Exhibition launch: The Swamp Vanishes
2020-01-23 17:00 - 19:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | RHSV, Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Emeritus Professor Richard Broome, President of the Royal Historical Society,
with RHSV Councillors,
invites you to the launch of our next exhibition
The Swamp Vanishes
to be launched by Dr Gary Presland
with a musical performance by The Orbweavers.
Curated by Lenore Frost.
Curatorial support: Richard Barnden and David Thompson.

A casualty of ‘exigeant and remorseless modern civilization’.
Before European settlers arrived in the Port Phillip district, a large wetland that lay between the Yarra River and the Moonee Ponds Creek sustained the indigenous people and the cultural traditions of the Kulin nation.
It was known by the new settlers as Batman’s Swamp, later West Melbourne Swamp. In less than 20 years that important wetland had been despoiled by European settlers, who turned into a receptacle for sewage and rubbish, and shot large numbers of birds.
While the wetland had initially been described in terms of beauty, within a few short years the swamp was noisome and reviled, and talk began of draining and reclamation. By the end of the century significant engineering works had changed the very shape of the land.
A feature of the land which had sustained aboriginal people for millennia prior to European settlement in 1835 became a refuge for the down and out during the 1930s depression. ‘Reclamation’ works continued, until the wetland is now represented by the Dynon Road Tidal Canal, parallel to Dynon Road, and a small Wildlife Reserve.
This exhibition traces the how a significant wetland vanished from sight.
During a Creative Fellowship at State Library of Victoria, The Orbweavers wrote a series of songs related to the West Melbourne Swamp. These include a song about the lost Blue Lake, songs about Moonee Ponds Creek and industry along the Birrarung and Maribyrnong Rivers in the 19th-20th centuries. To find out more about The Orbweavers click here.
Important notice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors who are warned that this exhibition contains images of deceased persons.
The RHSV also warns that there might be words and descriptions quoted that could be culturally sensitive and which might not normally be used in public or community contexts. Words and descriptions that reflect the authors and the historical period in which the item was written, may be considered inappropriate today.

Workshop: Born Digital Documents
2020-01-24 10:00 - 15:00 | RHSV ZOOM by Invitation, Australia
Presented by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and Victorian Collections, this hands-on workshop provides an introduction to the principles of acquiring, storing, cataloguing and caring for born-digital material. This workshop is suitable for beginners who may have, or plan to acquire, digital images, media files or documents in their collection.
Participants are asked to bring along their own laptop or contact the organisers to arrange a device upon booking. Morning tea and afternoon tea will be provided and we will break for a self-catered lunch.
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm (2 x 10 minute breaks for morning/afternoon tea and a 45 minute self-catered lunch)

Seminar: EARLY MELBOURNE SUBURBS 1835-1880
2020-02-01 10:00 - 16:00 | RHSV ZOOM by Invitation, Australia
The RHSV and the Genealogical Society of Victoria are delighted to co-present this full-day seminar which will give participants a deep understanding of the forces and influences which have shaped Melbourne’s early growth.
The seminar will be opened with a overview by Gary Presland on how Melbourne’s Geography shaped its development.
Then the following historians will explain the development of their locale

Footscray by Carmel Taig
Prahran by Steven Haby & Judith Buckrich
Heidelberg by Graham Thorley
“Up Sydney Road” – Brunswick & Coburg by Cheryl Griffin

This seminar is designed for those who are researching their family or community history and want to understand the why, who, when, what and how of Melbourne’s growth. Were the influencing factors economic? geographic? climatic? demographic? religious? commercial? opportunistic? geological? corrupt? dictated by government? What drew our ancestors to settle where they did?
It will also be of interest to those who merely want to deepen their understanding of Melbourne’s development without having a history project to hand.
Refreshments: Light lunch & refreshments provided throughout the day.

PEOPLE AND CHANGES TO TAY CREGGAN
2020-02-09 14:00 - 16:00 | Tay Creggan Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar, 30 Yarra Street, Hawthorn, VIC, 3122, Australia
An opportunity to see inside the magnificient Tay Creggan, in Yarra Street, Hawthorn. This heritage
home is now Strathcona year 9 campus. Diana Little will be talking about PEOPLE AND CHANGES TO TAY CREGGAN.
A book on Yarra Street by Elizabeth Love and Jennifer Bowen, will also be launched on this day.
Diana Little has been a staff member at Strathcona for 40 years! She was teacher-in-charge from 1983 to 1991. She currently looks after the alumni.
Since June 2009, Tay Creggan has been listed in the Victorian Heritage Register recognising its
‘architectural significance as one of the finest examples in Victoria of the Victorian Queen Anne Revival style and as one of the most picturesque houses built in Victoria in the late nineteenth century.’
For more information please contact the Hawthorn Historical Society: hawthornhistoricalsociety@gmail.com

