The University Archives maintain an extensive audiovisual collection featuring cassette tapes, vinyl records, and reels of both film and audio recordings. Many of these recordings, however, have been inaccessible to staff and researchers due to the obsolescence of playback equipment and the deterioration of the magnetic tape.
In 2024, the University Archives launched a comprehensive digitisation project that aimed to preserve these items and make them publicly accessible for the first time.
The initial phase involved identifying and then cataloguing the audiovisual items within the collection. However, the absence of playback equipment presented challenges in capturing technical and contextual metadata, and the materials were transferred for digitisation without a clear understanding of the context or quality of the recordings that would be returned.
Following itemisation, the items were securely packed and sent to an external digitisation vendor. Within this round of digitisation were:
- 238 audio cassette tapes
- 10 audio reels
- 10 vinyl records
- 65 VHS and Betacam tapes
- 14 film reels
- 30 video tapes
The digitisation process yielded nearly 9 terabytes of digital content, encompassing hundreds of hours of audio and video recordings. Each file was systematically reviewed to assess technical quality, determine copyright and access conditions, and enrich metadata to enhance discoverability for researchers and the broader community.
Preservation-grade digital copies were ingested into the University’s recordkeeping system, while access copies were compressed where necessary and made available via Archives-Search.
This digitisation project allowed the University Archives to save records and stories from being lost forever. Much of our audiovisual collection can now be accessed by the University community and wider public and new digitisation processes have been implemented across our entire collection to safeguard it for the future.
Read on below to discover some highlights from the recently digitised audiovisual items from the University Archives’ collection.
Newsreel Segments Relating to the University’s Centenary Celebrations
Newsreel Segments Relating to the University’s Centenary Celebrations (1952), [REF-00094811]. University of Sydney Archives.
The University celebrated its Centenary over a two-year period, beginning in 1950 and culminating in a final week of festivities in August 1952. This celebratory week featured a range of formal events, including a reception at Government House, public orations, a ceremony conferring honorary degrees, a Garden Party and dinners hosted at the University Union. [Ref 1]. Honorary guests included the Hon. KW Street, the Chief Justice of New South Wales; Ernest Charles O’Dea, the Lord Mayor of Sydney; the Rt. Hon. Robert Gordon Menzies, Prime Minister; Sir William McKell, Governor-General and more. [Ref 2].
This item presents three short newsreel segments, produced by Movietone News with commentary by Jack Day. The footage, captured on 16mm and 35mm safety film, was later transferred to video tape. The full video can be seen on Archives-Search.
Ref 1: The Gazette, Vol 1 No 7 (Aug 1952), p. 90, [REF-00092709]. University of Sydney Archives.
Ref 2: Centenary Celebration Invitations, Programs and Event Details (August 1952), [REF-00093002]. University of Sydney Archives.
A Personal View Lecture 6: Dutch Painting
A Personal View Lecture 6: Dutch Painting (1982), [REF-00094771]. University of Sydney Archives.
In 1946, artist Lloyd Rees joined the Faculty of Architecture at the invitation of Professor Leslie Wilkinson. [Ref 1]. Over the next four decades, Rees delivered art history lectures to architecture students, helping to cement the “great tradition of the marriage of art and architecture in the teaching at Sydney University”. [Ref 2].
In the 1980s, the University Television Service recorded Rees’ annual lecture series for the Department of Architecture. This twelve-part series, titled ‘A Personal View’, covered lectures ranging from Australian Art to Oil Painting to Impressionism.
Lloyd Rees gave his final lectures in 1986 and passed away two years later, in 1988. [Ref 3].
The full lecture can be seen on Archives-Search, as well as other lectures from ‘A Personal View’.
Ref 1: The University of Sydney News Vol 20 No 30 (06/12/1988), p. 246, [REF-00040189]. University of Sydney Archives.
Ref 2: The Gazette, Vol 11 No 27 (Mar 1989), p.22, [REF-00092786]. University of Sydney Archives.
Ref 3: See Ref 2.
Jan Fieldsend Interview for Tin Sheds History Project – Tape 1 Side A
Jan Fieldsend Interview for Tin Sheds History Project – Tape 1 Side A (21/04/1994), [REF-00093421]. University of Sydney Archives.
Located on City Road, the Tin Sheds were a “ramshackle collection of iron sheds” that were used as “an experimental studio for students to explore visual arts media”. [Ref 1]. Over time, the use of the sheds by staff and students from the Faculty of Architecture and Department of Fine Arts became formalised and the space became known as the Art Workshop.
In 1994, to commemorate 25 years of the Art Workshop, Director Therese Kenyon conducted a series of interviews with artists, architects and staff who had been part of the Tin Sheds/Art Workshop community.
