History is more than just facts

Thalia Phelps, Narrabri

History has always been of great interest to me, even as a very small child listening to stories from both my parents and later at school.

We can learn so much from history if we only take the time to absorb it and realise that these things really occurred and can’t be changed.

I was very interested to read an article in The Courier a while back about Major Thomas Mitchell’s exploratory trip through the north west during 1831-32.

Both Mitchell and his assistant surveyor, George White, kept very thorough diaries which included the temperatures during the summer – January 4, 1832 being recorded at 108 degrees F.

Nothing much has changed except now the temperatures are blamed on global warming.

Diaries kept by our early explorers and settlers would be so fascinating to read – they would tell us so many interesting stories of their lives and the changing environment around them-even the mundane every day things would be so interesting.

History is much more than just facts and figures, it’s about people’s lives and what they did from day to day, how they dressed, what games the children played etc.