Gippsland: Cataloguing and Digitisation series of six workshops
2020-02-15 | Federation University Gippsland Campus Library, Northways Road, Churchill, VIC, 3842, Australia
The RHSV is offering a series of 6 linked workshops (three Saturdays over three months) which cover cataloguing and digitisation. This series of workshops is progressive, starting with basic concepts and building in complexity.
We have spaced the workshops so that participants have time in which to put into practice their new skills before the next workshop. Participants need to bring their own lap-top.
Some participants will want to book for the full series of 6 workshops and others will want to choose those individual workshops that are most suitable for them. So, although the series is designed as a cohesive whole, the individual workshops also work as stand-alone training sessions. This booking page is for those who want to book for the entire series. If you want to book for individual workshops please click on those workshops below or return to the What’s On menu.
All workshops are limited to 20 participants and will be led by Sophie Shilling, our digital expert. They are all to be held at the library at Federation University’s Gippsland Campus in Churchill.
Tea and coffee are available throughout the day however participants will need to bring their lunch.
SATURDAY 15 FEBRUARY 9:30 AM– 12:30 PM
Workshop 1: Computer cataloguing for absolute beginners
This is a workshop for those who are new to computers, and small organisations who do not have the resources to use cataloguing software. Using only Excel, we will demonstrate how to create a simple catalogue that still complies with international standards. It will cover some cataloguing terminology, simple keyboard shortcuts for efficiency, and how to back-up your Excel files. We will also learn how to use and create a thesaurus/controlled vocabulary. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to create a catalogue in Excel that can be exported to a cataloguing software program in the future.
SATURDAY 15 FEBRUARY 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Workshop 2: Using cataloguing software
This workshop is for small organisations that are going to start use cataloguing software. Participants will have the opportunity to create catalogue records using cataloguing software, and will learn how to move import an existing catalogue from Excel. This workshop is suitable for those who have created catalogue records using Excel and are looking to try some good cataloguing options before committing to one software application.
SATURDAY 21 MARCH 9:30 AM– 12:30 PM
Workshop 3: Scanning for beginners
This workshop is aimed at those who are new to scanning. It will cover some terminology relating to digital images, and how to prepare documents for scanning before participants scan some documents using flatbed scanners. Participants will compare the document to the digital image and learn basic image manipulation to have the best possible digitised version. Then, file naming and storage standards will be applied to the digitised documents. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to scan documents confidently.
SATURDAY 21 MARCH 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Workshop 4: Digitising books and photographing objects
In this intermediate digitisation workshop, we will introduce participants to best-practice digitisation techniques and procedures. Participants will have the opportunity to digitise books using a book scanner, and to set up a site for object photography. Then, we will introduce some image manipulation techniques including making thumbnails and watermarks. This workshop is aimed at those who are comfortable using a flatbed scanner and would like to expand their digitisation and digital image manipulation skills.
SATURDAY 18 APRIL 9:30 AM– 12:30 PM
Workshop 5: Looking after digital files
This is a basic digital preservation workshop. The workshop will begin with brief project management skills including templates for policies and procedures. We will discuss digital storage, how to create backups, and how to check if files are damaged. Participants will learn how to describe an object using Dublin Core so that digital files can be discoverable.
SATURDAY 18 APRIL 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Workshop 6: Making collections accessible
Objects need to be accessible, whether that is to people managing a collection, to visitors, or to the public. This workshop will introduce themes of copyright and privacy that relate to historical collections. Participants will learn how to optimise catalogue records for discovery, how to write for social media, and create digital exhibitions.
ALL 6 WORKSHOPS (OVER 3 DAYS):
RHSV members and members of RHSV affiliated societies: $150
Non-RHSV members: $225
INDIVIDUAL WORKSHOPS (HALF-DAY):
RHSV members and members of RHSV affiliated societies: $30
Non-RHSV members: $45
Queries: +61 3 9326 9288 / office@historyvictoria.org.au

Gippsland Workshop 1: COMPUTER CATALOGUING FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS
2020-02-15 09:30 - 12:30 | Federation University Gippsland Campus Library, Northways Road, Churchill, VIC, 3842, Australia
This workshop is the first in a series of six workshops on digitisation and cataloguing to be held at Federation University’s Gippsland Campus in Churchill. If you wish to purchase a discounted ticket to all six workshops click here.
This is a workshop for those who are new to computers, and small organisations who do not have the resources to use cataloguing software. Using only Excel, we will demonstrate how to create a simple catalogue that still complies with international standards. It will cover some cataloguing terminology, simple keyboard shortcuts for efficiency, and how to back-up your Excel files. We will also learn how to use and create a thesaurus/controlled vocabulary. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to create a catalogue in Excel that can be exported to a cataloguing software program in the future.
The series of 6 linked workshops (three Saturday morning & afternoons over three months) cover aspects of cataloguing and digitisation. This series of workshops is progressive, starting with basic concepts and building in complexity.
Participants need to bring their own lap-top.
All workshops are limited to 20 participants and will be led by Sophie Shilling, our digital expert. They are all to be held at the library at Federation University’s Gippsland Campus in Churchill.
Tea and coffee are available throughout the workshop however participants staying for both workshops will need to bring their lunch.
INDIVIDUAL WORKSHOPS (HALF-DAY):
RHSV MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF RHSV AFFILIATED SOCIETIES: $30
NON-RHSV MEMBERS: $45
(ALL 6 WORKSHOPS (OVER 3 DAYS):
RHSV MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF RHSV AFFILIATED SOCIETIES: $150
NON-RHSV MEMBERS: $225)
QUERIES: +61 3 9326 9288 / OFFICE@HISTORYVICTORIA.ORG.AU
Check out the other workshops:
Workshop 1: Computer cataloguing for absolute beginners
Workshop 2: Using cataloguing software
Workshop 3: Scanning for beginners
Workshop 4: Digitising books and photographing objects
Workshop 5: Looking after digital files
Workshop 6: Making collections accessible

