I'm very aware we are the first generation ever to have such incredible opportunities to express ourselves publicly to a worldwide audience.

There were so many wrongs piling up on both sides, so much of the past being dragged into the present, that living there was like carving the story of your life on to a sepulchral monument.

As a novelist it is my job to tell stories that inspire and entertain but I am increasingly mindful that many of these historical tales (which of themselves are fascinating) relate directly to our issues in society today.

Without archives many stories of real people would be lost, and along with those stories, vital clues that allow us to reflect and interpret our lives today.

An important part of deciding where we want to go, as a society and culture, is knowing where we have come from, and indeed, how far we have come.

Our archives are treasure troves - a testament to many lives lived and the complexity of the way we move forward. They contain clues to the real concerns of day-to-day life that bring the past alive.

The question shouldn't be, 'Are we guilty about our Colonial past?' it should be, 'Why aren't we more guilty about our corporate present?

My fascination with history is as much about the present as it is about the past.

We might give her presents, tell some tales, but would she ever be able to really understand what the journey had been like for us?