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Stephen Nichols
What
is your current position?
I am a PhD student in the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland and work part time as a heritage consultant for the Department of Main Roads.
Where
did you study archaeology?
I have a BA with a double major in archaeology and a BA (Hons) from the University of Queensland. I am also currently undertaking my PhD studies at the University of Queensland.
How
did you become interested in archaeology?
I guess I have always been interested in archaeology, but when I left school nobody ever told me that I could have a career in it, and I ended up becoming a Chartered Accountant. After more than 10 years working in the world of corporate finance, including a few stints overseas, I came to the conclusion that I needed something more interesting and fulfilling to do with my life! So I turned back to my interest in archaeology and anthropology, did some research about the prospects of becoming an archaeologist and, to my surprise, found that archaeology has a bright future here in Australia. There are actually many career options available to an Australian archaeology graduate, in both the public and private sectors. I enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Queensland and have never looked back!
What
archaeological projects are you working on at the moment?
My main involvement at the moment is with the Mill Point Archaeological Project. Mill Point is an historical archaeology site at Lake Cootharaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, not far from Noosa. From 1869-1892 it was the location of an early European timber settlement with a thriving community of workers and their families. Today the site is part of the Great Sandy National Park and was recently listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. The project has been running now for three years and we have undertaken four seasons of fieldwork including a detailed survey of the site and a number of test excavations. There are currently two PhD research students working on the project, of which I am one. For more information about Mill Point, check out the project website at www.atsis.uq.edu/millpoint.
Tell
us about one of your most interesting archaeological discoveries.
Archaeologists don’t really set out to discover ‘things’ or objects as such. Rather, they aim to understand the lifeways of the people who made and used the objects. The greatest archaeological discoveries for me have been the incredible insights that an archaeological understanding of humanity offers about our world today, and the possibilities for what it might be in the future. Knowledge gained from archaeology is directly relevant to some of the really big social and political issues currently facing contemporary Australia, like reconciliation, immigration, human rights, climate change and environmental degradation.
Tell
us about a funny/disastrous/amazing experience that you have had
while doing archaeology.
Funny and amusing things happen all the time when you’re doing archaeology. One experience I’ll never forget was during the first field season at Mill Point. I’d had a few too many amber ales one night and the next day we had to hand-clear what seemed like 100 acres of lantana in a 42 degree heatwave! I thought I was going to die, I was sweating out so much fluid that I actually drank over 25 litres of water without going to the toilet once! Needless to say, I learned my lesson.
What’s
your favourite part of being an archaeologist?
My favourite part of being an archaeologist is waking up every morning knowing that something interesting will happen during the day. Whether out in the field, working in the lab, doing research in the library, talking to locals and Traditional Owners, giving presentations, writing reports, attending conferences or just having a few drinks with your colleagues, there is never a dull moment in the amazing world of archaeology!
Follow
up reading:
Nichols, S. 2004 Out of the box: Popular Notions of Archaeology in Documentary Programs on Australian Television. Available at http://eprint.uq.edu.au/archive/00002456/
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