Gippsland Workshop 2: USING CATALOGUING SOFTWARE
2020-02-15 13:30 - 16:30 | Federation University Gippsland Campus Library, Northways Road, Churchill, VIC, 3842, Australia
This workshop is the second in a series of six workshops on digitisation and cataloguing to be held at Federation University’s Gippsland Campus in Churchill. If you wish to purchase a discounted ticket to all six workshops click here.
This workshop is for small organisations that are going to start use cataloguing software. Participants will have the opportunity to create catalogue records using cataloguing software, and will learn how to move import an existing catalogue from Excel. This workshop is suitable for those who have created catalogue records using Excel and are looking to try some good cataloguing options before committing to one software application.
The series of 6 linked workshops (three Saturday morning & afternoons over three months) cover aspects of cataloguing and digitisation. This series of workshops is progressive, starting with basic concepts and building in complexity.
Participants need to bring their own lap-top.
All workshops are limited to 20 participants and will be led by Sophie Shilling, our digital expert. They are all to be held at the library at Federation University’s Gippsland Campus in Churchill.
Tea and coffee are available throughout the workshop however participants staying for both workshops will need to bring their lunch.
INDIVIDUAL WORKSHOPS (HALF-DAY):
RHSV MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF RHSV AFFILIATED SOCIETIES: $30
NON-RHSV MEMBERS: $45
(ALL 6 WORKSHOPS (OVER 3 DAYS):
RHSV MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF RHSV AFFILIATED SOCIETIES: $150
NON-RHSV MEMBERS: $225)
QUERIES: +61 3 9326 9288 / OFFICE@HISTORYVICTORIA.ORG.AU
Check out the other workshops:
Workshop 1: Computer cataloguing for absolute beginners
Workshop 2: Using cataloguing software
Workshop 3: Scanning for beginners
Workshop 4: Digitising books and photographing objects
Workshop 5: Looking after digital files
Workshop 6: Making collections accessible

Translating European Culture to Colonial Melbourne: James Goold and his Legacies
2020-02-17 14:00 - 2020-02-18 19:00 | Newman College, 887 Swanston St, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
This international conference celebrates the conclusion of an Australian Research Council Discovery Project on Archbishop Goold and his patronage. Hosted by the project’s research team, it brings a comparative dimension to our research with keynote contributions on the cultural visions of the Church in seventeenth-century Spain, in nineteenth-century Canada, and with Anglicanism in nineteenth-century Melbourne. It will present very recent research on religious orders in Australia, Goold’s patronage of contemporary artists, and the nineteenth architects who have contributed significant heritage buildings to the built environment of Melbourne and country Victoria.

FREE CONFERENCE
REGISTRATION

John Marshall and Bounty Migration to Port Phillip
2020-02-18 17:15 - 19:15 | RHSV, Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Emeritus Professor Graeme Davison AO, Chair of the History Council of Victoria, will launch Dr Liz Rushen’s book, John Marshall: Shipowner, Lloyd’s reformer and emigration agent.
After the launch, Dr Rushen will deliver a paper which explores the significant role John Marshall played in the white settlement of the Port Phillip District. When Port Phillip was first opened up for settlement, Marshall was Britain’s most active emigration agent: in the three years 1839-1841, he sent 21 ships containing nearly 5000 bounty migrants to the new settlement. A major shipowner of London, Marshall instigated reform of Lloyd’s Register of Shipping and established Britain’s first emigration depot at Plymouth, but today his contributions to the shipowning and merchant worlds of the nineteenth century have been largely forgotten.
Dr Liz Rushen, well-known to RHSV members, is a Melbourne-based historian who has written extensively on nineteenth-century migration to Australia.
Drinks are served in the Gallery Downstairs from 5:15pm, with the launch / lecture starting at 5:30pm. Books will be available for purchase and signing by the author.
Penny Larkins from The Good Girl Song Project will also be performing at the launch.
Immigration was as controversial in the nineteenth century as it is today. Australia has a long history of migration and is considered one of the world’s great immigration success stories, but this process has not been without cost.
This book tells the story of the most active emigration agent of the nineteenth-century: John Marshall. His influence can be read in the naming of the town Marshall, outside Geelong, Victoria, and in the lives of the descendants of the thousands of people he assisted to migrate to the British colonies of New Zealand, Canada and North America, Cape Town and most importantly, Australia. Marshall’s work also impacts the world today through Lloyd’s Register of Shipping.
A brilliant strategist, Marshall instigated a review of the classification of ships and the merger of the red and green registers used by Lloyd’s shipowners and underwriters, and later established Britain’s first emigration depot at Plymouth. Enterprise was much-admired in the early to mid-nineteenth century and Marshall was one of the most active entrepreneurs of the period. He was a merchant-adventurer and superb logistician who read the marketplace and was prepared to move to a new start-up each time his finances dictated a fresh start: brokerage, trade, shipping, emigration, coal.
Marshall had both the vision and analytical skills to achieve great things, but he lacked business acumen or the personality to successfully carry through any of his undertakings. This book links the various facets of Marshall’s life from his humble beginnings to his impoverished end. It explains how an unknown insurance broker from the provinces could rise to be a key player in London’s ship owning and merchant world of the early nineteenth century.

Creating a Tramway Titan
2020-02-19 19:30 - 20:30 | Malvern Town Hall, Corner High Street and Glenferrie Road Malvern, Melbourne, 3144, Australia
In 2020, Melbourne retains the title of having the largest electric street tram system in the world. This presentation will look at the tramway’s history and why Melbourne retains the title of being a Tramway Titan. The Prahran and Malvern Tramways Trust played a part in this. A Public Private Partnership built a capable tram network in 1885, and the MMBW was formed in 1919.
Our guest speaker will be Warren Doubleday, Manager of the Melbourne Tram Museum collection, and Museum Services Manager of the Ballarat Tramway Museum. Come prepared to be intrigued by the facts and related stories.
This is a free event presented by the Malvern Historical Society. Supper will be served.
Bookings essential: Lorraine 9885 9082 by 16 Feb.
All welcome!

