TO some, a dusty archive is just a room full of old papers.
For Adam Mitchell at Moree Plains Shire Council, it’s a giant puzzle where every piece belongs to a local family.
As the local studies and digitisation officer at Moree Community Library, Mr Mitchell isn’t just preserving history, he’s bringing it to life for a digital age.
Armed with a master’s degree from the Australian National University in Canberra and a passion for the bush, Adam has transformed the library’s digital collection from a modest 250 items to more than 2200 in two years.
“I always wanted to live in a regional area where people have a willingness to share their lives with each other,” Mr Mitchell said.
“This job is meaningful because everyone is looking for someone.”
The surge in interest isn’t just coming from academics.
Mr Mitchell says 90 per cent of the enquiries he handles are from everyday families hunting for long-lost relatives, or a single, precious photograph of a grandparent.
With the rise of platforms like Ancestry, the hunt for ‘roots’ has become a local obsession.
Mr Mitchell’s work ensures the stories of the Moree Plains – from the historic Freedom Rides to the legacy of Justice Mary Gaudron – don’t sit in a basement.
He believes for history to matter, it must be accessible.
“It’s not enough to have an interesting collection – you also have to make it easy to find,” he said.
“It’s about what’s relevant today.”
That relevance is reaching far beyond the Moree Plains Shire.
Surprisingly, half the people accessing Moree’s online history live outside the region.
Many are working with the Dhiiyaan Aboriginal Centre to trace their lineage – a movement that is quietly boosting cultural tourism as families travel to Moree to walk where their ancestors once stood.
Mr Mitchell isn’t only archiving stories.
He’s writing them, too.
Mr Mitchell is the author of Stories from the Plains, a local studies journal that has become so popular its print run has increased four-fold since the first edition.
“Historic writing was always my strength,” Mr Mitchell said.
“It makes sense to bring that to the role to give these records the attention they deserve.”
The next edition of Stories from the Plains will dive into the history of the Moree-to-Mungindi railway line, a vital artery of the region’s past.
Mr Mitchell said relevant topics for this edition also include Bullarah, Moree Mission School, Aboriginal education and Moree War Memorial Hall.
The launch of Stories from the Plains edition six this week will be the community’s first opportunity to receive free copies, meet the author, mingle with others interested in the region’s history and see artefacts and photographs relating to content.
For those looking to find their own piece of the puzzle, Adam’s message is simple: The door and the database are open.
The launch will be held on Thursday, May 7 at 5.30pm at Moree Community Library.
For more information, call the library on 6757 3374.
The fifth edition of Stories from the Plains can be read HERE.
