The National Archives of Australia Struggles to Protect our Heritage
14th May 2021
Politicians of all hues like to appeal to history, but few want to pay for it. History has been at the centre of the culture wars for the past 30 years, and each politician has a view of the past. However, History is not valued when it comes to paying to protect the archives. Yet without archives,
read more...Ashley Smith’s latest monthly story for Docklands News has been published. Based on photo of some impressive gates built in 1927 into Victoria Dock, Ashley’s story looks at the unpalatable truth behind the gates.
“For as long as there have been ports, wharves or docks, there have been opportunistic thieves who have taken advantage of unwatched cargo, and Melbourne was no exception. The Argus in 1918 (August 21) identified that stolen items ranged from beer,
read more...Cheryl Griffin’s latest story in CBD News has hit the streets. To tie in with our current exhibition, Tales from the MacRobertson International Air Races, Cheryl has looked at the adulation piled high on these daring young men in their flying machines (only one woman made it from England to Australia and despite being a pilot herself she travelled as a passenger, knitting all the way). Her story focuses on marvellous photo of the winners being mobbed as their vehicles move from Bourke Street into Swanston Street.
read more...On Thursday night, 15th April 2021, Dr Barry Jones launched the Portable Buildings World Heritage Nomination Task Force, which aims to persuade Australian governments, state and Commonwealth, to seek world heritage listing for the more than 100 19th Century prefabricated or ‘portable’ buildings still standing in Australia. The RHSV supports this exciting bid. We are represented on the Task Force committee by RHSV Heritage Committee Chair, Emeritus Professor Charles Sowerwine. The proposal contains terrific photos of these buildings.
read more...Cheryl Griffin’s latest article for CBD News gives the low-down on the Red Cross in the CBD during WWII and shines a light on Vera Deakin’s work for the Red Cross – check it out here (scroll down to page 21)
Ashley Smith’s latest article for Docklands News can be read here . A terrifying look at the Yarra in Flood.
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The RHSV has just received the email below from Andrew Abbot, Chief Executive of Creative Victoria, with updates to the COVID restrictions that come into force tomorrow night (6pm Friday 26th of March, 2021).
In summary:
Charles Sowerwine, Chair of the RHSV Heritage Committee, has been busy over the holidays defending the integrity of the UNESCO world-heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens from intrusive and inappropriate development. A very comprehensive article from The Age can be read here or you can listen to Professor Sowerwine being interviewed by Tom Elliott on Drive at 3AW.
Anger over modern, ‘look-at-me’ design for historic site
read more...Some stories to tickle your fancy between visits to the family over Christmas
All staff, volunteers, contractors & visitors should read the RHSV COVIDSAFE PLAN attached here
read more...The RHSV are calling on the state government to pause and reconsider the felling of trees on the Western Highway Duplication Project. We believe that, before trees are felled, consultation should take place with all those to whom they are significant, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. The felling of trees is a grave problem across the whole Western Highway Duplication project and indeed across all of Victoria. Read our statement here.
read more...Our researchers Cheryl Griffin and Ashley Smith have great articles in the latest CBD News and Docklands News respectively.
Cheryl looks at the Queen Victoria Market in 1901 (scroll to page 18) and Ashley has A Coode Time on the Yarra (scroll down to page 24).
read more...Amanda Scardamaglia has won the 2020 Victorian Premier’s History Award for her splendid book,
Printed on Stone The Lithographs of Charles Troedel. Amanda will be talking about her book and research at an RHSV event on Monday 30 November. For the full list of winners, commendations and all entrants please click through here.
read more...Hooray! The RHSV is now open to the public and members who want to visit the gallery or conduct research in the collection. The bookshop is also open and we’ll be reinstating Chris Manchee’s popular walking tours of historic Flagstaff Gardens. Please remember if you are visiting the Drill Hall that masks and sanitising are mandatory.
All historical societies across Victoria can open to their volunteers and the public as long as they have a COVID plan in place and follow all the Government regulations re social distancing,
read more...The RHSV’s Heritage Committee has just made a submission to the Draft Heritage Management Plan for the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens. More can be seen here. In this submission, we noted the lack of a single responsible authority for the world heritage site. In our response to the Discussion Paper preparing the Review of the Strategy Plan for the World Heritage Environs Area, we noted the betrayal of promises to protect the surrounding areas from high-rise building.
read more...Cheryl Griffin looks at an early 1950s Melbourne streetscape – more pointedly it is of the Commonwealth Bank Building at 219 – 225 Bourke St. This 11-storey building dwarfed the Victorian buildings around it but the word ‘skyscraper’ wouldn’t be used for another 5-6 years when the breathtakingly tall 19-storey ICI House was built.
Cheryl’s full article can be read in the August 2020 CBD News.
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