Book launch: Gita: Melbourne’s First Yoga School – 65 years of history
2020-02-21 17:30 - 19:30 | RHSV, Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Dr Carolyn Rasmussen will be launching Fay Woodhouse’s latest book, Gita: Melbourne’s First Yoga School – 65 years of history at the RHSV. This is the first published history of any yoga school in Australia and it provides a context to the development of yoga in Australia.
Founded in 1954 by Margrit Segesman, Gita soon became the first full-time yoga school with its permanent home in Melbourne. During the 1970s second wave of feminism, when teaching yoga offered women a viable career path, the number of Gita teachers grew.
In the 1980s new teacher training courses, a teachers’ guild and a charitable foundation were introduced. Today Gita retains its flagship teacher training course while embracing the digital world offering classes and courses across the airwaves. It has truly forged a place in Victoria’s cultural landscape.
Fay Woodhouse is a professional historian who has written widely on Australian social and political history and is the author of several entries in the Australian Dictionary of Biography and The Encyclopaedia of Melbourne. Her publications include histories of Monash and Melbourne Universities, the 150-year history of Tahbilk Wines and the 100-year history of d’Arenberg Wines. Biographies include the nineteenth century Scottish stockbreeder and pioneer pastoralist, Duncan MacGregor and the physician Leslie Latham. She has recently edited the biography of Melbourne’s first surveyor, Robert Russell and the memoirs of the businessman, Clive Smith. Fay regularly presents papers at conferences and contributes book chapters and articles to scholarly journals.

Carolyn Rasmussen is an honorary fellow at the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, University of Melbourne. Carolyn does research in Australian political and social history and biography. Her dual biography of progressive politicians and activists Maurice and Doris Blackburn, The Blackburns: Private Lives, Public Ambition was published in March 2019 by MUP. She is chair of the Victorian Working Party of the Australian Dictionary of Biography and is currently researching a history of Computer Science and Communication and Information Technology at the University of Melbourne.

Starting Family History
2020-02-24 13:30 - 15:00 | Genealogical Society of Victoria, Level 1, 10 Queen Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
The Genealogical Society of Victoria offers RHSV members & friends an introduction to the resources and skills needed to immerse yourself in family history.
For anyone contemplating researching their family this event is key. It is also of great interest for those undertaking more general research as family research skills and resources can be used to create histories for any characters, not just your family. The GSV has not just an impressive research centre but it hosts a multitude of focused research groups which meet monthly to assist each other with knotty problems. As we all know family research is more than births, deaths and marriages and good research skills and resources are needed to put flesh on bones. A couple of years ago the RHSV was fortunate to absorb some of the GSV’s library when they downsized and we will be hosting joint workshops and seminars throughout the year.
The two speakers will be Jenny Redman (current President) and David Down (immediate Past President) who will cover three topics:

Introduction to the GSV
Starting family history
DNA

and ending with Q&A.
This event is limited to 15 so that David & Jenny have time to answer everyone’s questions.

RHSV History Writers' Group inaugural meeting
2020-02-25 11:30 - 13:00 | RHSV, Gordon Moffatt Room, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Writing can be a lonely occupation and there are only so many drafts one’s partner is prepared to read!
Our RHSV History Writers’ Group will meet monthly at the RHSV to peer-edit and share feedback with other writers of history. It is always helpful to be able to chew the fat with others on the same path and we all want to be better writers. Your writing project might be short or long, academic history, family history, memoir, community history, creative non-fiction or even historical fiction. There will be occasional guest speakers who will cover subjects like research, use of images, publishing possibilities and professional editing.
At the first meeting we will nut out the nitty-gritty of just how this group will operate and its program for the next few months. Some preliminary reading will be sent out prior to the first meeting. If you’d like to ‘check-it-out’ do register below and come along. Everyone is more than welcome to bring their lunch and we’ll have tea/coffee for all. Meetings will then be on the 4th Tuesday of each month.
We are thrilled that Cheryl Griffin will be the convenor. Cheryl has posed questions/issues below that could be discussed at the Writers’ Group:
Respecting privacy. We gather information from many sources and roll them into a story, but in doing so, we may reveal secrets that have been hidden for years or expose ‘shameful’ episodes in a family or community’s lives. How far should we go to tell the ‘real’ story? I delivered a paper at a Female Convict Research Centre Seminar that touched on this in 2014 – https://www.femaleconvicts.org.au/docs/seminars/Journeys_CherylGriffin.pdf
Dealing with culturally sensitive material. Some things will be considered culturally inappropriate in 2020 but were acceptable at the time. I’m thinking of racist, sexist, religious utterances. And, in using this material, will we be inciting further racism, sexism etc. Or be seen to endorse the attitudes of the time? I’m working on a project with my niece’s husband relating to his paternal great-grandparents and a journey they made in Northern Rhodesia in 1930/31. We’re trying to decide how to negotiate the ‘minefield’ of the racist comments in his great-grandmother’s account of that journey and stitch together a story that doesn’t shy away from the issue but places the racism of the time into context. It’s a tricky one!
Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. There’s a piece of mine on Wikinorthia on my street that might provide an example. I use the historic present tense and speculate and imagine – that might spark some conversation. Don’t mind if it’s ripped apart, as long as it provides a talking point – https://wikinorthia.net.au/the-extraordinary-in-the-ordinary-the-story-of-piera-street/ And there’s sure to be other work that would provide the same stimulus.
Honest History. http://honesthistory.net.au/wp/ Now this website and the focus of the Honest Historians would definitely provide a talking point. Or we could go off at a tangent and address the question of how we provide balanced and honest history in the internet age when so many of the local histories, for example, were written in the pre-WWW, pre-TROVE age?

