The Voice of Time oral history project is a collection of interviews with 150 people, descendants of pioneering families and long-time residents of the Coffs Harbour region.

The content of the interviews was used extensively by Baiba Berzins in her monograph North Coast Women : a history to 1939 to describe the experiences of women in the Coffs Coast region of New South Wales.

The original project was completed in 1988 as an Australian Bicentennial project.

In 2007 the original tapes were digitised by Coffs Harbour City Library to enable improved preservation and public access of the content. The Voice of Time Online was officially launched on 20 September 2007 by the Mayor of Coffs Harbour, Cr. Keith Rhoades.

Each 'Voice of Time' oral history interview recording begins with the reading of the following disclaimer:

The Voice of Time Oral History Project, 1986, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. This tape forms part of a collection of recordings on the oral past. Each tape contributes to a developing story of life in the Coffs Harbour area. It is understood that the Coffs Harbour Shire Library and Coffs Harbour Museum will at their discretion, allow students and researchers, or any other interested persons, to listen to the tapes and read the summaries, and use them in conjunction with their research or other educational purposes. It is further understood that no copies of the tapes may be made and nothing can be used from them in any published form without acknowledgment of the original source.

Coffs Harbour City Library acknowledges and thanks the following organisations and people for their assistance on this digitisation project:

Library Council of NSW (Ministry of the Arts) - for funding support (Library Development Grant)

Royal Australian Historical Society (NSW) - for funding support

Ms Rosie Block - Oral History Librarian at the State Library of NSW - for her professional advice

Ms Liz Mears - Library volunteer - for transcribing the typewritten interview summaries into electronic format

Ms Pat Bailey and Ms Bronwen Dyer - library staff - for their cataloguing work

Martin Van Veluwen (Oceanway Studios) - for technical advice and audio digitisation

We also would like to acknowledge the original 'Voice of Time' project team (1986-88):

• Coordinator: Maryanne Quinn
• Interviewers: Lesley Gibbs, Sheridah Melvin, & Kerri Moss

(with the support and assistance of the Coffs Harbour Historical Society and Museum).