A fabulous email from Sweden

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These steel wire recordings were discovered in Sweden among the files of Sven Strömgren, first cousin to our grandmother, Josephine Annie Romeril (née Brudus).

Sven’s son, Peter Strömgren, undertook the enormous task of having the recordings transferred to MP3 format. It has taken almost two years to find someone capable of doing this delicate work, so a very heartfelt thank you to Peter for his persistence and dedication.

There are three recordings in total.

One was made in 1965 and sent from Nana Rom to Sven. It features my brother, Tony Romeril, singing Santa Lucia when he was just 14 years old. Tony tells me that Mum arranged the recording because she wanted to preserve his beautiful boy soprano singing voice before it broke!

I think you will agree that, although the recording is a little scratchy, it is absolutely remarkable considering it is more than 60 years old.

Another recording captures Nana Rom speaking to Sven about the devastating Victorian bushfires and includes a radio news bulletin from the time. Our Uncle Ted (Edward Thomas Romeril, 1925–1988) can also be heard signing off at the end of the recording.

These recordings are a precious glimpse into our family’s history — voices and moments that otherwise may have been lost forever.

Voices From Our Family Past

These remarkable recordings were discovered in Sweden among the papers of Sven Strömgren, first cousin to our grandmother Josephine Annie Romeril (née Brudus).

Thanks to Peter Strömgren, who spent almost two years finding someone able to transfer the old steel wire recordings into MP3 format, we can now hear these family voices again more than 60 years later.

Tony Romeril singing “Santa Lucia” — 1965

Recorded when Tony was 14 years old. Mum arranged the recording because she wanted to preserve his singing voice before it broke.



Nana Rom speaks about the Victorian bushfires

This recording includes Nana Rom describing the devastating bushfires in Victoria together with a radio news bulletin from the time. Uncle Ted can also be heard signing off.



These recordings preserve precious family voices and moments that otherwise may have been lost forever.

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