Newcastle couple launches 'living archive' to preserve regional folklore

Emily Connell and Thomas Kelly have founded Oh My Folklore, a project that records and shares oral myths, legends and unexplained stories from the Hunter Region of New South Wales. Describing the venture as a "living archive," the pair began the initiative last month and secured a $1,000 grant from Awesome Newcastle to fund its launch.

Connell works in business development while Kelly is a picture framer and independent filmmaker; together they research, script, film and edit the stories. Within weeks the Instagram account attracted close to 2,000 followers, with the most popular tale being a 1913 haunted house in New Lambton. The duo plans to release a new series focusing on local bushranger folklore.