Blue Lake: Finding Dudley Flats and the West Melbourne Swamp
2021-09-22 19:30 - 21:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | Join via Zoom
Glen Eira Historical Society – Speaker Series, a talk by author David Sornig on Wednesday 22 September 2021 at 7.30pm via Zoom
Through the years of the Great Depression and beyond, the wetlands, rubbish tips and shanties of Dudley Flats, a neglected zone hidden in plain sight just a stone’s throw away from central Melbourne, was home to a transient community of hundreds of men and women.
In this talk, author David Sornig will discuss Blue Lake: Finding Dudley Flats and the West Melbourne Swamp, a history of this largely forgotten world, and the tragic, enterprising, eccentric and determined lives that were lived there.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89911446861?pwd=[REDACTED]

Cataloguing Clinic via Zoom with Jillian Hiscock
2021-09-23 11:00 - 12:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Cataloguing Clinic via Zoom with Jillian Hiscock

For this clinic, Jillian will be focusing on the cataloguing of objects (including medals). Please note that the clinic on Thu 23 Sept will start at 12:30pm not 11am.
Jillian Hiscock, the RHSV Collections Manager, started these cataloguing clinics during the early days of COVID and they suit Zoom very well. The clinics run for an hour from 11am – 12noon on the 4th Thursday of each month. It is a relaxed gathering of people who are finding their way through the intricacies of cataloguing material in historical collections which, as we all know, fall between a library and a museum with sometimes a bit of art gallery thrown in. With our membership scattered across Australia please remember that this is Melbourne time – AEDT in summer and AEST in winter.
Jillian always prepares some material on some specific queries but questions are encouraged and, remember, a problem shared is a problem halved. The clinics are conversational in format rather than a seminar. If you are new to cataloguing or an old hand you will find plenty to interest you in these sessions. Jillian often has material which is emailed out to attendees after the clinic.
The remaining clinics for 2021 will be held (all via Zoom) on these dates:

Sep 23, 2021 12:30pm
Oct 28, 2021 11AM
Nov 25, 2021 11AM

Even though we’ve included the Zoom details below we do ask that you please register as, after every clinic, Jillian emails material to the participants. We can only do that if we have your email address. Also, if anything untoward happens we can email registered participants to cancel or postpone.
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZItd-yhqz8oHtJgxpBNwW8ieSnpwIWjKaLP/ics?icsToken=[REDACTED]
Join Zoom Meeting (this is applicable to all 10 clinics during 2021)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86005954246?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 860 0595 4246
Passcode: [REDACTED]

THE BRILLIANT BOY Gideon Haigh talks about Doc Evatt
2021-09-29 18:00 - 19:00 | RHSV, Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
THE BRILLIANT BOY
Gideon Haigh talks about Doc Evatt
We are thrilled that Gideon Haigh will talk about his latest book, The Brilliant Boy and the Great Australian Dissent, for the RHSV on Wednesday 29th of September. The event will be chaired by Dr E W Russell.

