Former mayor and Goulburn resident Tony Lamarra paints a stark picture of his family enduring the chaos of war and its aftermath.
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..."At the age of 7, we went through the 2nd World War. Our hometown was completely destroyed. There was not one stone left up, and after the war, I had to readjust myself. But during the time of war, I have seen many, many mishaps and hardship where you know the Germans at that time put us before the machine guns and they were going to cut us down..."
Mr Lamarra and his wife Adriana shared their journey with Goulburn Mulwaree Library's local studies officer Fran O'Flynn and mobile library operator Maria Daly as part of the State Library of NSW's Oral History project.
"It is a story of their hard work, generosity, and love for the community. That's what shines through," Miss O'Flynn said.
Their journey has been documented as part of the project which aims to preserve the unexplored local history stories in the city.
The Oral History project team has also captured the stories of "an older gentleman who has lived a very interesting life" and a young man who came to the city and is living with his family here.
"The three people we have interviewed so far have this enormous generosity of spirit which is extraordinary," Miss O'Flynn said.
These interviews will give a glimpse of the unique social identity of the region, where people came from, and how they end up in different places.
"It's been a learning curve. The idea is to document these stories so that their children and grandchildren are able to look it up in the future," Miss Daly said.
"The people we interview can share anything about their life whether it is a memorable incident or something that has stayed with them."
The interview is accessible online in the library catalogue and archived in the local history collection. A transcript of the interview will also be available in the library.
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