Royal Historical Society of Victoria

KALEIDOSCOPE
2022-03-31 - 2022-12-23 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
This exhibition is biography imagined through the lens of a Kaleidoscope. The viewer is offered fragments of the lives represented here. There is no linear narrative. Each time the kaleidoscope turns, a different story emerges. There are repeating patterns but different emphases and new ways of seeing, new reflections, new refractions. No one story dominates and one story does not fit all.
in 2021, during Women’s History Month we launched the RHSV Women’s Biographical Dictionary, an online resource which builds profiles of women who have been involved in the RHSV over its 113 year history. This project is the work of Dr Cheryl Griffin and from this online resource, Cheryl has curated Kaleidoscope, launched in March 2022 by Judi Maddigan, which looks at the lives of 50 of those important women.
CURATOR: DR CHERYL GRIFFIN
EXHIBITION DESIGNER: KATRIN STROHL
EXHIBITION PRODUCTION: DR DAVID THOMPSON & HELEN STITT
The exhibition is opened Monday – Friday (excluding public holidays) from 9am-5pm and entry is free-of-charge.

An exhibition - Glen Eira Historical Society 50 years 1972-2022
2022-09-01 10:00 - 2022-10-23 16:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | Glen Eira City Council Gallery, Corner Glen Eira and Hawthorn Roads, Caulfield, VIC, 3162, Australia
Since its formation in 1972 the Glen Eira Historical Society has collected over 5000 items; documents, photographs, ephemera, maps and more.
To commemorate 50 years we dipped into our collection and uncovered some gems, including member’s favourites, objects large and small and some of the first donations received.
This exhibition will be held in the Glen Eira Council Gallery Two from 1 September to 23 October. Please check the Gallery website for opening times.

Seeds of Concrete Progress: Grain Elevators and Technology Transfer between America and Australia
2022-10-20 17:30 - 19:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
#SeedsofConcrete22
In partnership with Engineering Heritage Victoria
The fascination of the Modern Movement with the uncompromising aesthetics of concrete silos scattered worldwide is well known. Since their first appearances in North America, the arrays of concrete silos used for storing grain along railway networks have captured the attention of many, including architects, industrial archaeologists, painters, photographers, and artists. However, several aspects of the construction and engineering of their design are less known and remain worthy of more research.
In the early 1900s, concrete grain elevators also blossomed along the Australian railway networks of the Wheat Belts, marking with their enduring presence the landscapes of many rural towns and cities in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia. The Australian reception of these industrial structures of American provenance is proof of the far-sighted efforts of the State Governments of the time and contribute to the nation-building of modern Australia in a global context.
These widespread concrete structures also have important significance in engineering and technological history due to their innovative construction methods. The rural and urban proliferation of grain silos in Australia contributed significantly to developing a confident local concrete industry. During the 1920s, concrete technology entered a new phase bolstered by ingenious systems of movable formwork, like slip forming. After World War II, the mastering of engineering and construction techniques used in silos opened the doors to high-rise concrete construction methods still critical today for infrastructure and multi-storey buildings.
Dr Giorgio Marfella is a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Florence (Italy) and holds a PhD in Architecture from the University of Melbourne.
He joined the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, at the University of Melbourne in 2014, where he is appointed as full time Senior Lecturer in Construction and Architecture. Giorgio is a registered architect and the current chairperson of the Architects Registration Board of Victoria, and before becoming an academic he has practiced with several renowned architectural companies based in Melbourne.
Giorgio is an international expert on the design, technology and history of tall buildings. In his doctorate thesis, he researched the techno-economic evolution of Melbourne’s skyscrapers during the second half of the twentieth century, revealing how their built form was a by-product of entrepreneurial speculation, public interest, international design exchange and radical technological innovation. He is a research active academic and member of his Faculty’s research centre, Australian Centre for Architectural History, Urban and Cultural Heritage, where he contributes for his expertise in construction history. His research activities are concentrated on the techno-economic implications of tall buildings of the present, the cultural legacy of those from the past, the history of technology in architecture, and the processes of design innovation through the advancement of building products and materials.
Photo caption:
On the edge of Nhill, across the railroad tracks, is the former Noske Brothers’ flour mill. According to Richard Cornish writing of his ‘Six reasons to visit Nhill’ in the Sydney Morning Herald, “Built in 1888, it became the largest freestanding concrete structure in Australia 20 years later when a massive concrete silo was added. Now abandoned, the site has a brutal beauty that attracts photographers, especially at dawn and dusk, when the dying light of the day wraps itself gradually around its concrete curves.”

Please note that, like all RHSV events, we serve refreshments from 5:30pm – 6pm at which time the lecture will start and the Zoom-cast will start. When you book a ticket, you will automatically be sent a confirmation email – please check your Junk or Spam mailbox if this email doesn’t appear in your in-box. 24 hours prior to the event, we will send the ZOOM log-in details to all those attending via ZOOM. Once again, check those Junk or Spam mail folders if the email isn’t in your in-box.

History of Scouting in Victorian Reformatory Prisons - Libraries After DarkAuto Draft
2022-10-20 19:30 - 21:00 | Springvale Library, 5 Hillcrest Grove, Springvale, Victoria, 3171, Australia
While researching for his latest book, historian and JP (& long-time member of the Scouting movement) Colin Rimington, came across an interesting aspect of Scouting history in both the Castlemaine and Pentridge reformatory prisons. He has written about this and will be presenting at Greater Dandenong Libraries Thursday 20th October. This event can be attended both online or in person.