In a quiet Sydney street in 1937, a seven year-old immigrant boy drowned in a ditch that had filled with rain after being left unfenced by council workers. How the law should deal with the trauma of the family’s loss was one of the most complex and controversial cases to reach Australia’s High Court, where it seized the imagination of its youngest and cleverest member.
These days, ‘Doc’ Evatt is remembered mainly as the hapless and divisive opposition leader during the long ascendancy of his great rival Sir Robert Menzies. Yet long before we spoke of ‘public intellectuals’, Evatt was one: a dashing advocate, an inspired jurist, an outspoken opinion maker, one of our first popular historians and the nation’s foremost champion of modern art. Through Evatt’s innovative and empathic decision in Chester v the Council of Waverley Municipality, which argued for the law to acknowledge inner suffering as it did physical injury, Gideon Haigh rediscovers the most brilliant Australian of his day, a patriot with a vision of his country charting its own path and being its own example – the same attitude he brought to being the only Australian president of the UN General Assembly, and instrumental in the foundation of Israel.
A feat of remarkable historical perception, deep research and masterful storytelling, The Brilliant Boy confirms Gideon Haigh as one of our finest writers of non-fiction. It shows Australia in a rare light, as a genuinely clever country prepared to contest big ideas and face the future confidently.
‘Here is a master craftsman delivering one of his most finely honed works. Meticulous in its research, humane in its storytelling, The Brilliant Boy is Gideon Haigh at his lush, luminous best. Haigh shines a light on person, place and era with the sheer force of his intellect and the generosity of his words. The Brilliant Boy is simply a brilliant book.’ Clare Wright, Stella-Prize winning author of The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka
‘Gideon Haigh has a nose for Australian stories that light up the past from new angles, and he tells this one with verve, grace and lightly worn erudition. I couldn’t put it down.’ Judith Brett, The Saturday Paper
‘An absolutely remarkable, moving and elegant re-reading of the early life of an extraordinary Australian. Gideon Haigh is one of Australia’s finest writers and thinkers … mesmerizing … one of the best Australian biographies I have read for a long time.’ Michael McKernan, Canberra Times

Gideon Haigh has been a journalist for almost four decades, published more than 40 books and contributed to more than 100 newspapers and magazines. His books include The Cricket Wars, The Summer Game and On Warne (which won numerous prizes) on cricket, and works on BHP, James Hardie and how abortion became legal in Australia. His book The Office: A Hardworking History won the NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction. He has appeared widely on radio and TV.

Gideon Haigh says about himself on his website, “I’m an independent journalist, in the trade more than thirty years. I was born in London, went to school in Geelong, and now live in Melbourne. I write about cricket a bit, mainly for The Australian and The Times; I write about other stuff that interests me too. This is a list of the publications to which I’ve contributed, some of which have survived. I don’t blog, tweet or Facebook. Sorry.” His website is worth visiting, if for no other reason, that to immerse yourself in Gideon’s splendid list of things he likes.

At the same time as Gideon’s book, The Brilliant Boy, was being launched he was, together with Graeme Davison, leading the very successful campaign to get proper funding for the National Archives of Australia.
Dr. E.W. (Bill) Russell has held a number of positions in the Commonwealth and Victorian Public Service. These positions have included Archivist, Public Record Office; Research Director, Commonwealth Public Service Board; Director of Research and Special Projects, Victorian Public Service Board and Director of Research, Public Bodies Review Committee (Parliament of Victoria). He has had a long association with Public Record Office Victoria, having been an archivist 1968–74, a member of the Task Force on Records Management 1978–80, and Director-General of the Department of Property and Services, of which PROV was a Division, 1985–88. Bill obtained his Diploma of Archive Studies from University College, London, in 1973 and was the first Victorian archivist to hold formal qualifications in archives. His doctorate in history at Monash University, completed in 1980, was based on records in PROV. In 1982 Dr. Russell was appointed to the position of Secretary for Minerals and Energy and in 1985 he became Director General, Department of Property and Services. In 1988 Dr. Russell took up the position of Professor, Public Sector Management within Monash University’s Graduate School of Management.
This event will be a Zoom event (we did hope to have it in real space). Zoom details will be sent to participants 24 hours before the event.

The PMI's afternoon historical book chat
2021-10-06 13:30 - 15:00 | VIC
This is a casual drop in session where you can bring your afternoon tea, listen and chat about the historical books that you are reading or projects that you are researching. To attend the session, please book your tickets using the try booking link below, and a Zoom link will be sent to you.
If you would like to speak for a couple of minutes, email us using library@pmi.net.au before 12.30pm Wed 6th October, with your name and title/topic. If we have more than 15 speakers, we will host another session soon.
Tickets free but bookings essential
Click on this link https://www.trybooking.com/BUMBY to book your tickets and receive the zoom link to attend.
Having difficulties booking to attend an event?
Please email library@pmi.net.au up to 1 hour before the event commences with your name, phone number, email address and the event that you want to attend. We will arrange your booking and email you the zoom link.

