording.
Winter advises recording such conversations in a quiet place and not interrupting the interviewee after an answer. According to him, a pause often gives a person space to add what is most important.
