Dr Kelly Fleming

Growing up, I had two dreams, I’d either be an archaeologist or a journalist.

Well, I did become a writer so I guess that covers some aspects of being a journalist, but my dream job would have been an archaeologist.

I worked at the local museum in high school in the archives. One project I did was the history of the Jewish community in my city.

During summer break from university one year, I worked in my Mum’s hometown researching the history of Deaf community there. That was an awesome experience but as I came across family members in the community who were no longer with us.

But my dream was to get into the dirt!

The following summer break from university I got a job with the archeological society in my hometown. I wanted to be part of the dig team but my disability got in the way. I couldn’t access the locations so I archived the finds of the team.

Technically I did get my hands dirty, learning techniques for cleaning fragile finds.

Many were indigenous spearheads. Others were handles and hinges from caskets.

Now this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I found it fascinating trying to date the handles and hinges, the craftsmanship of them.

Everything needed cleaned, identified and as much as possible, dated. There was a lot of research involved and it was fascinating.

If there’s ever an opportunity to do that again, I’ll sign up for it!

History is a part of our lives. Understanding the “who” and the “what” is fascinating. It shapes our future, whether the history be positive or negative. We need to take the historical significance and impact on society and use it to understand the “now” and the future.