Create a video using oral history recordings and images (online workshop)
2021-10-07 10:30 - 13:30 | Online
Have you ever wanted to make a video from oral history interviews?
Are your oral history recordings sitting in an archive, not being showcased?
Have you ever wanted to make use of interview files for displays or presentations, or to put on a website?
Would you like to make a digital story?
Have you interviewed family members and would like to create a special video for them using the audio and family photos?
If so, this workshop is for you. This hands-on workshop will:
• teach you how to use PowerPoint software to create videos (or digital stories) using audio-only interviews, sound effects, music, photographs and other images, and
• provide ideas about how to use your videos and digital stories.
During the workshop, you will practise making a digital video using files provided. You do not need
to provide your own audio files or images.
Detailed workshop notes will be provided.
Date: Thursday 7 October 2021
Time: 10:30am – 1:30pm (ACT, NSW, Vic, Tas) 10am – 1pm (SA) 9:30am – 12:30pm (Qld) 9am – 12 noon (NT) 7:30am – 10:30am (WA)
Venue: online. Instructions for installing and using the software will be provided upon registration.
Cost: $80 per person, $60 for concession card holder/student
Bookings are essential. Please book and pay online using the link on this page:
listeningtothepast.com.au/online-workshops

Paving Our Ways: A History of the World’s Roads and Pavements
2021-10-07 18:00 - 19:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Paving Our Ways: A History of the World’s Roads and Pavements
In partnership with Engineering Heritage Victoria, the RHSV is excited to present this talk by Maxwell Lay, co-author of the comprehensive history of world roads, Paving our Ways.
Paving our Ways provides a comprehensive international history of the world’s roads, running from the earliest human settlements to the present day.
It examines the earliest roads in Egypt and Mesopotamia and then moves to North Africa, Crete, Greece and Italy, before a review of pavements used by the Romans in their magnificent road system. After its empire collapsed, Roman pavements fell into ruin. The slow recovery of pavements in Europe began in France and then in England.
Asphalt and concrete slowly improved as paving materials in the second part of the 19th century. Major advances occurred in the 20th century with the availability of powerful machinery, pneumatic tyres and bitumen. The advances needed to bring pavements to their current development are explored, as are the tools for financing, constructing, managing and maintaining pavements. This talk will trace the human and social aspects of pavement development and use. It will outline the heritage perspective in the changing technology across the world from China and Mesopotamia, Europe, Britain, Australia and North America, stretching from biblical times to the present day.
This talk should appeal to those interested in the history of engineering and transport and the sociology of engineering.
Dr Maxwell Lay is an engineering consultant known for his international contributions to road engineering and his acclaimed international road histories. He is a member of the Order of Australia, former Executive Director of the Australian Road Research Board, and past President of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria and the Australian Automobile Association and former director of ConnectEast. He has been awarded the Moisseif Medal of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Peter Nicol Russell, Warren and Transport Medals of the Institution of Engineers Australia, and the Gold Medal of Roads Australia. He is the author of Handbook of Road Technology
This event will be delivered by Zoom and Zoom details will be sent to participants 24 hours prior to the event.

A HISTORY MONTH 2021 EVENT. Click on the logo for the full program of events
Image (The Strand, London, being repaved with granite setts in Victorian England) provided by Maxwell Lay.

