The judges can award a special prize for any outstanding entry outside of established categories.
Visions of Victoria. The Magic of Kodachrome Film, 1950‒1975
Nick Anchen
Sierra Publishing, Melbourne, 2019
Visions of Victoria provides a window on Victoria’s past in the third quarter of the 20th century. Most of the photographs it presents were taken in Melbourne, but Bendigo, Ballarat and a range of smaller rural towns also feature.
read more...Out of the Madhouse. From Asylums to Caring Community?
Sandy Jeffs and Margaret Leggatt
Arcadia, Melbourne, 2020
Out of the Madhouse is an outstanding history, in every regard. The ‘madhouse’ was Larundel Psychiatric Hospital, a Melbourne institution from 1953 to 1999.
Drawing upon 71 interviews with former inmates, their family and friends, nurses, doctors, allied health workers and other staff, Out of the Madhouse brings to life the shocking consequences of mental ill-health and the equally shocking treatments;
read more...Wed 28 Oct 4:30pm
Click here to watch the announcement of all the winners on our YouTube channel
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We can help you with your event for History Month if you’d like to do something over Zoom. We also have a great many ideas for different kinds of events below, which we hope will inspire you.
When you have an event upload it to www.historymonth.org.au . If you have any queries contact Jo on inf*@historymonth.org.au
HELP FROM THE RHSV
Sunday 2 August 2020
With level 4 restrictions coming in to place tonight from 6pm we have decided that all staff will work from home for the next 6 weeks or the duration of level 4 restrictions. Our phones are switched through to Rebecca’s mobile and we are still accessible by email. Our Zoom events and meetings will go ahead as planned. The bookshop will still be operating however, apologies in advance, we will only be posting books once a week so deliveries will be slower than usual.
read more...Cheryl Griffin’s wonderful riff on a simple photo of a father and his children walking in Fitzroy Gardens under the skeletal elms in 1913 has been published in CBD News and can be read here.
For Docklands News, Ashley Smith was inspired by a photo (1878) of a building long gone to delve into stories of sailors and their salvation. Read Ashley’s story here.
read more...Friday 19 June 2020
The Royal Historical Society of Victoria, the peak body for local and community history in Victoria for over a century, is astonished that Humanities students in Australian universities are being burdened with an unprecedented rise of up to 113% in student fees. This is an impost on one of Australia’s most creative sectors at a time when creative solutions are needed to help Australia emerge from an economic shock of unparalleled dimensions.
read more...CBD News loves our articles on history so much that they have asked us to supply a monthly article for their sister publication, Docklands News. Ashley Smith, an RHSV researcher, has produced his first Docklands News piece and it is a wonderful riff on Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works’ divers. It can be read here. The photo has also been reproduced in both Melbourne’s Twenty Decades and Remembering Melbourne.
read more...We have decided to split the Administration Officer’s role into two parts: a full-time Administration role and a part-time (one day per week) book-keeper.
The position descriptions for both roles can be found by clicking on the links above.
Applications for both positions close at 5pm on Tuesday 16 June.
If you would like to discuss either position please contact our Executive Officer, Rosemary Cameron on ros*************@historyvictoria.org.au or 9326 9288
read more...
Cheryl Griffin has written another fascinating and evocative story on just one of the photos in our collection for the latest edition of CBD News.
If you are in the city, grab a copy, if not, check it out on-line. CBD News has a great archive of our stories – on the bottom of their home page.
https://cbdnews.com.au/dining-in-style-at-spencer-street-station/
read more...In Sunday’s Herald Sun (1 March 2020) there was a great article, Future Lies in the Past, where News Editor John Masanauskas interviewed Richard Broome.
It is not often that historians make the gossip columns (“Gossip Queen: Invitation Only – Inside the A-List events in Melbourne” no less) but there was our past-President, Andrew Lemon, snapped at the opening of the revamped horse racing gallery at the MCG’s Australian Sports Museum.
Both articles attached here and here.
read more...For all our researchers, members & friends the RHSV will be closed on Monday 27 January for the Australia Day public holiday.
read more...While you were still snoozing at 6:20am Richard Broome, our President, was busy chatting to Andrew Hansen (of Chaser fame) on local ABC radio about Melbourne’s Twenty Decades, our latest publication, and the website is close to meltdown with book orders. ABC listeners are quick on the draw!
If you’d like to listen to the interview:
https://www.abc.net.au/…/progr…/breakfast/breakfast/11848484 (the interview is about 4 mins 20 seconds into the podcast).
If you still haven’t bought your copy (and don’t be the only person in Melbourne without one) click on the link:
https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/…/melbournes-twenty-dec…/
We are searching for a new Administrator to join our small team.
At the end of 2019 Amy who was on one year’s maternity leave resigned to continue to look after her three children at home and Pankaj, who had been filling in for Amy, returned home to India. So we are searching for a new permanent Administrator. Great book-keeping and admin skills are a must and this job is never dull. The full position description and details on how to apply can be found here.
read more...The RHSV (and History Victoria Bookshop) will be closed for 2 weeks over Christmas /New Year. Our last day is Friday 20 December and we return to work on Monday 6 January 2020.
Best wishes for Christmas and a splendid 2020 to all our members and friends.
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239 A'Beckett Street Melbourne, Victoria, 3000 
Office & Library: Weekdays 9am-5pm
03 9326 9288 
office@historyvictoria.org.au