Our Services
Way Back When is dedicated to recording, documenting, celebrating and communicating the past, and helping others to do so too. We have an extensive track record of completed projects for diverse clients and communities, including books, exhibitions, digital histories, oral histories, heritage studies, historical research projects and more.
The nature of our work makes each project unique, and we work closely with our clients to tailor our services to their specific needs. Read more about our current and completed projects via the Our Work tab above, and get in touch for a chat about how we can work together on your history project.
We also offer tailored research and storytelling services in property and family history, as well as workshops for community groups. Find out more below.
Property history services
Do you want to learn more about the history of your home or business? No matter what type of property you have, every single site has stories to tell, and Way Back When is both skilled and passionate about uncovering them! We offer two property history packages, as detailed below, and can also tailor these services to suit your particular needs and interests. Please contact us for a quote.
Research service
This service includes archival and online research into maps and plans, land titles, and rate books, to reveal who owned your property, who occupied it, and when any buildings were constructed on it.
The research will be presented to you in the form of a short report that provides the information in a dot-point or table format. Digital copies of relevant documentation will also be provided.
Storytelling service
This service includes the archival and online research outlined above, to uncover the ownership, occupation and built history of your property. Further research will be conducted into the stories of the individuals and families connected with your property, using sources such as will and probate records, family history databases and historic newspapers.
The research will be presented to you in the form of a narrative history that tells the story of your property, from its pre-colonial history to the present day. It will include the history of the surrounding local area, to put the story of your property in its broader context. Digital copies of relevant documentation and images will also be provided.
Family history services
Family history is a great way to preserve a legacy and provide a tangible and engaging reminder of where we come from. Documenting the stories of family members past and present is a wonderful way to instil a sense of ownership and pride within younger generations.
Way Back When offers oral history and digital storytelling services to record and share your family’s stories so they are not forgotten.
Oral histories
There is nothing more powerful than hearing someone’s memories recounted by them in their own voice. Our oral history services involve a series of oral history interviews with a family member or several family members, to record either their full life history or their memories and stories of a particular period or life experience.
We record these interviews at broadcast sound quality so that they can be used in the future (as part of digital storytelling, for instance - see below). We carry out the interviews at a location of the family member’s choice – usually their home or somewhere they feel comfortable. We can do any number of interviews but find that most families/individuals end up doing at least three, either with one particular family member or several family members.
Sound files and full transcripts of each interview are given to the family at the end of this process. Oral history interviews can also be filmed if desired. However, some interviewees find film cameras intimidating and prefer not to be filmed. Please contact us for a quote and to discuss your particular needs.
Digital storytelling
The advent of digital storytelling techniques, as well as increasing access to digitisation equipment, has opened a world of possibility to families who wish to bring their family history to life. Way Back When has developed a way of capturing the essence of family and preserving the history for generations to come in a lively and engaging format. By utilising the latest digital technologies, we can bring your family history to life.
Our digital family histories incorporate oral history interviews, old home movies, photographs and genealogical research in a dynamic and engaging format so you and your family members can immerse yourselves in your own history. Our digital family histories are expertly researched, beautifully presented and provide a wonderful opportunity to record your family legacy.
Please contact us for a quote and to discuss your vision for your family history project.
Historian in Residence services
Way Back When specialises in educational histories tailored to tell the story of an individual school, set against the backdrop of the wider educational history of Victoria. Our educational histories often take the form of a publication and/or a website. As well as this, we offer a Historian in Residence program, coordinated in conjunction with the research phase of the project. Our Historian in Residence works with students to provide a hands-on approach to history, engaging them and the school community with the history project.
Read more about our previous school residencies→
Workshops
Way Back When has developed several practical, hands-on workshops to explore specific skills – like conducting oral history interviews, researching military ancestors and researching the history of your house – that will help individuals and communities to research, document and communicate aspects of their own past. We consistently receive wonderful feedback on our workshops, with attendees describing how much they learn and how they leave with increased confidence to conduct their own research or oral history interviews.
We are able to deliver these workshops and presentations either in person or online. We would also be pleased to tailor a workshop to the specific needs or interests of your community group or organisation.