CHERYL GRIFFIN attended La Trobe University where she majored in history and English. She later completed a Master of Education and a PhD in the field of the history of education. She worked as a secondary teacher for more than thirty-five years. She has wide-reaching historical interests and since her retirement has volunteered at the Female Convict Research Centre in Hobart, at Coburg Historical Society, at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and at the GSV. She has written articles and presented papers on a wide variety of historical topics, contributed to a number of books on the lives of Tasmanian female convicts and in 2017 wrote The Old Boys of Coburg State School Go to War for Coburg Historical Society.

Specialist History Tour: Sharing the Universe at Melbourne Observatory
2020-02-28 20:00 - 21:30 | Melbourne Observatory, Birdwood Avenue, Royal Botanic Gardens, VIC, 3004, Australia
Last year this event booked out in less than 24 hours! It is an RHSV members-only tour.
This is a VIP tour of Melbourne Observatory, formally acknowledged as a place of outstanding national scientific, architectural, historical, astronomical and cultural significance, and a potential nomination for UNESCO World Heritage listing.
Historians and astronomers of the Astronomical Society of Victoria (ASV) including past President, Perry Vlahos, and Dr Barry Clark will attend and show and guide you in the Melbourne Observatory site. Depending on the weather you may see Venus, the moon’s craters,mountains and valleys, the Orion nebula, the Cat’s Eyes binary and the beautiful blue and orange colours in the binary star in Canis Major.
Melbourne Observatory was one of only four nineteenth century observatories in the Southern Hemisphere, and provided critical infrastructure for the functioning of the colony and the wider scientific world. The Photoheliograph and South Equatorial House were constructed to allow observations to be made of the Transit of Venus in 1874, part of a concerted, world-wide project that yielded information new to science.
In 1875, the Astronomer Royal praised the Melbourne Observatory for its production of “the best catalogue of stars of the Southern Hemisphere ever published”. The Observatory also played a vital role in the exploration of Antarctica in the early twentieth century by providing the basis for magnetic surveys.
During the nineteenth century the Great Melbourne Telescope at the Melbourne Observatory generated great community pride and was then a symbol of the city’s sophistication and achievement. In its time it was recognised internationally as one of the best telescopes employed in pursuit of new discoveries in the sky.”
Melbourne Observatory is now on the National Heritage List (early 2018).
Important information about the tour:

Each tour consists of a max of 12 people. If there is sufficient interest we will book two tours which will occur simultaneously.
The tour is conducted at night and are not suitable for wheelchairs due to narrow entrances and staircases. This tour includes entry into confined spaces and climbing stairs, therefore requires a moderate level of physical fitness and mobility
The tour will not be cancelled due to overcast or inclement weather conditions. Our guide will conduct an informative tour although the use of telescopes for observation in these conditions will not occur
This program is not suitable for children under the age of 8 years. Children 8 years and above must be accompanied by an adult.

This is both an indoor and outdoor activity. Please wear appropriate clothing for weather conditions and appropriate footwear.

Box Hill Cemetery Tour
2020-02-29 10:00 - 12:00 | Box Hill Cemetery, 395 Middleborough Road, Box Hill, VIC, 3128, Australia
To coincide with the beginning of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day in March, our tour will focus on women in Box Hill cemetery. We will visit the graves of a variety of women, from nurses, teachers and artists to pioneers of women’s organisations. Come along and learn about the part that some women have played in Victoria’s history.

Scoresby Steamfest 2020
2020-03-07 - 2020-03-09 | National Steam Centre, 1200 Ferntree Gully Road, Scoresby, VIC, 3179, Australia
A unique experience with demonstrations and exhibits of Australian domestic, industrial and agricultural heritage. Our engines are impressive to see in action with some of Victoria’s best steam, diesel and engine displays. These operating engines form only part of over 500 engines and associated exhibits on display during our rally.
This event also provides a great opportunity for you to demonstrate and display your exhibits to thousands of our visitors that regularly attend the rally, and catch up with friends and acquaintances from across the state. A fenced arena will be available for mobile exhibits or fenced compounds can be used if more appropriate. Camping areas and showers are available at rally time for exhibitors, and complimentary spit roast dinner is offered to exhibitors on Saturday night. There is a new engine run for steam traction engines, steam rollers and vintage tractors tor provide an extra activity for drivers to put on a spectacular show!
More details are available on the website including Exhibitor Registration Forms.

Up from the vaults: As the River Flows
2020-03-10 13:00 - 14:00 | Old Quadrangle University of Melbourne, First floor, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
The changing shape of Birrarung (Yarra River)
In the first outing of our ‘Up from the Vaults’ series for 2020, Dr Liz Dean from the School of Social and Political Sciences will explore the significance of Birrarung (the Yarra River).
In 2017 the Victorian Government implemented the landmark Yarra River Protection Wilip-gin Birrarung murron Act 2017; legislation which recognises the Yarra River as a living entity and acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people as its traditional custodians, while also protecting the river for future generations.
‘Wilip-gin Birrarung murron’ translates as ‘keep the Birrarung alive’ in Woi-wurrung; and significantly, the act was the first legislation in Australia to be co-titled in a Traditional Owner language.
While largely overlooked, this Act can promote public discussions about Sovereignty. In granting the rights of the river, the boundaries of ownership are put into question. It also creates a focus on Indigenous representations of the Birrarung/Yarra River and on Indigenous knowledge of and care for the river, how rivers shape themselves and how the settler state altered the Yarra River. The early representations of this river help us begin to explore the diverse layers of the river and the spaces it occupies.
Image: George William Perry ‘Princes Bridge and the Yarra in flood, December’ 1863 albumen photograph The University of Melbourne Art Collection. Gift of the Russell and Mab Grimwade Bequest 1973

