In 1989, the then Gisborne Shire Council, in its wisdom, embraced and supported an Oral History Project of the area.
An enthusiastic bunch of collectors set-to, recording the memories of some senior residents and ex-residents of Gisborne, New Gisborne, Gisborne South, Bullengarook, Macedon and Mt. Macedon.
It is over forty years since I have lived in Gisborne and I am still nurtured by memories of growing up in a safe environment, and the rich heritage, bestowed on me by my forebears.
This era, when children were seen and not heard, I feel, was conducive to the enhanced absorption of my surroundings and the ability to really listen. I can remember some of the characters and stories, which have been captured between the pages of this book. They spring from a time, before political correctness consumed this country, when the true Australian spirit was given freedom of expression.
This is by no means a history, nor is it a comprehensive account of Gisborne. Call it a window, if you like, on a small community and its surrounds, drawn from living memory and spanning a period of fifty years from the turn of the century until the 1950s, with some exceptions.
Among historical facts the reader will find natural discrepancies expected when relying on memory of bygone days; also folklore, which in itself reflects the culture of the people who lived, worked and died in the Gisborne Shire in this era.
If you wish to order your copy of The Village That Was.
