Celebrate Living History

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Celebrate Living History

Celebrating Living History is an online social gathering where we share stories, tales and lives across generations, bringing history to life.

At Celebrate Living History, we believe in telling stories while people are still living and breathing while they can laugh at their own jokes, roll their eyes at the memories, and add the missing details. We call them living eulogies: tributes told not at the end, but right now, while there’s still time to gather around the table and truly listen. This is more than history it’s an online social g

athering where tales, memories, and moments are shared across generations. It’s Grandma telling that story again, the smell of someone’s famous recipe in the air, a cousin trying to beat you at a board game, and a fight over who gets the last dumpling. We believe the best stories are told in everyday voices and that the ordinary becomes extraordinary when you stop to listen. Through our storytelling and eulogy services, we help document life in all its colour and chaos from heartfelt tributes to laugh-out-loud anecdotes. Because your story matters, and we’re here to help you tell it. So, will you pull up a chair and join the family?

10/06/2025

This is one of the hardest posts I’ve ever had to write. My good friend Gail Dudeck has passed away. Gail was a passionate supporter of Celebrate Living History and a constant source of encouragement and joy. I’m so grateful for the memories we shared. Her kindness, humour, and generous spirit will always stay with me.

https://celebratelivinghistory.com/goodbye-gail-elizabeth-dudeck/

16/02/2025

Our latest intern, Claire, had the pleasure of chatting with Mike—a deckhand on the Southern Moreton Bay ferries and the owner of a popular bed and breakfast on Macleay Island. With a twinkle in his eye and a sharp sense of humor, Mike reflects on his school days.

“About 40 percent of the kids in my class were born in December 1945,” he grins. “Their dads probably returned from the war in March 1945—just like mine did.” 😉

Despite his lighthearted jokes about age, Mike is always quick to acknowledge the privileges in his life. His maternal grandparents emigrated from Scotland to Australia in 1915 with little money and no family support—his grandmother’s well-connected family disapproved of her marriage. But fate had other plans.

Shortly after arriving in Brisbane, his grandmother won a house and land in Wynnum through a lottery—a stroke of luck that changed their future. It was here that they built a home, raised a family, and established a business. Mike’s father became an engineer before joining the family enterprise, carrying on the legacy.

From ferries to family history, Mike’s story is one of resilience, luck, and hard work. 🚢✨

15/02/2025

Our latest intern, Claire, had the privilege of speaking with Alan, who was born in Brisbane in 1945 and grew up in Wynnum, Queensland, with his sister, Janet. But their family story was far from typical.

Alan and Janet’s mother was a Japanese war bride—a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. At a time when Australia’s Immigration Restriction Act 1901 (known as the White Australia policy) dictated who could enter and stay in the country, she was one of the few granted Australian citizenship.

Alan’s father, a fifth-generation Australian and career soldier, fought in WWII before serving in Japan with the occupying forces. There, he met and fell in love with Alan’s mother. Their journey to marriage wasn’t easy—they had to navigate legal barriers and cultural expectations.

“To get married, Mum and Dad had to jump through a lot of hoops,” Alan recalls. “They actually had three weddings—a Japanese ceremony, an Australian wedding, and one at the British consulate.”

His parents often joked that after all that effort, getting a divorce would have been far too complicated!

A story of resilience, love, and history intertwined. ❤️To read more of Alan's story visit https://celebratelivinghistory.com/alan-james/

29/01/2025

Our latest intern Claire chatted with Busi who talked about her childhood in Africa during the apartheid era which was a policy that was founded on the idea of separating people based on racial or ethnic criteria that lasted from 1948 until the early 1990s.
Busi admits she only recognised the discrimination in hindsight. when she moved to Australia and trained for work in Health Services.
“I never really noticed the discrimination of the apartheid system until then. It was just a way of life, I realise now I had been discriminated against because people thought my hair was different,” she recalls.
Although Busi smiles readily now she tells me she learned at an early age to fend for herself.
“I was a serious child I was often told to smile. In other words, I did not smile,” she laughs.
“I never expressed myself because I was too scared to have an opinion. “
“Whatever I am told then, ‘that’s it,” she smiles.
https://celebratelivinghistory.com/busi/

11/12/2024

Our latest intern Claire chatted with cameraman George Ferrell about his great career for Channel 7, Channel 10 and CNN International in London.

His mother provided George’s first movie camera after a holiday in England.

“I surfed so I put the two together, I’d shoot surfing films with all my mates,” he says.

George enrolled in a practical course run by two Channel 9 Cameramen at the Brisbane School of Cinematography.

