Local History

 


Family and local history newsletter

Local History publishes a quarterly Family and Local History newsletter filled with informative articles about the local area, and information, tips and hints to help with your family history research. Printed copies of the latest edition can be picked up from any City of Joondalup Library and the publication is advertised in the Libraries’ newsletter.

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

Joondalup Library – local history collection

Local history is a dedicated collection located on the lower ground floor of the Joondalup Library. Local history collects, preserves and celebrates the Joondalup region’s rich local heritage. It contains a variety of resources on the history, development, environment and culture of the Joondalup and Wanneroo area, and provides researchers with a picture of life in the region from Aboriginal times to the present day.

If you would like to consider donating items to the local history collection, please see the article on Local history donations.

For information about resources for teachers and visits by school groups view Local history for schools.

Help update local history records

Joondalup Library’s local history collection is a treasure trove of information about the early settlement of the City of Joondalup and Wanneroo areas. The local history team collects, preserves and celebrates the rich heritage of the area, and it’s always exciting when new historical details come to light.

Recently, the Lockwood family approached the City of Joondalup, detailing their family’s historical connection to the land around Lake Goolellal. The family operated a piggery from 1940 – 1969. The local history team have had the opportunity to add valuable documents and photos to the collection, and to to record an oral history with John Lockwood.

Does your family have links to the early settlement of the Joondalup region, or to the development of the modern city? The local history team would love to hear from you, please email or call 9400 4746.

Local history resources

  • Books, reports and unpublished theses
  • Oral histories
  • Maps
  • Ephemera and memorabilia
  • Posters
  • Annual reports
  • Road Board and Council documents and minutes
  • Newspaper clippings
  • Stories and suburb histories

Oral history – expression of interest

Complete this form to express your interest in participating in the Oral History program.

Oral history interviews are conducted by trained interviewers who will ask questions about significant events and experiences. The resulting interview will be recorded to CD and added to the oral history collection which is available to the general public.

  • Address
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Oral history

City of Joondalup Libraries aim to collect and conserve the spoken histories of people associated with the Joondalup region through work, family, clubs and associations or social activities.

The City’s Oral History collection consists of nearly 700 interviews with local residents who have shared their recollections of events that form the history and development of the local area. The collection focuses on pioneering families, the development and growth of suburbs, school days, military experiences, and social, sports and entertainment activities.

Borrowing

The collection is available for loan on CD from the Local History Library at Joondalup. Further details about individual oral histories can be found in the library catalogue, including full interview transcripts. Many of the oral histories also have related photos and other memorabilia.

Contribute to the collection

If you grew up in the City of Joondalup and/or the City of Wanneroo area or are a long-term resident and have memories that you would like to share, please register your interest using the online form below or contact Local History.

Register your expression of interest

The Local History collection grows through the donations of local residents and former residents. Further information on donating items is available on the City’s webpage. Local History is seeking donations of material relating to more recent decades to ensure the stories of our current residents are also captured.

Local history for schools

Resources in the library

Local History, located on the lower ground floor at Joondalup Library, has a range of resources, including photographs, oral history interviews, newspaper clippings and other material documenting how the local area has changed over time, suitable for use by teachers to support the HASS curriculum.

Resources to borrow

All City of Joondalup schools can join the library as Institutional Members. Institutional Membership enables teachers to borrow a range of materials from Local History.

Aimed specifically at curriculum outcomes for Year four students, Investigating Joondalup’s Past kits contain:

  • Photographs
  • Maps
  • Oral history excerpts
  • Stories from the Suburbs booklets which document the history of each suburb.

To assist teachers with meeting outcomes in the primary history curriculum, the Local History staff have developed the resource My Learning Journal, which is available for loan on USB. This is relevant for years two to five, and topics covered include:

  • Who lived here first and how do we know?
  • How has the community changed?
  • Which environmental features have been lost, and which have been retained?
  • What contribution has been made by different groups and individuals in the community?
  • How and why do people choose to remember significant events of the past?

The Commemorating ANZAC kit – which tells students about ANZAC Day and the local men and women who served in Australia’s military forces, is available for loan on USB.

School tours and activities

School groups are welcome to participate in curriculum-linked activities as part of a Civic Centre and Library tour. Teachers and home-schoolers are welcome to contact Reference and Local History staff to organise library visits for students wishing to undertake research.

Year 12 ATAR Geography teachers can book classes in for an incursion, enabling students to access resources and information supporting a Unit 4 case study for Depth Study One, focussing on either the Ocean Reef Marina site and adjacent coastal areas or Lake Goollelal and the surrounding area.