This recording features printmaker Jan Fieldsend, a member of the Earthworks Poster Collective and later the female-only Lucifoil Poster Collective. Her notable posters include ‘Sabotage Defeats Rip Offs’, ‘Every Mother is a Working Mother’, ‘Harrisburger’, ‘Freedom from Hunger Gives Peace a Chance’. Fieldsend taught screen-printing at the Art Workshop, later becoming Director of the Tin Sheds Gallery and coordinator of the Art Workshop.
Reflecting on the impact of the Tin Sheds and Art Workshop, Fieldsend remarked in 1995, “It was really alive; a vital place where traditional ideas about ‘high art’ were challenged and which reflected social changes, particularly of the ‘70s and ‘80s”. [Ref 2].
The full interview can be heard on Archives-Search, as well as other interviews relating to the Art Workshop and posters created at the Tin Sheds Gallery.
Ref 1: The University of Sydney News Vol 27 No 24 (16/08/1995), p. 6, [REF-00041157]. University of Sydney Archives.
Ref 2: See Ref 1.
The Dairy Husbandry Research Foundation Within the University of Sydney
The Dairy Husbandry Research Foundation Within the University of Sydney (03/11/1963), [REF-00094117]. University of Sydney Archives.
In 1955, the Department of Animal Husbandry was founded at the University. To support agricultural teaching and research initiatives, the University received generous contributions of £50,000 each from the Australian Dairy Produce Board, the Australian Meat Board and the Inter-departmental Committee on Wool Research. These funds were allocated for the purchase of two Animal Husbandry Farms in Camden. [Ref 1].
A few years later, the Dairy Husbandry Research Foundation was established in April 1959. Its objective was to “promote, foster, develop and assist Dairy Husbandry Research in the Department of Animal Husbandry within the University of Sydney”. [Ref 2].
At the Foundation’s inaugural meeting, it was reported that construction had begun on a Dairy Foundation Research Unit at Camden Farm. The first facility to be built was a “unique” milking laboratory that meant, “For the first time a scientist was able to milk cows in a laboratory, so greatly simplifying the techniques needed to study the milking processes and other associated problems”. [Ref 3].
It is possible that this film was created for the official opening of the Dairy Foundation Research Laboratories in 1963. According to their 1963 Annual Report, “Subsequent to the opening ceremony a film depicting the research projects being undertaken at the Laboratories, was shown”. [Ref 4].
The full video can be seen on Archives-Search.
Ref 1: Dairy Husbandry Research Foundation. December 1961. Dairy Husbandry Research Foundation within the University of Sydney and the Department of Animal Husbandry, December 1961, p. 4. University of Sydney.
Ref 2: Calendar of the University of Sydney 1960 (1960), p. 404, [REF-00021044]. University of Sydney Archives.
Ref 3: See Ref 1, p. 5
Ref 4: Senate Minutes 1963 to 1964 (Apr 1963 to Mar 1964), p. 91b, [REF-00070377]. University of Sydney Archives.
Dr Harrison Schmitt Lecture ‘A Trip to the Moon’
Dr Harrison Schmitt Lecture ‘A Trip to the Moon’ (10/07/2002), [REF-00094844]. University of Sydney Archives.
The University marked the 150th anniversary of its inauguration in October 2002. Echoing the Centenary celebrations held fifty years earlier, the Sesquicentenary festivities extended over several years and featured a wide array of events. [Ref 1].
As part of the commemorations, Vice-Chancellor Gavin Brown hosted the Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture Series, which welcomed a number of prominent speakers. Among them were medical researcher Sir Gustav Nossal, Italian architect Professor Romaldo Giurgola, former New South Wales Premier the Honourable Neville Wran, Chief Justice Margaret Marshall and more.
This recording features ‘A Trip to the Moon’, a lecture delivered by Dr Harrison Schmitt, a geologist and Apollo 17 astronaut. In his talk, Dr Schmitt recounts his experience during the December 1972 lunar mission. At the time of the lecture in 2002 – and still true today – Dr Schmitt and fellow astronaut Eugene Cernan remain the last humans to have walked on the Moon.
The full lecture can be seen on Archives-Search, as well as other recordings from the Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture Series.
Ref 1: The University of Sydney UniNews Vol 34 No 18 Sesquicentenary Edition (25/10/2002), p. 4, [REF-00042066]. University of Sydney Archives.
St Paul’s College Events and Scenes – Part 1
St Paul’s College Events and Scenes – Part 1 (1948), [REF-00094817]. University of Sydney Archives.
