Rachel Burns has dedicated more than a decade to uncovering the rich and often overlooked histories of the Nambucca Valley. A long-time volunteer with the Nambucca Headland Museum, her work has culminated in Nambucca Stories, a book of local histories that bring to life tales of shipwrecks, settlement, sawmills, and survival. In this Insights interview, Rachel reflects on the origins of the project, the power of storytelling to engage audiences, and how recognition through the IMAGinE Awards has strengthened both her work and her community.
Your new book, Nambucca Stories, brings together a decade of research and writing from your time at the Nambucca Headland Museum. Could you tell us how this project originated and what inspired you to begin documenting and preserving these local histories in this manner?
The stories were first inspired through walking my dog around the Nambucca Heads cemetery. It makes a nice stroll, you get a view of the Pacific Ocean, see a few kangaroos, kookaburra nests and the Nambucca State Forest, but the old headstones caught most of my attention. Who were Charles Vaughan, Marmaduke England, Robert and Mary Ann Gordon and many others? I was already a volunteer at the Headland Museum and knew of their old filing cabinets full of musty documents about local families. I started researching and linking together facts about them. I was also a presenter at 2NVR, the local community radio station, and they invited me to record history segments to play on air. Then the Guardian News asked if I would like to publish the stories in their paper, and in the end, I had over 50 stories in recorded and print formats. Putting the stories in book format and reviewing and adding to them means that they will be preserved and increase their exposure. We have sent copies of the book all over Australia.
Nambucca Stories brings history to life through personal narratives and local voices. How do you see storytelling as a tool for engaging contemporary audiences with regional history, and what new opportunities could small museums explore to deepen that connection?
Regional histories have their own character and flavour. In my book, I feel we almost have a wild west feel in the Nambucca; a bit removed from the old England feel of the cities and the stories underly this. All of the people are called by their first names, and the backgrounds are easily recognised in the Nambucca Valley today. This brings the stories to life. From feedback, I know that the readers, whether the “old guard” or new arrivals, like the feeling that looking back gives them, especially in an easily read short format. The photos are important too, bringing a connection between people and places. Contemporary audiences can read the stories and really gain a knowledge of the area since European settlement, not just the fishing spots and the beaches. The beauty of it is that any museum could do this. We were lucky to get a Create NSW Cultural Grant through the Royal Australian Historical Society, which covered the publication cost, but even without it, the cost is not astronomical and can be recouped from sales. You just might have a lot of fun doing it, too, as well as attracting new visitors and volunteers.
You were recognised with the IMAGinE Awards Volunteer Achievement Award last year. What did receiving this award mean to you personally, and what impact do you think it has had on your work, the museum, and the wider community?
Receiving the award was like winning an Academy Award. I took the long trip to Sydney for the occasion, and when they read out third place, then second, then me, I was astounded. All the volunteers at the museum work hard and selflessly, and it was a big thrill to be recognised like this. We felt that our little museum roared. It has made me feel part of the museum community state wide and that you are contributing to something important. The win made the local paper, and I couldn’t walk down the main street without being told well done over and over. Without the active support of the local community, we couldn’t have run events like the Nambucca Heads Railway Centenary in 2023. The whole town deserves an award.
