Jean has a personal connection to the Nillumbik Historical Society that goes beyond heritage. “I research my own family history to learn how my family fits into early Melbourne,” she said, noting her ancestors include a great-great-grandfather who settled in Diamond Creek in 1852.
After years of involvement, she is now president and is in charge of an enthusiastic team of volunteers.
The Society and BNLLEN started working together in 2017 to encourage student participation through structured workplace learning and work experience. In addition to supporting significant projects like digitising the Society’s 1870s literary institute minute books, students have assisted in the creation of garden memorials, the digitisation of collections, and the scanning of letters from World War I. “There’s a tonne of work to be done,” said, Jean, “and it really helps [cut down on] the amount of time that we would normally take to do it.”
Liam, a VET student completing a placement with the Historical Society, quickly became an engaged and valuable team member. Jean said the experience was “a real bonus” for both sides. “He saw what’s out there – what libraries and museums actually do for the community, not just being a library or a museum.” During a professional training session, Liam participated fully and shared his technical skills. “He had terrific input”, contributing insights such as the difference between iPhone and SLR photos, Jean said.
Jean encourages young people to explore their curiosity about history. “Just be curious,” she suggests. “Understand that history describes what we do today – it’s not just ‘today’, it’s also what comes before.”
She also sees work placements as an opportunity to build transferable skills. “We use a database… and the one thing I always say to students is: everyone uses a database.”
Her advice to other employers is to learn alongside students. “Don’t think you know it all,” she said. “You’re always going to learn something yourself… the good teacher teaches the student how to learn.” And the student, she added, “needs to be interested in what the place does – to understand that history is important.”
One of Jean’s most memorable student experiences involved a young man named Jamie. After volunteering at the Society, he asked how he could stay involved after finishing school. Not only did Jamie return, he brought his sister and cousin to join him in reading In Flanders Fields at the Society’s Remembrance Day service. “It was the best reading of that poem,” Jean said. “Perfection.”