‘That really kicked my interest. I went out on the road with them evenings and weekends and started shooting news,” he enthused

After his apprenticeship, George went to England for a while. On his return, he obtained his first camera job at Channel 7, by creatively telling a few white lies.

“I told the boss I had worked at Pinewood Studios in London and that pricked up his ears,”

“On the first day I made a few mistakes and had to confess I had only swept floors there,” George chuckled.

Fortunately, George kept his job. He had camera skills, determination, and charisma.

‘I believe if you really want something you will get it. You live or die by your first day on the job,” he says.

https://celebratelivinghistory.com/behind-the-camera/

18/11/2024

It's great to have interns back with Celebrate Living History! Meet Claire our latest intern from Griffith University.

If Claire could jump into a time machine, she would love to go to pre-colonial Queensland and experience living with Indigenous people in harmony with nature.

"I would not necessarily want to stay there because I would miss my friends, family and current lifestyle, but I would love to interview these people and take videos of how things worked in that era.

I would want to bring these records back to the present to convince people it is possible, sustainable and enjoyable to bring our society into closer harmony with nature.

18/11/2024

It's great to have interns back with Celebrate Living History! Meet Claire M Brereton our latest student from Griffith University 🙂

If Claire could jump in a Time Machine she would love to go to
pre-colonial Queensland and experience living with Indigenous people in harmony with nature.

"I would not necessarily want to stay there because I would miss my friends, family, and current lifestyle; but I would love to interview these people and take videos of how things worked during that era,"

"I would want to bring these records back to the present to convince people it is possible, sustainable, and enjoyable to bring our society into closer harmony with nature,

"Sharing this knowledge might save the planet from our current trend of environmental degradation from excessively materialistic competition." she says.

https://celebratelivinghistory.com/meet-our-latest-intern-claire/

03/06/2024

It's always wonderful to hear feedback from our student interns! Thanks, Jordan! It's been a pleasure having you ☺️ all the best for the future!

16/05/2024

Our intern Jordan Bailey chatted with Tracey whose life stands as a beacon for anyone facing difficult circumstances, using her personal pain to fuel her passion for community good. From navigating the critical aftermath of a near-fatal accident that befell her young son to facing her own life-threatening health challenges amidst the solitude imposed by a global pandemic, Tracey has emerged as not just a survivor, but as a champion for the vulnerable, becoming a pillar of her community who transforms her experiences into initiatives that uplift and support those who dearly need it. Her story is not just about surviving, but thriving against the odds and inspiring everyone who meets her.
Check out her story on the link below.
https://celebratelivinghistory.com/rising-above/

08/05/2024

Our latest intern from Griffith University Jordan Bailey chatted with his grandma about her life and her big dreams.

When she was young, Shirley Wittleton had always wanted to be a nurse with her mother being the driving force. She learned to be caring and compassionate while caring for her ill mother this planted a seed in her desire to help others.

Unfortunately, these dreams needed to be set aside, initially to take care of her childhood home and then later due to her marriage and having children at a young age. With her oldest being born at nineteen, she would have three children by the age of twenty-three.

In her thirties, Shirley heard about a job available to work with aged care dementia patients. She didn’t know much about much about dementia. She didn’t have much in the way of qualifications or experience. What she did have was a passion for helping others and confidence. So, she walked in, told the boss that she could do it, and walked out with the job. Shirley would continue to work with aged care and dementia patients for the rest of her professional career, pursuing her pushed-aside education and earning her qualifications while on the job.

Her time there would coincide with one of the first-ever government grants to give people with dementia an alternative to a nursing home, allowing for their more specialised needs to be met. Looking back, Shirley recalls how difficult it was working with these patients and seeing the toll that their condition could take on them and the people who loved them, but she also remembers how rewarding it was helping them. Working with them is among the things she is most proud of in her life.

17/03/2024

Its great to have interns back with Celebrate Living History! Meet Jordan our latest student from Griffith University :)

I was attracted to Celebrate Living History mostly because I have a passion for storytelling. I enjoy creative expression in all forms, and CLH would let me use that passion for a good cause. Interviewing seniors also sounded interesting, especially as recently I’ve been discovering new and interesting things about seniors in my own family, details about their lives that I’ve never thought to question before, and the impact those decisions and actions have had on my family and my own life. CLH just seemed to be a natural pick.

06/03/2024

It is so wonderful receiving feedback from our student interns! Amy was such a pleasure to have on board and has such a bright future ahead!

Address

Frankston, VIC

Telephone

+61402926131

Website

http://www.celebratelivinghistory.com/

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