LUNCH TIME MARKETING
2021-10-11 12:00 - 13:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Social media has become the most influential and important virtual space to network, build a community, promote what you do, find assistance, sell books and events and connect. Social media networks are open to all and they are free, giving historical societies a chance to connect with whoever shares their interests.
For historical societies it is a volunteer task that will attract younger members and it can be done anywhere, anytime so doesn’t have time or geographic restraints.
Jess Scott, the RHSV Marketing Officer, will lead these marketing conversations, starting with Facebook on the 9th of August. She will cover other social media channels in coming months. These are casual conversational forums so bring your questions and concerns. We already have a number of historical societies which use social media exceptionally well – creating virtual events as well as promoting what they do – we’ll be calling on them in future sessions to share the expertise too.
A few facts, since Jess started with the RHSV in mid- 2019 our bookshop sales have doubled, we weathered COVID lock-downs exceptionally well because we were still active in the virtual world and our new members are on target to double this year – all in 2 years.
Lunch Time Marketing will be held on the following dates for the remainder of 2021

Mon 11 Oct, 2021 12 noon – 1pm
Mon 8 Nov, 2021 12 noon – 1pm
Mon 13 Dec, 2021 12 noon – 1pm

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZUpc-CsrTgsHdUXWND8AGsa8n1nz6rxvFdL/ics?icsToken=[REDACTED]
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81449433671?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 814 4943 3671
Passcode: [REDACTED]

This is a History Month Event: click on the logo for the full program of events

EMERGING HISTORIANS
2021-10-12 18:00 - 19:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
EMERGING HISTORIANS
Join us for an evening of new ideas and interesting discussion to celebrate History Month in Victoria. “Emerging Historians” is a popular annual event that offers fascinating insights into a wide variety of new history research.
This year we present four speakers who will share their research on a variety of topics that showcase how multifaceted history can be.

Joseph Parro will speak on the Far Right in Australia during the interwar period
Kali Myers will explore the representations of health, exercise, and the woman’s body in nineteenth-century Australian print culture
Dilhani Dissanayake will discuss her PhD research on ‘Cinnamon and Cinnamon Peelers’ (pictured) and
Rachel Goldlust will share her findings on the environmental history of Australians going off grid since the late 19th Century.

Chaired by Andrew Lemon (RHSV) and Bec Carland (PHA (Vic & Tas))
Proudly presented by the Professional Historians of Australia (Victoria and Tasmania) and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.
Tuesday 12th October at 6pm via zoom
PHA is recording the RSVPs for this event so please click on this link to register: https://phavic.wildapricot.org/event-4488878
The event is being delivered on the Zoom platform and those registering above will be sent the link just prior to the event.

A HISTORY MONTH EVENT. Click on the logo for the full program of events

Who Lived in My House?
2021-10-13 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
Ever wondered who the past occupants of your house were? Or interested in researching your house history? Come along to this Heritage Help session and learn how to use research tools to find the history of houses and properties in Hobsons Bay and Melbourne.

Who Lived in My House?
2021-10-13 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
Ever wondered who the past occupants of your house were? Or interested in researching your house history? Come along to this Heritage Help session and learn how to use research tools to find the history of houses and properties in Hobsons Bay and Melbourne.
This session will run online.

The 1789 Smallpox Plague – exhuming the truth
2021-10-13 18:00 - 19:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
The 1789 Smallpox Plague – exhuming the truth
In April 1789 a smallpox plague suddenly broke out at Sydney Cove. It swept around the entire continent and killed up to 70% of the Indigenous peoples in the Sydney area, but only one colonist. Despite the fact that the First Fleet was well documented, the cause of the pandemic has remained a mystery. However, after years of research, author Jim Poulter believes he has finally cracked the case, and he believes that it was deliberate genocide. Jim says the key to solving the mystery lay in the identity of the one sailor who died in the plague. In his controversial talk and Powerpoint presentation, Jim will take you step by step through his research showing how he believes that the Lieutenant Governor, Major Robert Ross, hatched, executed and concealed his genocidal plot.
Jim Poulter is a history author whose family first settled in the Yarra Valley in 1840 and established enduring relationships with the local Aboriginal community. Jim grew up steeped in local oral history, but it is his professional skill as a forensic investigator that has enabled him put forward a solution to this 230 year old mystery. Jim continues to make a prolific contribution to the sharing of our Aboriginal history and heritage, and is probably best known for making the link in the early 1980’s between the tribal Aboriginal game of Marngrook and the origins of Australian Football.
This event will be delivered by Zoom and is a free event. Zoom details will be sent to all those who register just prior to the event.
Image: Botany Bay. ‘Sirius & convoy going in: Supply & agents division in the bay. 21 Janry 1788.’ William Bradley, watercolour from his journal ‘A Voyage to New South Wales’, 1802+. State Library of New South Wales, [Safe 1 / 14].
THIS IS A HISTORY MONTH EVENT: click on the logo for the full program of events

