Way Back When is a creative, dynamic and unique team of professional historians. We work with communities and organisations to create meaningful histories.
Our story
Way Back When began over fifteen years ago, when Katherine Sheedy and Sarah Rood were studying public history at Monash University. Inspired by the idea of working with people and their stories, Katherine and Sarah took the first steps toward setting up a consultancy. By 2006, Way Back When had completed its first commission. Lucy Bracey and Fiona Poulton joined the team in 2010. The rest, as we like to say, is history.
Way Back When is now located partly in Ballarat and partly in Melbourne, allowing us to complete projects across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Our services
There are many reasons to employ a professional historian. Our skills and experience are wide and varied.
Exhibitions, publications, websites, podcasts, oral history projects, heritage reports, community engagement, walking tours, and audio-visual installations are just some examples of our work. We also run regular workshops for community groups on oral history and historical research.
Way Back When can work with you to communicate your history in a way that speaks to your community.
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”
— Marcus Garvey
Why history?
Understanding the past gives meaning to the present and plays an important role in the community. Engaging with the past fosters a strong sense of identity, cultural ownership, and empowerment, while encouraging the sharing of knowledge and heritage. A strong sense of the past results in a heightened sense of present community and shared culture, and often provides directions for the future.
It is our job as professional historians to help communities, families and individuals to tell their stories and connect with the past.
Our skills
All members of Way Back When are highly qualified, having completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Master of Public History at Monash University.
Through our years of experience working as professional historians, we have developed strong expertise across a broad range of fields and have worked with many different individuals, groups and organisations to produce histories in various forms.
We are highly skilled in carrying out small and large-scale research, writing for various different types of publications, undertaking oral histories, and developing and producing multimedia content. Most importantly, we are experienced at working with people to tell their stories.
We bring together our diverse skills, experience and ideas on every project. As experienced project managers, we can manage a project from beginning to end and take care of the small details, liaising with designers and other creatives as needed to ensure your project is completed according to your brief, on time and within budget.
Tell your story
Do you have a story to tell? Contact us to chat about how we can work with you to tell your story in a way that speaks to your community.