RHSV History Bookclub
2020-03-10 17:30 - 19:30 | RHSV, Gordon Moffatt Room, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
This will be the inaugural meeting of our History Bookclub. And the first book chosen is Chloe Hooper’s The Arsonist: A mind on fire.
The bookclub will focus on Victorian history but there may be little deviations. It will be moderated at first but it is planned for it to be self-sufficient. We will organise occasional author visits and guest speakers. The group size will be capped. There will be monthly meetings – currently planned for the 2nd Tuesday of each month. A bookclub is, of course, focused on the book but the word ‘club’ in the title is there for a reason – we want these gatherings to be fun.
If you have queries, please contact Rosemary / 9326 9288 / rosemary.cameron@historyvictoria.org.au
The Arsonist is available through the History Victoria Bookshop at the discounted price of $19
The Arsonist was awarded a Judge’s Special Prize in the 2019 Victorian Community History Awards. The Judges’ citation is:
“This powerful and suspenseful story of the 2009 bushfires in the Latrobe Valley is told from the perspectives of the police, the victims, the alleged perpetrator and his parents. The drama revolves around the accused, Brendan Sokaluk from Churchill, a social misfit with a cognitive disability. The author raises the issue as to what extent was he knowingly responsible for the inferno as she reflects on the nature of his disability and pyromania theories.
The backdrop is a disadvantaged community that experienced widespread unemployment after privatisation of the State’s energy grid and loss of community facilities at Yallourn and elsewhere owing to obeisance to coal mining.
Hooper uses a novelist’s skills to evoke the savage fury of the fire, a monster unleashed on a hapless little community, but her writing is anchored in fact; her sources are primarily the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission and court records. Her creative narrative represents a compelling way of telling the history of a catastrophe.”

2020 McIntyre Lecture: Nigel Lewis
2020-03-11 19:30 - 21:00 | Just Theatre, Kew Court House, 188 High Street, Kew, VIC, 3101, Australia
Nigel Lewis is a heritage architect who entered private practice in 1976. Early projects included the first urban conservation projects for many parts of inner Melbourne and rural historic site surveys. As a resident of Kew for a large part of his life, his knowledge and interest in contemporary architecture is long-standing.
The Kew Historical Society’s 2020 McIntyre Lecture will explore how modern buildings slip through the net due to formulaic application of planning controls. Street presentation of modernist buildings will be a major theme of the lecture.

Ceremony to unveil a plaque to the Sparrow family
2020-03-15 14:00 - 15:00 | Sparrow Farm, Lake Gorrie Road, Macarthur, VIC, 3286, Australia
Tony Wright wrote a terrific article in The Age on Saturday 7 March, The Sparrows fell, and the town won’t forget. It tells of the big flood of March 1946 when Hamilton, Casterton, Heywood, Portland, Port Fairy and Warrnambool and all the villages in between were engulfed by floods.
On Sunday 15 March at 2pm a ceremony will be held at the entrance to the Old Sparrow farm on Lake Gorrie Road, south of Macarthur, to unveil a bluestone plaque to mark the day when a whole family, the Sparrows, drowned.
Organised by the Macarthur & District Historical Society. (03) 55761221
Tony’s article can be read here

Hidden Melbourne: A Photographic Story of Melbourne Through the Ages with Barney Meyer
2020-03-16 10:00 - 12:00 | Monash Art Gallery, 860 Ferntree Gully Road, Wheelers Hill, VIC, 3150, Australia
A Photographic Story of Melbourne Through the Ages looks at two major events which took place in the 1800s: The birth of photography and the birth of Melbourne; the most liveable city in the world. One location in Melbourne is most remarkable from the perspective of the history of the city and of image-making technology. This is illustrated by four panoramic views of the city over 176 years, as captured from the spire of Scots’ Church on the NW corner of Collins and Russell Streets.
Barney will take you on a Virtual Tour of Melbourne, starting at the birth of Melbourne with a highly detailed 360° camera lucida view of the town from the top of the new Scot’s Church in 1841. Visit this site again in 1875 to see a 360° photographic view of Melbourne City from the spire through collodion glass plates. In 1963, the spire suffered severe lightning damage and was lowered 40 feet. In 1989, it was rebuilt and restored in height, at which time, 11 overlapping views of the city were captured from the spire, forming a 360° panoramic view. In 2017, a modern 360° view was captured from the spire by Hidden Melbourne using a CMOS sensor.
With Virtual Tour technology, you are able to stand on the spire as if you were virtually there. Barney will demonstrate Time Travel by allowing you to switch between the stages of Melbourne’s development and to see annotated landmarks. By linking old and new views into a timeline, this journey will tell the story of Melbourne’s growth and transformation as well as the development of image-making technology.
10:00am Morning Coffee
10:45am Talk begins
Bookings essential:
Friends of MGA $10 | $5 talk only
Non-members $12| $6 talk only

What the Little Bird didn't tell me
2020-03-17 17:15 - 19:00 | RHSV ZOOM by Invitation, Australia
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions we have regretfully decided to postpone this event and our other large events in April. We hope to reschedule later in the year.
Those who have already booked will receive a full refund.
Twenty years ago I wrote a book that documented a journey I had been on for over a decade. The book was A Little Bird Told: Family Secrets, Necessary Lives. This book represented a journey of discovery where I located my Aboriginal ancestors and answered a number of questions that had dogged my family for generations. Along the way, I discovered a story of secrets and lies, of madness, and refuge. In this talk, I will reflect on this book nearly 20 years later with a focus on the importance of women as the keepers and tellers of family stories. In so doing I will consider the reasons why I wrote the book, what impact it had at the time and its ongoing influence. I hope that these reflections might have something to say to other family historians. I want to question whether there are there some family secrets and necessary lies that should never be told?
Professor Lynette Russell AM is an award-winning historian and Indigenous studies scholar. In 2020 she is taking up an Australian Research Council’s Laureate Fellowship to examine Global Encounters and First Nations People: 1000 Years of Australian History.

