Celebrate the release of a powerful new history of Australian motherhood this Mother’s Day weekend! When she first become a mother in 2013, historian Dr Carla Pascoe Leahy looked around her for stories of how mothering had changed over time. She was shocked to find that no one had written a history of Australian motherhood.
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Family Historian Smita Biswas will share tips to find clues about your family roots in India and Sri Lanka, including understanding the history, surnames and official resources. Regarded by some historians as the oldest living civilization on Earth, the Indian tradition dates back to 8,000 BC and has a continuous recorded history of over 2,500
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Join Professor Janet McCalman of the University of Melbourne as she discusses her book Vandemonians: the repressed history of colonial Victoria. This fascinating book examines the stories of Victoria’s convict ancestors to find more than just their criminal activity. Only now are we discovering their stories and Victoria's place in the nation's convict history.

Librarian Jack Chan has had a long-time interest in local and family history and has researched his own Chinese ancestry in Australia. He has documented the history of his own family’s Chinese restaurants in Geelong. Join Jack for his trip down memory lane and his tips for researching family history.

Local author June Factor will discuss her book Soldiers and aliens: men in the Australian Army’s Employment Companies during World War II, which details the forgotten history of the remarkable contribution of non-British subjects to Australia in 1939-1945.

It is Family History Month! Join us for a fascinating panel discussion on the history of Australian mothers and how motherhood has changed over time. Dr. Carla Pascoe Leahy, author of Becoming a Mother: an Australian History and Miranda Francis, a researcher into the history of Australian motherhood in the 20th century, will discuss their
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Join Nick Cree as he discusses his research on British surnames with reference to recent census data on the population of the Shire of Nillumbik. He will also discuss some examples of origins of commonly occurring names. Surnames are a fascinating area of family history with records dating back to the 11th century. Presented by
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Charlotte Chidell has researched the life of pioneer Katherine Rose Beale (1795-1856) who arrived at Port Phillip in 1839. The Beale family established the St Helena estate. Finding few reliable primary sources, her book, This Still Hearth tells the story of Katherine in a mix of fact and fiction. In this presentation Charlotte will discuss her research, writing
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Most South Asian family history has been traditionally maintained only within families and has been passed down from generation to generation, with children hearing their stories from their "elders" from early childhood.  In this session, Librarian and family historian Smita Biswas will share other basic steps and tips to get more clues about your South Asian countries' family
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Did you have farming ancestors? Join members of the Whittlesea Historical Society who will present the history of some key pioneer farming families within the City, recognising the history and heritage of the Whittlesea farming community since 1859 when the Agricultural Society was established. Visit display items and share your own stories as part of our family
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