"Most of our young adults and our children have little concept of life in rural America during those long ago years. 'Memories of Yesteryear' is written by one who lived during those years between the two great wars, World War I and World War II, and who remembers vividly life 'way back then.' It is written to enable older people to reminisce concerning the years of their childhood and youth. It is also writtten to inform the youth and younger adults of today how life was in those years"--Preface, page 9.
On two separate days in August 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As the seventy-fifth anniversary of these cataclysmic bombings draws near, American and Japanese citizens are seeking new ways to memorialize these events for future generations. In Discordant Memories, Alison Fields explores—through the lenses of multiple disciplines—ongoing memories of the two bombings. Enhanced by striking color and black-and-white images, this book is an innovative contribution to the evolving fields of memory studies and nuclear humanities. To reveal the layered complexities of nuclear remembrance, Fields analyzes photography, film, and artworks; offers close readings of media and testimonial accounts; traces site visits to atomic museums in New Mexico and Japan; and features artists who give visual form to evolving memories. According to Fields, such expressions of memory both inspire group healing and expose struggles with past trauma. Visual forms of remembrance—such as science museums, peace memorials, photographs, and even scars on human bodies—serve to contain or manage painful memories. And yet, the author claims, distinct cultures lay claim to vastly different remembrances of nuclear history. Fields analyzes a range of case studies to uncover these discordant memories and to trace the legacies of nuclear weapons production and testing. Her subjects include the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos, New Mexico; the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan; the atomic photography of Carole Gallagher and Patrick Nagatani; and artworks and experimental films by Will Wilson and Nanobah Becker. In the end, Fields argues, the trauma caused by nuclear weapons can never be fully contained. For this reason, commemorations of their effects are often incomplete and insufficient. Differences between individual memories and public accounts are also important to recognize. Discordant Memories illuminates such disparate memories in all their rich complexity.
Muckadilla Township is on the Warrego Highway about 40 kilometers from Roma in South Western Queensland. We trust that the insight given by many will benefit Present and Future Generations who appreciate the Characters who came to open up Mount Abundance Properties, Build the Railway, School and Businesses. Then enjoy each others company at Sporting Events. Barry Mc Mullen used to say, "Muckadilla Country is good enough to fatten a crowbar!" - We hope there will always be people who say with a chuckle, "I've been to Muckadilla - have you?"
I was 78 years old when my wife challenged me to write my autobiography. So I sat down at the table in the family room. I had a tablet, a pencil, an eraser and a dictionary. Then i sat there and said to myself this is crazy, I have no writing skills what so ever and just an elementary school education. So now what do I do? But I did have something that was invaluable and that was a memory that I could drawl on to tell my story. This is not an ordinary autobiography. It is a series of words and pictures that in some cased are so vivid that the reader actually has the feeling that they have become part of the story. So now I invite you to come with me to share all of these unforgettable memories.