‘Wings of Peace 1920-2020’ Centenary of Australia First Official Air Race, Serpentine Victoria
2020-03-21 | VIC
Please contact the organiser before attending this event in case it has been cancelled.
In 1920 post WWI, the small village of Serpentine Victoria was selected to be the starting point of Australia’s first government sponsored aerial derby (as racing was often referred during that era). This was the first of numerous events to follow around the nation in the years after WWI.
The 1920 event was part of the promotion of the Second Peace Loan to raise funds to pay for the return, repatriation and care of the many soldiers and nurses to settle them back into community way of life after the Great European War.
The 2020 centenary event is of national significance for the benefit of aviators, airplane enthusiasts, historians and families who have an interest in airplanes, our community, our history. This event will raise awareness that there are still Veterans in need, as were First World War Veterans who benefited from money raised one hundred years ago. Legacy will be a beneficiary of the efforts of the ‘Wings of Peace 1920 – 2020’ commemoration to aid their continuing support for service men, women and their families.
The Air Race Centenary Committee will bring the roar of planes to Serpentine again to recreate the atmosphere of 1920. Biplane owners and aviators are invited to participate in a 70 mile air race across the region. Heritage/vintage airplanes are also invited to be part of a fly in and/or fly over with an opportunity to be part of a ground based display of airplanes and other modes of 1920’s transport i.e. vintage cars. Paul Bennet Air Shows will bring you an exciting aerobatics display.
Further information see Facebook pages: East Loddon Historical Society and Serpentine Air Race. Find all the days scheduled details and tickets on web page: https://serpentineairrace.com.au/ Come celebrate and commemorate the centenary of Australia first official air race Saturday March 21st 2020, Loddon Valley Highway, Serpentine, Victoria.

Gippsland Workshop 3: SCANNING FOR BEGINNERS
2020-03-21 09:30 - 12:30 | Federation University Gippsland Campus Library, Northways Road, Churchill, VIC, 3842, Australia
Bookings for this workshop are closed and it has been postponed until some time later in the year. We will keep our members informed as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds.
This workshop is the third in a series of six workshops on digitisation and cataloguing to be held at Federation University’s Gippsland Campus in Churchill. If you wish to purchase a discounted ticket to all six workshops click here.
This workshop is aimed at those who are new to scanning. It will cover some terminology relating to digital images, and how to prepare documents for scanning before participants scan some documents using flatbed scanners. Participants will compare the document to the digital image and learn basic image manipulation to have the best possible digitised version. Then, file naming and storage standards will be applied to the digitised documents. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to scan documents confidently.
The series of 6 linked workshops (three Saturday morning & afternoons over three months) cover aspects of cataloguing and digitisation. This series of workshops is progressive, starting with basic concepts and building in complexity.
Participants need to bring their own lap-top.
All workshops are limited to 20 participants and will be led by Sophie Shilling, our digital expert. They are all to be held at the library at Federation University’s Gippsland Campus in Churchill.
Tea and coffee are available throughout the workshop however participants staying for both workshops will need to bring their lunch.
INDIVIDUAL WORKSHOPS (HALF-DAY):
RHSV MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF RHSV AFFILIATED SOCIETIES: $30
NON-RHSV MEMBERS: $45
(ALL 6 WORKSHOPS (OVER 3 DAYS):
RHSV MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF RHSV AFFILIATED SOCIETIES: $150
NON-RHSV MEMBERS: $225)
QUERIES: +61 3 9326 9288 / OFFICE@HISTORYVICTORIA.ORG.AU
Check out the other workshops:
Workshop 1: Computer cataloguing for absolute beginners
Workshop 2: Using cataloguing software
Workshop 3: Scanning for beginners
Workshop 4: Digitising books and photographing objects
Workshop 5: Looking after digital files
Workshop 6: Making collections accessible

Gippsland Workshop 4: DIGITISING BOOKS AND PHOTOGRAPHING OBJECTS
2020-03-21 13:30 - 16:30 | Federation University Gippsland Campus Library, Northways Road, Churchill, VIC, 3842, Australia
Bookings for this workshop are closed and it has been postponed until some time later in the year. We will keep our members informed as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds.
This workshop is the fourth in a series of six workshops on digitisation and cataloguing to be held at Federation University’s Gippsland Campus in Churchill. If you wish to purchase a discounted ticket to all six workshops click here.
In this intermediate digitisation workshop, we will introduce participants to best-practice digitisation techniques and procedures. Participants will have the opportunity to digitise books using a book scanner, and to set up a site for object photography. Then, we will introduce some image manipulation techniques including making thumbnails and watermarks. This workshop is aimed at those who are comfortable using a flatbed scanner and would like to expand their digitisation and digital image manipulation skills.
The series of 6 linked workshops (three Saturday morning & afternoons over three months) cover aspects of cataloguing and digitisation. This series of workshops is progressive, starting with basic concepts and building in complexity.
Participants need to bring their own lap-top.
All workshops are limited to 20 participants and will be led by Sophie Shilling, our digital expert. They are all to be held at the library at Federation University’s Gippsland Campus in Churchill.
Tea and coffee are available throughout the workshop however participants staying for both workshops will need to bring their lunch.
INDIVIDUAL WORKSHOPS (HALF-DAY):
RHSV MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF RHSV AFFILIATED SOCIETIES: $30
NON-RHSV MEMBERS: $45
(ALL 6 WORKSHOPS (OVER 3 DAYS):
RHSV MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF RHSV AFFILIATED SOCIETIES: $150
NON-RHSV MEMBERS: $225)
QUERIES: +61 3 9326 9288 / OFFICE@HISTORYVICTORIA.ORG.AU
Check out the other workshops:
Workshop 1: Computer cataloguing for absolute beginners
Workshop 2: Using cataloguing software
Workshop 3: Scanning for beginners
Workshop 4: Digitising books and photographing objects
Workshop 5: Looking after digital files
Workshop 6: Making collections accessible