2021 DICKINSON LECTURE
2021-10-13 20:00 - 21:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
2021 DICKINSON LECTURE

RECENT ACQUISITIONS FOR THE DECORATIVE ARTS DEPARTMENT AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA
Amanda Dunsmore, Senior Curator, International Decorative Arts & Antiquities

The Kew Historical Society is pleased to announce that the annual Dickinson Lecture for 2021 will be presented by Ms Amanda Dunsmore, of the National Gallery of
Victoria. The International Decorative Arts & Antiquities Department collection of the NGV includes Mediterranean and Near Eastern antiquities, British and Continental
decorative arts from 1200 to 1980, and North American decorative arts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The lecture will explore an exciting selection of new additions to the NGV collection including eighteenth-century vases by the Vincennes Porcelain
Manufactory (pictured) to the window designs of Frank Lloyd Wright and Picasso’s ceramics.
Tickets $10
Tickets – Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/recent-acquisitions-for-the-decorative-arts-department-of-the-ngv-tickets-175237097877?keep_tld=1

Amanda Dunsmore, Senior Curator, International Decorative Arts & Antiquities
THIS IS A HISTORY MONTH EVENT

Heritage Victoria Presentation with Geoffrey B. Austin
2021-10-14 18:30 - 19:30 | Online
Are you interested in hearing about how some of the most curious things get on the Victorian Heritage Register?
Join Hobsons Bay City Council and like-minded heritage enthusiasts for an evening presentation by Geoffrey B. Austin, Manager at the Heritage Register at Heritage Victoria, who will be presenting about some of the remarkable and curious assets of the Victorian Heritage Register. Geoffrey will also discuss how the HMAS Castlemaine recently earned its entry on the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII.
This free event will be held online via Zoom. You can join on the day by following the link below at 6.30pm or you can register to learn more and receive a reminder on the day. The presentation will be approximately 20 minutes with a Q and A to follow.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82522181336?pwd=[REDACTED]
Following the presentation Hobsons Bay Arts, Culture and Heritage staff, alongside Hobsons Bay Libraries will discuss how to be involved in the National Trust Heritage Festival in 2022 and will be able available to answer questions about the forthcoming festival in 2022.

