The latest Living Lab Northern Rivers exhibition, Living Memory: Stories and Portraits, celebrating North Lismore, opened on June 19, and now the team involved are looking to build on the Living Memory project.

The exhibition features voices, images and histories from North Lismore (Banyam/Baigham), a suburb where many properties are part of the NSW Reconstruction Authority’s Resilient Homes Program— Australia’s largest disaster adaptation program in response to a flood.

Living Memory captures and preserves the place-based knowledge, cultural heritage and community ties that continue to resonate far beyond its boundaries.

Developed in response to community calls to preserve North Lismore’s legacy, the project, funded by the NSW Reconstruction Authority with in-kind contributions from Southern Cross University and the University of Technology Sydney, is a collaborative effort shaped by the generous contributions of people connected to the area. Participants have shared their time, memories, photographs and personal objects — creating a rich and layered portrait of a unique and resilient community.

The project has been brought to life by a small team including historian Adele Wessell, Jo Kijas and KateGahan, photographic artist Cherie Fahd and photographer Elise Derwin, in collaboration with Living Lab Northern Rivers. Their combined expertise spans oral history, portraiture, archival research and creative community engagement.

“This is a celebration of place and community — of how communities’ deep connections to place and each other have shaped our region. It recognises that storytelling helps us adapt, fosters belonging and learning,” says historian and project contributor Adele Wessell.

The exhibition reflects the area’s diversity — from Bundjalung Cultural Knowledge and dreaming stories to the histories of Chinese market gardeners, Italian and Lebanese families, artists, students and environmental protectors. It also highlights the practical ingenuity residents brought to living with the natural environment, including homes designed to adapt to flooding, and the strong social networks that supported neighbours through crisis.

Community invitation for more North Lismore portrait and memorabilia sessions

As part of the ongoing Living Memory project, members of the wider North Lismore community are invited to contribute to a growing archive of stories, images and objects that reflect the suburb’s rich history and deep sense of connection.

For those who have lived, worked or hold strong ties to North Lismore, two upcoming portrait and memorabilia sessions at the Living Lab Northern Rivers shopfront offer an opportunity to sit for a portrait, share personal memories, and bring along items for scanning that speak to their connection to the place.

Photographer Elise Derwin and historian Adele Wessell will be on-site to welcome participants, take portraits, and assist with the digitisation of memorabilia that will form part of the Living Memory digital archive.

Session times:

Thursday 31 July, 1–3pm

Saturday 2 August, 10.30am – 12.30pm

Participants are encouraged to bring photographs, documents or other personal items for scanning, as well as a USB to keep digital copies. Individuals, families, and groups are all welcome to contribute to this important record of North Lismore’s people, history and community spirit.

Living Memory is part of a broader effort to document community knowledge in the face of climate-driven change. A digital archive will make this material accessible into the future and inform how governments and communities across Australia respond to similar transitions.

Exhibition Dates

On now until 7 August 2025

Open Tuesday to Thursday, 1–4 pm at the Living Lab Northern Rivers, 11 Woodlark Street, Lismore

Read more at llnr.com.au.