The Story Project Ltd is an independent not-for-profit arts and cultural organisation based in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland in Queensland, Australia.
What is The Story Project?
The Story Project is about ordinary people telling their stories. At its heart is the audio recording of a conversation between two people who are close. A mother telling her daughter about her childhood on the farm, a husband and wife recounting how they fell in love, or neighbours sharing memories of the Queensland floods. Any story that is meaningful for the two to share together. We provide the opportunity to record the story professionally, free of charge. This is available for anybody over 12, regardless of background or life experience.
Why do we do it?
We believe this simple act of sharing stories helps bring people together. For this reason we’re keen to share the stories we record. Our hope is to inspire people all around Australia to listen to one another. We invite people who record their stories to make snippets available for local radio and for The Story Project’s website. We also ask if we can pass the stories on to archives so future generations can listen. We hope these recordings will become an important part of our collective story.
The Story Project was inspired by the beautiful StoryCorps project in the US. (We’re not associated with them but you might want to check out their website). We have just finished our first pilot project on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Where does our funding come from?
To date, projects have been funded through grants or on a fee for service basis. Our recent Bundaberg project was funded through the Regional Arts Development Fund, a Queensland Government and Bundaberg Regional Council partnership to support local arts and culture. Our 2011 Sunshine Coast pilot project received financial assistance from the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and from the Regional Arts Development Fund, a Sunshine Coast Council and Queensland Government partnership to support arts and culture.
How you can get behind The Story Project >
Who is behind The Story Project?
Helen WilkinsonDirector, Facilitator and woman driving the ship
Helen has been running community cultural projects in Queensland for nearly 10 years. Her main love – apart from her vege garden – is projects focused on the creative gathering and sharing of people’s stories. |
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Hamish SewellCompany secretary, Facilitator and Sound Editor
Hamish is a freelance radio producer who’s worked with Radio National for thirteen years. Hamish also works as an oral historian, where he gets to spend whole days listening to fascinating stories. He has spent much of the last 12 months happily talking with people along the Murray Darling about fish. |
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Tony MacGregorDirector
Tony is the national Arts Editor for ABC Radio National and has more than 20 years experience as a documentary maker, sound artist and broadcaster. In 2008 he won a Walkley Award for Excellence in Radio Documentary production. Tony fell in love with the US project StoryCorps back in 2009, and inspired the rest of us to start up The Story Project. Thanks Tony. |
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Peter BridgmanDirector
Peter is a consultant with more than 30 years’ experience in public policy, governance and ethics. He is qualified in both law and psychology and his previous working life in government included stints as Cabinet Secretary and Head of Arts Queensland. Peter is a Governor of WWF Australia and a director of Grain Producers Australia Ltd. He can also be spotted sometimes labouring heavily on a bicycle, but never in lycra. |
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Carol LowConversation Facilitator
Carol is a community historian with a background in community development and a commitment to honouring people’s stories. She has been involved in exhibitions based on individual and community stories and has a love of oral histories. Carol is excited to be recording stories in her local community on the Sunshine Coast. We’re excited too. |
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Jennifer BarrkmanConversation Facilitator
For twenty-five years Jen has been encouraging people’s active participation in the telling of their stories, through her roles as a trainer, facilitator and oral historian. Another passion for Jen is Playback Theatre, a form of improvised theatre based on people’s personal stories. When not listening to stories she enjoys the silence of the bush and sitting around a campfire. |
