n the dungeon at Murdoch! WISALTS received a Community Heritage Grant in 2001 from the National Library to assess the vast store of papers, survey plans, reports and photographs which Harry Whittington and other WISALTS members have collected over the past 25 years. An independent assessment was carried out which recommended that the collection was a valuable resource and should be preserved.

One researcher described the papers as ‘an invaluable collection for researchers on the history of salinity politics between 1947 and 1999’, as well as for the history of farming and the Landcare ethos in WA.

On Harry Whittington’s death in 1999, this historical treasure trove was transferred to the Murdoch Library Special Collection. Harry’s family have recently made a concerted effort to catalogue the collection, sort out and name photos and to copy and preserve the many farm survey plans drawn up by WISALTS Consultants over the years.

While a book has already been written about Harry’s work, the society considers that there is much valuable information about farmers’ decision making and planning which would be a valuable resource for further study and follow up. While the collection is housed at Murdoch, permission must be sought from WISALTS (wisalts@optusnet.com.au) to access it.

Find out the latest report on this project: 
Murdoch University Library WISALTS Collection November 2010 newsletter