This film offers a glimpse into life at St Paul’s College in 1948, capturing a variety of scenes and events from that year. Although the provenance of the film is unknown, a note affixed to the item identifies it as having been filmed in 1948. The film includes aerial views of the University and its colleges, as well as sporting events such as rowing, athletics, fencing and tennis. It also features moments of students on the grounds of St Paul’s College.
While the filmmaker and original purpose of the film are unclear, correspondence between the University and FR Arnott, the Warden of St Paul’s College, describe some interesting happenings at the College during 1948.
In a letter dated April 2, 1948, addressed to the Vice-Chancellor, Arnott voiced his frustration over an unusual issue: the presence of horses on the College’s oval, courts and gardens during weekend. He wrote, “Some of these horses seem to be strays, but I have ascertained from certain owners, who have come into the grounds to retrieve their beasts, that they have permission from the University to graze horses over the University grounds. They seem to think that the College grounds are covered by this permission. Perhaps it could be made clear to them that the horses do cause considerable damage to wickets and lawns, especially after rain”. In response, the Vice-Chancellor provided his reassurance that “…all grazing of horses in University grounds is completely without authority and beasts which are left will in the future be impounded”.
Later that year, another incident involving unwelcome visitors was reported. The Vice-Chancellor’s office informed the Warden that University nightwatchmen had observed “undesirable characters entering the University grounds in the evening”. As a result, it was agreed that “…the Vice- Chancellor should arrange regular nightly patrols by police cars to prevent hooliganism, trespassing, drinking parties, and other offensive behaviour in the University grounds, and that offenders would be prosecuted under ordinary police procedure”. [Ref 1].
The full video, along with Part 2, can be seen on Archives-Search.
Ref 1: St Paul’s College (No Date), [REF-00042864]. University of Sydney Archives.
Dr Rupert Sheldrake Lecture ‘The Presence of the Past’
Dr Rupert Sheldrake Lecture ‘The Presence of the Past’ (12/12/1990), [REF-00094850]. University of Sydney Archives.
Established in 1986 within the Faculty of Science, the Centre for Human Aspects of Science and Technology (CHAST) was created to “pursue the study both of the human consequences of advances in science and technology and of the history and philosophy of science”. [Ref 1].
CHAST maintained a strong presence through a regular schedule of seminars, forums and presentations. It also hosted an annual Templeton Lecture and organised conferences that brought together scholars from diverse disciplines.
One notable event was the 1990 ‘Out of the Crucible’ conference, held from 12 to 14 December at the University. The conference explored themes such as creativity in sciences and the arts, bioethics, cultural impacts of scientific progress and philosophical questions surrounding the ethics of science and technology. [Ref 2].
This item is a recording of the keynote address delivered by “controversial author” Dr Rupert Sheldrake. Ahead of the event, the University of Sydney News noted that his ideas of formative causation were “generating immense interest in Australia and elsewhere”. [Ref 3].
The full lecture can be seen on Archives-Search, as well as other recordings from the ‘Out of the Crucible’ Conference and other CHAST lectures.
Ref 1: University of Sydney Calendar 1987 (1987), p. 581, [REF-00021147]. University of Sydney Archives.
Ref 2: The University of Sydney News Vol 22 No 28 (28/08/1990), p. 220, [REF-00040477]. University of Sydney Archives.
Ref 3: The University of Sydney News Vol 22 No 35 (23/10/1990), p. 281, [REF-00040508]. University of Sydney Archives.
Beatrice Wines Description of the Great Hall
Beatrice Wines Description of the Great Hall (Circa 1961), [REF-00088297]. University of Sydney Archives.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1925, Beatrice Wines began her long career at the University as a staff member at Fisher Library. In 1960 she was appointed Associate Librarian at Fisher Library.
Wines was widely respected both within and beyond the University community. As noted in her obituary, she was “…well known in a variety of organisations…ranging from dramatic societies to the Women’s Auxiliary of International House and the Board of Governors of the Conservatorium of Music”. [Ref 1].
This audio recording, made in 1961, captures a moment from her later career. Unfortunately, the specific purpose of the recording is unknown.
Following her passing in 1972, University Librarian Harrison Bryan reflected on her legacy, writing that her death “…marked, in a very real sense, the end of an era for the University of Sydney and more especially for the University Library”. [Ref 2].
The full recording can be heard on Archives-Search.
Ref 1: The Gazette and Letter to Graduates, Vol 2, No 1 (Jun 1974), p. 17, [REF-00092748]. University of Sydney Archives.
Ref 2: The Gazette and Letter to Graduates, Vol 1, No 1 (Jul 1973), p. 16, [REF-00092747]. University of Sydney Archives.
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