A very drunk history
4/28/202627 min
The grim history behind the NSW State Library's doors. Opened in 1826, exclusively to the rich white men who could pass a secret "blackballing" test, the doors were redesigned during World War II to depict Indigenous people. But their origin story is wild, as Annabel Crabb discovers.
This episode's speakers:
- Damien Webb — Manager of the Indigenous Engagement Branch
- Richard Neville — Mitchell Librarian
You can see the bronze doors at the Mitchell Library on Shakespeare Place in Sydney, or by searching for SLNSW portico doors.
- Presenter: Annabel Crabb
- Researcher: Julia O'Shea
- Audio Engineer: Harvey O'Sullivan
- Supervising Producer: Rachael Cusick
- Executive Producers: Eric George and Carmel Rooney
- Head of Audio on Demand: Jessica Radburn
To hear the rest of the History Or Hoarding? podcast series, or for more of the best history podcasts covering Australian history, global history, including war, politics, literature and some of the most interesting people, moments and turning points in history, go to ABC listen Australia's history tab or the ABC Australia channel or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsYumi Stynes0:00
[upbeat music] Yumi Stynes here. On Ladies We Need To Talk, I speak to women about the big things that are going on in their lives, from overcoming health challenges- She said to me, "Have you ever heard of the word endometriosis?"
Speaker 10:12
And I remember saying, "No, I don't think I have."
Yumi Stynes0:16
To navigating relationships.
Annabel Crabb· Host0:18
I just said to him, "I need a break from you."
Yumi Stynes0:21
Search Ladies We Need To Talk on the Listen app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Ronald Briggs· Guest0:27
[upbeat music] ABC Listen: podcasts, radio, news, music and more.
Annabel Crabb· Host0:36
[gentle music] Hello, welcome back to History or Hoarding. I'm Annabelle Crabb. There's a classic dilemma that rears its head every now and again for everyone in the business of historical hoarding. We know that every object tells a story, but what if it's a terrible story? What if it's a story you can't hide away on some forgotten shelf because it's stamped all over your front door? [traffic rumbling] Okay, outside the State Library of New South Wales, there's a lot of traffic. It's next door to the state parliament. It's up the street from the opera house. The botanic gardens are right next door. It's right in the middle of everything. The building itself is monumental, built out of Maroubra