Honorary Doctorate awarded to "doyen of oral history"

Murdoch University has awarded an Honorary Doctorate to the “doyen of oral history,” Adjunct Professor Bill Bunbury.

Adjunct Professor Bunbury received an Honorary Doctorate of Literature at last night’s graduation ceremony at the Perth Exhibition Convention Centre in front of several hundred graduating students.

He has had a long and stellar career of nearly 40 years in broadcasting and joined the ABC in 1969 after working as an English teacher at Guildford Grammar School.

Initially Adjunct Professor Bunbury started out in television but was best known for his late work as producer for Radio National programs Hindsight and Encounter.

These documentaries played a valuable role in the preservation of Australia’s social history through recorded interviews with everyday Australians.

In his speech, Adjunct Professor Bunbury said he was honoured and appreciative of the honour – especially as he had, for most of his working life, been surprised at being paid to do work he might have done for nothing.

“But don’t tell the ABC, they might want a refund,” Adjunct Professor Bunbury joked.

The former Murdoch University Adjunct Professor in Media, and Communications, and History said making oral history-based radio documentaries had been a lifelong learning for him.

“The critics of oral history say it is too subjective,” he said.

“Of course it is – everyone has different memories and different perspectives of any event.

“In a documentary one can hear many voices and thus a broad spectrum of views.

“The listener can thus appreciate the complexity of any story – nobody sees things in quite the same way as another – and hearing new perspectives can only enrich our understanding of any issues.”

Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Bolton said Adjunct Professor Bunbury had set the highest standards for the practice of oral history and the Honorary Doctorate recognised and honoured his work.

“He is widely recognised as the doyen of oral history in Australia,” Emeritus Professor Bolton said.

“He has conducted hundreds of interviews with Australians from all walks of life and this has resulted in the preservation of many stories that would otherwise have been lost."

Vice Chancellor Professor John Yovich congratulated Adjunct Professor Bunbury on behalf of Murdoch University and said the award was well deserved.

“Adjunct Professor Bunbury has made a tremendous contribution to his field and through his work at Murdoch has provided a wealth of knowledge to staff and students,” Professor Yovich said.

The author of 11 books now lives in Margaret River with his wife Jenny who he said had always helped him proofread his books and provided valuable feedback and is also working on several books.