PIONEER REGISTER SEMINAR
2021-10-14 19:00 - 20:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
PIONEER REGISTER SEMINAR
In partnership with the Genealogical Society of Victoria, the RHSV is holding a free Zoom seminar on one of the jewels in its crown – the Pioneer Register. This will be of great interest to those interested in family history or wanting to know more about this unique collection and how it can help your research. Jillian Hiscock, the RHSV Collections Manager will be delivering the seminar.
The RHSV has collected and maintained a register of early colonists in the state of Victoria which is of great historical value. It contains more than 2200 forms.
In 1909 the Historical Society of Victoria (becoming the Royal Historical Society of Victoria in 1952) was formed by people determined to capture the history of the state of Victoria. This was to be achieved by creating the ‘Register of early colonists who arrived in Victoria before 21st November 1856′, that captured information about early Victorians. Later this register was broadened to become the ‘Historical Register of Persons Who arrived or were born in Victoria before 1900, and/or their descendants’.
People were invited to fill in the forms of their relatives and associates in order to capture information about individual colonists as well as their familial relationships.
Information requested in the registers included: full name; date and place of birth; name of the parents and their residences; date of arrival in Victoria and name of ship; places of residences in Victoria and with dates; public offices held; literary work, publications, inventions or other work of public benefit; date and place of marriage; name of wife in full, with parents names and place of residence; names of children; portrait if available; signature and relationship of the information provider.
Although not requested, many people sent in multiple photographs and longer letters outlining their family’s history. An RHSV volunteer, Val Rohde, has been working on the Pioneer Register catalogue for over 2 years. Val is enriching the catalogue by linking the Pioneer Register records to other appropriate manuscripts, maps, images and books in the RHSV Collection ensuring that researchers can maximise the value of the Register.
Jillian Hiscock has been the Collections Manager at the Royal Historical Society for over 3 years. She qualified as a librarian at Melbourne University after doing a Bachelor of Arts at La Trobe University. She has had a career working in public and special libraries, and managing government department libraries and intranets. She ran the Department of Transport library which supported Heritage Victoria and the Planning portfolio, this in role particular has given her relevant experience in managing collections that span manuscripts, ephemera, books, images and non-print materials.
This free seminar will be offered via Zoom – details will be sent out 24 hours prior to the event.
The seminar will be offered on Thursday 14th October at 11am – 12noon and repeated that evening from 7pm – 8pm.
Please register your interest in either of the sessions below

This is a History Month Event: click on the logo for the full program of events

No Regard for the Truth : Friendship and kindness. Tragedy and injustice. Rowville’s Italian prisoners of war.
2021-10-19 12:30 - 13:30 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
No Regard for the Truth : Friendship and kindness. Tragedy and injustice. Rowville’s Italian prisoners of war.
In March 1946, the war was over. The Italian prisoners of war who had been captured several years earlier in northern Africa were interned in camps around Australia and were waiting to be returned home. One Saturday evening, the commandant of the Rowville internment camp, Captain Waterston, shot and killed a prisoner, Rodolfo Bartoli, who he claimed was attempting to escape. What initially appeared to be a straightforward case of an Australian army officer carrying out his duty, soon appeared to be something else. Allegations of assaults, reckless firing of weapons, drunkenness and stolen goods began to emerge.
We are delighted that Darren Arnott, a Melbourne based IT Security consultant will share, with RHSV members, his experiences about discovering this story and the details of his research into ‘No Regard for the Truth’ where he delved into military and court archives, historical police reports, newspaper articles and personal accounts from former locals who still had memories of the Italians and the camp. He learnt of the brutal treatment of some of the internees and of a romance between the young shooting victim and the daughter of a local farmer which took surprising twist during his research.
No Regard for the Truth was shortlisted for the Victorian Community History Awards 2020 and in available in the RHSV bookshop.
THIS IS A HISTORY MONTH EVENT: click on the logo for the full program of events

Welcome to new RHSV members
2021-10-19 16:30 - 17:30 | RHSV, Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Welcome to new RHSV members
Every year we like to host an event or two in the Drill Hall, before one of our lectures, to welcome our new members. We serve drinks and cheese and the staff give new members a background briefing on the RHSV and its treasures. So you’ll learn about our Collection from Jillian Hiscock, our Collections Manager, and Helen Stitt who looks after our huge images collection and our EO, Rosemary Cameron, will outline all the other membership benefits and how you can make the most of your membership.
Because we weren’t able to host these events last year we have a bit of catching up to do! We’ve scheduled 5 of these events over the coming months and new members are welcome to attend whichever one suits them. Our lectures are usually $5 or $10 for members ($20 for non-members) however, if you book for a new member event you can attend the following lecture free-of-charge.
We’d love to see you at one of these events – please indicate in the RSVPs if you want to attend just the New Member Welcome or the New Member Welcome + Lecture
Please note that these events will only go ahead if we are not in lockdown – we really need to be in the Drill Hall to show you what the RHSV is all about. If we are in lockdown we’ll be holding more New Member Welcomes at some point in the future and we’ll contact you again.
New Member lecture 4:30pm – 5:30pm, drinks continue until just before 6pm. Lecture 6pm – 7pm (includes Q&A).
The remaining lecture is:
Tue 19 Oct: Barbara Minchinton on The Women of Little Lon
Image caption: Holy Trinity Church of England, Bay Street, Port Melbourne by Samuel Hemming, 1853, erected under the supervision of Knight, Kemp and Kerr, 1855. RHSV Collection A-52-C. Miles Lewis has used this image in a powerpoint on portable buildings (https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/hdp.au.prod.app.vic-engage.files/8515/2418/2642/Lewis_Evidence.pdf)