Back to Hastings
2020-03-21 14:00 - 17:30 | Hastings Club, 155 MARINE PDE, HASTINGS, VIC, 3915, Australia
Please contact the organiser before attending this event in case it has been cancelled.
We are planning a reunion of all those people who remember their time in Hastings or those people wishing to socialise with us and reminisce about life in Hastings prior to 1970.
Snacks provided. Drinks at your cost.
Please RSVP with numbers attending and contact details.
Memorabilia, newspaper clippings and photos very welcome, labelled with your name.
TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ABOUT THIS EVENT

Image caption:
Hastings Jetty, Rose Series Postcard P13936, c1950
Courtesy of Hastings – Western Port Historical Society

Fishermans Bend: an urban renewal project unlike any other in Australia
2020-03-21 14:30 - 16:00 | Mary Kehoe Community Centre, 224 Danks St, VIC, Albert Park, VIC, 3206, Australia
Please contact the organiser before attending this event in case it has been cancelled.
Want to know more about what’s going on with Fishermans Bend?
U3A’s Saturday seminar Fishermans Bend: an urban renewal project unlike any other in Australia is on 21 March from 2.30 to 4.00 pm at the Mary Kehoe Centre in Danks St. Speakers are Janet Bolitho, Bernadene Voss, Mayor and Councillor, and Rob McGuaran, local resident and director of MGS Architects. The moderator will be Max Nankervis who is with the Middle Park History Group.
All are welcome to this free seminar but rsvps are essential to 9696 3495.

Gippsland Art Gallery: tour and talk
2020-03-27 10:00 - 11:00 | Gippsland Art Gallery, 70 Foster St, Sale, VIC, 3850, Australia
Please contact the organiser before attending this event in case it has been cancelled.
Enjoy a guided tour of the Gippsland Art Gallery led by Director, Simon Gregg, and hear about the learnings and successes of the 2018 redevelopment of the gallery.
Presented by AMaGA
AMaGA members free
Non-members $10
Bookings: www.amagavic.org.au/events
or call 03 8341 7344 (also call this number for disability access information / assistance)

Designing a Travelling Exhibition
2020-03-27 13:00 - 16:00 | Bairnsdale Library, 22 Service St,, Bairnsdale, VIC, 3875, Australia
Please contact the organiser before attending this event in case it has been cancelled.
This AMaGA workshop, targeted at small museums and volunteers will look at exhibition development, design principles, installation and display techniques for exhibitions that are easily transportable and can be displayed in a range of venues.
AMaGA members $35
Non-members $40
Bookings: www.amagavic.org.au/events
or call 03 8341 7344 (also call this number for disability access information / assistance)

Teasing women’s stories from the archives
2020-03-31 18:00 - 19:30 | Old Treasury Building, 20 Spring St, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia
Please contact the organiser before attending this event in case it has been cancelled.
In March the History Council of Victoria celebrates Women’s History Month, part of the context for annual celebrations of International Women’s Day on 8 March. In this seminar, three historians share their experience of researching women’s lives, as biographical dictionaries strive to increase their representation of women. From a medieval countess to Victoria’s female criminals, the stories uncovered range widely in both time and place, pointing to the richness the archives can yield ‘with a little more effort and research’.
This is a free event but bookings should be made through the HCV website
The presenters and their topics are:
Dr Carolyn Rasmussen, public historian
‘ “They just need a little more effort and research to track down”: addressing the gender imbalance in the Australian Dictionary of Biography‘
The Australian Dictionary of Biography was, from its inception, intended to include representative as well as significant Australians, but nevertheless women remained in the shadows with only 10 women to 565 men in volume one and 11 women to 596 men in volume two. The proportion has gradually increased to nearly one quarter of those who died between 1991 and 2001, but the challenge to redress the balance has now been taken up and the number of ‘recovered lives’ is testament to the effort and research of recent years. Plans are in hand to incorporate them into a revised Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Dr Kathleen Neale, Monash University
‘Looking for Elizabeth: locating medieval women in the archives’
In response to shifting community expectations, major biographical dictionaries are moving to include more women among their entries. How can medieval women be located in the archives of institutions from which they were largely excluded in their own time, and in which later archivists were often uninterested in noticing and listing them where their lives were recorded? This presentation reflects on my experience of researching the biography of one of the daughters of Edward I.
Dr Alana Piper, University of Technology Sydney
‘Freeing female prisoners from the archives: understanding “criminality” in context’
In his 1937 memoir about his career as a police detective in Melbourne, Alfred Stephen Burvett made a seemingly oxymoronic remark when he stated ‘It must be remembered that it is not always criminals who commit offences or crimes’. Historically not every individual who entered the prison system fitted popular conceptions of the ‘criminal’; this seems especially true of women prisoners. Using archival prison records, this paper will discuss the offending careers of 6,042 women incarcerated in Victoria between 1860 and 1920 in order to reveal the complexities behind the ‘criminal’ identity imposed upon such women.
Margaret Anderson, Director at the Old Treasury Building, will facilitate the discussion.
