ANU Project Team
Dr Alexandra Mountain
Alexandra Mountain is the Research Project Manager for the Precarious Oral Histories Project, part of Language Data Commons of Australia (LDaCA) at the Australian National University (ANU). Alexandra is an archivist and public historian with experience across academia, archives, libraries, and heritage community organisations. Since 2024, she has served as Treasurer and Membership Officer for Oral History NSW and acted as a member of the the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Committee.
Professor Catherine Travis
Professor Catherine Travis is the LDaCA Chief Investigator at the ANU. She manages the LDaCA ANU team and advises the Precarious Oral Histories Project. Catherine is Professor of Modern European Languages in the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics at the ANU and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. Her research relates to the ways in which linguistic and social factors impact on language variation and change. Catherine has used oral history interviews in linguistic research, and she finds them invaluable sources for providing background information that helps contextualise the way people speak.
Project Advisory Committee
Our Advisory Committee includes oral history experts from several organisations including the National Library of Australia, the State Library of New South Wales, Oral History Australia, the Royal Australian Historical Society, and the University of New England.
Emeritus Professor Alistair Thomson
Alistair (Al) Thomson is Emeritus Professor of History at Monash University and was previously Professor Oral History at Sussex University. He has served as President of Oral History Victoria, Oral History Australia and the International Oral History Association, and is an author or editor of 15 oral history books.
Jen Rose
Jen Rose was a Research Officer working on the Identifying Precarious Victorian Oral History Collections Project between November 2024–September 2025. She is currently serving as President of Oral History Victoria.
Dr Barbara Lemon
Barbara Lemon is a Director of Curatorial and Collection Research for the National Library of Australia, where she is responsible for managing the national oral history collection. She has an academic and professional background in Australian history and has held senior roles with libraries and universities in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Maria Savvidis
Maria is a Specialist Librarian at the State Library of New South Wales with expertise in oral history collecting, commissioning, and major projects. Over more than a decade, she has contributed to contemporary collecting initiatives and expanded access to oral history collections. She has served as President of Oral History NSW since 2019 and has led NSLA’s Oral History Network since 2021.
Christine Yeats
Christine Yeats FAHS is an archivist and historical researcher with a strong commitment to local and community history. She is dedicated to preserving Australia’s documentary heritage through her work with leading history and heritage organisations, including the Royal Australian Historical Society and the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Committee.