This fund is available on an ongoing basis at he discretion of the Oral History WA Committee. Small grants of between $100 to $500 are available up a total of $1,000 each financial year.
This bursary is named for John Ferrell, a Past President of Oral History WA.
John Ferrell was a teacher and historian who was one of the pioneers of oral history in WA. Having met Jean Teasdale at a History Teachers’ Conference in the mid-1970s, John began to explore oral history as another way of documenting the interest that he had developed in local history while growing up in Albany.
John also conducted many significant interviews which have been added to the State Library of Western Australia’s oral history collection.
In the spirit of continuous learning and exploration that John always demonstrated, this fund is aimed at supporting and encouraging the practice of oral history in Western Australia. In particular, this fund aims to support oral historians who need to cover travel expenses to conduct, share or learn about oral history.
What Projects Can Be Funded?
Funding may be awarded for travel expenses (including fuel costs) to support the following:
- the recording of new oral history interviews
- the development of interpretation work (for example, an exhibition, display or podcast) that will bring oral history to a new audience
- travel to attend an oral history conference or workshop.
Download application form here: https://oralhistorywa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/OHWA-Ferrell-Travel-Fund-application-form.pdf