Oral History in collection management

An interesting use for oral history arose out of the significance assessment I did earlier this year for Ambulance Victoria's museum collection in Thomastown. It soon became clear that more information was needed about the objects they cared for - information and stories that would make these objects meaningful. Ambulance Victoria has a strong historical consciousness and were very eager to receive advice on how to improve on the lack of information available about the history of the ambulance service. 

The retired ambulance officers in charge of the Historical Society are an amazing bunch of knowledgeable story tellers. So we arranged a day at the Ambulance Victoria headquarters with a recorder, camera and as many of the most significant objects as we could bring over from the Thomastown museum and spent a few hours discussing them one at a time. 

The result was a great deal of chat and reminiscing, and the beginning of a series of collection records to record object details, provenance and relevant historical information. Some of the objects we discussed are pictured below. A great day!

This Komesaroff Oxy-Resuscitator was developed by David Komesaroff, Dean of Anaesthetics at the University of Melbourne. Ambulance officer had to do a days training, often at the Sandringham Hospital in the operating theatre and had to keep a patient anaesthetised throughout their operation. It was an "extremely good" piece of equipment.

This medical bag was most likely stocked by a nurse - "it looks very nursey" - back in the days when ambulance officers were drivers with no more medical training then a first aid certificate.

This first MICA ambulance was a retrofitted clinic transport bus in 1971. Mobile Intensive Care Ambulances in Victoria were initiated after the advantage of mobile coronary care units was recognised and a recommendation that ambulance officers receive advanced medical training was accepted.