02_ Roland Bannister – Music, lives and memories from Griffith, NSW, Australia

Today, on Italian Australians in Griffith there is a very special guest, Roland Bannister, author of Music and Love, Music and lives of Italian Australians in Griffith, New South Wales. 

Dr Roland Bannister began his working life as a carpenter. He then studied at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music and Newcastle Teachers College to become a music teacher and trombonist. He taught at Glen Innes High School, then Surbiton Boys High in London, and then - for 33 years - he worked as a music academic at Charles Sturt University’s Wagga Wagga Campus. In recent decades he has pursued projects in ethnomusicology (the study of people and their music). Roland and his wife Marion now live in Roland’s hometown, Newcastle NSW.

I was given the book Music and Love, Music and lives of Italian Australians in Griffith, New South Wales while I was in Griffith and as I started reading it, I couldn’t stop. I found it very captivating and beautifully written because Italian migration history is merged with personal stories and voices of the people Roland has interviewed for the book.

I think he has done an incredibly valuable research and your book should be read by anyone who is interested in Italian migrations, as I believe many personal stories, their deep connection with music and the role of music in shaping identities and getting communities together is shared by many Italian migrant communities all over the world.

If you would like to buy a copy of the book, please contact the Italian Australian Institute here: https://www.iai.com.au/

For any comment, you can use the box below.

Thank you for listening to Italian Australians in Griffith!

Giulia