How Money Matters

Having alighted from the bus in an industrial area I’d never been before, I found the right building and descended the stairs. As instructed by email, I rang the doorbell. I was immediately met by the two cutest dachshunds you’ve ever seen. My first words to the Westpac archivist: “This is already the best archive ever!” Pic: incredibly cute research assistant with literal puppy dog eyes This is not an open archive so I’m incredibly grateful to the archivist for having me, even though it is not a requirement of her job. Here in post-academia, this substack is a key way I fund my research. If you’re able to become a paid subscriber that will help so much. If you can’t and want access to the back catalogue (all posts are free to begin with), let me know – we can work it out. The archivist has laid out on trolleys the sample of ledgers from the Wiradjuri (Western) goldfields, which is where I am generally concentrating my research. Ledgers are a funny historical source, consisting mainly…