NEWS
Rich history in the spotlight
More than 100 years of Dried Fruits Australia’s organisational history is being archived to ensure it’s preserved for years to come.
Covid-19 travel restrictions, Nikki has
While the archiving project offers
the week we were going to be here,”
insights into the industry’s long
she said.
history, historian Nikki Henningham
“This is something that really can’t be
says the records also paint a picture of social, environmental and technological advances. The Melbourne historian, who also has years of archiving experience, was engaged to tackle the mammoth task of preserving DFA’s historical records after the organisation successfully applied for a local history grant in 2019. While the project was delayed due to
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made the most of her several visits to the DFA headquarters this year.
somewhat preserved over time. “We’re lucky because if it’d been in the tropics, most of this would be gone by
“We were planning to come up in
now. The dry air is actually a friend of
March 2020, and quite literally the
the archive,” Nikki explained.
week that everything closed down was
done remotely – you’ve got to get in and amongst it.” And she’s done just that, sifting through boxes of thousands of albums, folders, photographs, clippings and records of the organisation. Just as the industry’s dried product thrives in the dry Mildura climate,
“We’re also very lucky, from what I understand, that when the offices moved from Deakin Avenue, whoever was involved in that move saw all this stuff and saved it. “We’re lucky that this is still OK, but it needs to be cared for. The DFA are to be congratulated for taking on the initiative of applying for the funds to get the work done.” While much was saved, very little was preserved from before 1920.
it’s those exact conditions which
“And the organisation stretches back
have meant the records have been
a good 20 years before that, so there’s