Year 9 HASS teachers can book classes in for an incursion to support the Geographies of Interconnection module, focussing on planning, transport and land use in the City.

Materials to support other units of study are also available. Please contact Local History on 9400 4746 or email local.history@joondalup.wa.gov.au for further information.

Local History donations

Donations of items that relate to the history and development of the people, organisations and suburbs of the Joondalup area are a welcome addition to the Local History Collection.

We are interested in collecting:

  • Photographs
  • Negatives
  • Film or video footage
  • Diaries
  • Letters
  • Postcards
  • Pamphlets
  • Yearbooks
  • Newsletters
  • Reports
  • Memorabilia
  • Records from community organisations

If you have any of the above items and are interested in donating them to the Joondalup Local History Collection please contact us, or alternatively complete and print out the donation form. If you wish to retain the originals of photos or documents staff can scan the items and return them to you.

Family history research

Family history

Family history and genealogy research

The Reference and Local History team are available to assist you with your family history research. A variety of resources are available from the Libraries to aid your research:

Selected items are available for loan. Check the library catalogue for details or ask a staff member.

Family History Events

Family History Help

Family History Help is a volunteer-led program that provides assistance to people who wish to research their family history. Beginners are welcome. Sessions are held at:

  • Woodvale Library – Tuesdays, 9.30am – 12.30pm. View more information on Ticketbooth.
  • Joondalup Library, Local History – Wednesdays, 9.00am – 12.00noon. View more information on Ticketbooth.
  • Joondalup Library, Local History – third Saturday of the month, 18 May, 15 June, 20 July – 1.00pm – 3.00pm. View more information on Ticketbooth.

An Introduction to Family History Research

  • New dates will soon be advertised.

Writing Your Family History

  • New dates will soon be advertised.

Future events

Further events relating to family history research, will be programmed through the year. Check the Events and Programs booklet and subscribe to the Library’s eNewsletter to keep up-to-date. For further information on all Family History programs and resources call 9400 4746.

Newsletter

  • The Family and Local History Newsletter is a quarterly publication produced by the Reference and Local History team. The newsletter contains tips, hints and feature articles.

History of Joondalup

Publications

Saluting their Service

‘Saluting their Service: stories from past to present’ highlights the military experiences of members of the region’s community and is intended to enrich our knowledge and understanding of the effects of war on individuals, families and communities. The stories were compiled from the Local History Library’s collection of photographs, mementos and oral history interviews, through research undertaken by the Library’s staff and from interviews with and donations from community members who have served more recently.

This book has been made possible through funding from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs under the Commonwealth Government’s Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program. The support and assistance of the Joondalup City RSL is gratefully acknowledged.

Limited quantities of the publication are available from the Reference and Local History Library and a link to an eBook version will soon be available from this webpage, ensuring its accessibility from anywhere in the world.

Picture our Past

‘Picture our Past: Celebrating Joondalup’s Past Together’ is a City of Joondalup publication telling the story of how an isolated settlement became the modern day Cities of Joondalup and Wanneroo.

Containing historical photographs from the Picture Joondalup collection, interviews with local residents, maps, newspaper articles, images of collectibles and memorabilia from the City’s Local History Library, “Picture our Past” captures the stories of the people who came here from around the world to make their homes and community.

Picture our Past is available for purchase from the City’s Libraries and Customer Service Centre for $35.00

Joondalup’s history up in lights

Everyone who lives in or has visited this great region and coastline has a story to tell.

For Kaleidoscope 2018, Joondalup Libraries engaged local artist Roly Skender to work with the local history team to create a visual history of the region. The outcome, Joondalup – a Pictorial History, integrated local resident and pioneer stories, reflections and photographs from the Joondalup Libraries pictorial and oral history collections.

Joondalup – A Pictorial History has now been uploaded to the City’s Youtube channel for all to watch, reflect and enjoy.

 

Mooro Boodjar

The Joondalup region is part of Mooro country and is an important place for First Nations people.

Mooro Elders have granted permission for stories and other information to be published in the Joondalup Mooro Boodjar brochure, which enables the community to gain a wider appreciation of Aboriginal people’s connection to the land. The story of the Charnok Woman is particularly important to Joondalup.

Printed copies of the brochure are available from all Library branches, and class sets are available for teachers to use in their classrooms by contacting Local History to arrange a time to collect them.