Through The Fog
Chris Johnston (Context Pty Ltd)
The following paper was presented at the 14th International Oral History Association Conference: Dancing with memory: oral history and its audiences, 12-16 July 2006 in Sydney. Based on material revealed in a recent study of the mountain huts of Kosciuszko Chris' paper Through the fog, the hut - retaining the essence of memory in conserving historic places looks at ways of understanding the relationship between people and the places that are important to them - particularly the places that are part of a community's familiar past - part of its memory. Underlying this paper is the view that tapping into memory and story is essential to understanding and conserving the full heritage significance of a place, and that keeping valued places is essential to sustaining communities and cultures.