The Women of Little Lon
2021-10-19 17:30 - 19:00 | RHSV, Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
The Women of Little Lon: Sex Workers in Nineteenth-Century Melbourne

We are delighted that historian, Barbara Minchinton, will deliver our History Month lecture on this remarkable but little-known chapter in Melbourne’s history
Sex workers in nineteenth-century Melbourne were judged morally corrupt by the respectable world around them. But theirs was a thriving trade, with links to the police and political leaders of the day, and the leading brothels were usually managed by women.
While today a city lane is famously named after Madame Brussels, the identities of the other ‘flash madams’, the ‘dressed girls’ who worked for them and the hundreds of women who solicited on the streets of the Little Lon district of Melbourne are not remembered.
Who were they? What did their daily lives look like? What became of them? Drawing on the findings of recent archaeological excavations, rare archival material and family records, historian Barbara Minchinton brings the fascinating world of Little Lon to life.

Barbara Minchinton is a historian and independent researcher. For several years she collaborated with a team of archaeologists on the interpretation of artefacts from Melbourne’s Little Lon district. She is the author of a number of articles regarding the nineteenth century sex work industry in Little Lon, and The Women of Little Lon is the culmination of years of research and collaboration.

Attendance and Zoom details
This event was originally planned to be delivered both as a live event at the RHSV and through Zoom. However, now it will be delivered only as a Zoom event. The log-in details will be sent to you 24 hours before the event. For those attending by Zoom, the Zoom will start just prior to 6pm. You will have the opportunity too to put questions to Barbara.

This is a History Month event: click on the logo for the full program of events

Bringing your Diggers back to life: a defence service records seminar
2021-10-22 14:00 - 15:30 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Bringing your Diggers back to life: a defence service records seminar
In partnership with the National Archives of Australia and the Genealogical Society of Victoria, the RHSV presents a seminar on defence service records.
In this seminar, Patrick Ferry and other staff from the National Archives’ Victoria State Office will examine the range of resources available to help you discover more about the military service and sacrifice made by members of your family or local community. Key series in the National Archives’ collection will be highlighted, including WW1 and WW2 service dossiers and Repatriation / Veterans’ Affairs case files, together with records about civilians during wartime. The seminar will also point you to other valuable sources of information including Unit War Diaries (held by the Australian War Memorial) and Soldier Settlement records (held by PROV). Research methodologies will also be discussed.
This seminar will be of great interest to family historians, local historians, military history buffs and people with a general interest in learning more about Australia’s priceless military service records.
Patrick Ferry is State Manager, Victoria for the National Archives of Australia. Patrick is a professional archivist who is passionate about local history. Patrick is the author of three publications about the wartime service of Pakenham district residents, including Blood, Toil Tears and Sweat: Remembering Pakenham & Districts World War 2 diggers 1939-1949 (with Wally Nye), which was the winner of the 2020 Local History Project Award, Victorian Community History Awards.
This free seminar is delivered via Zoom. Please register your interest below and Zoom details will be sent to you 24 hours before the event.
Please note, we are also presenting a seminar by Dr Charles Fahey on 11th November on Victoria’s Soldier Settlement Scheme. Click here for more information.
Image caption: Service photo of Private Albert Edward Kemp, who served in France + Belgium in World War 1 and was killed in action in 1917. Courtesy of Museums Victoria website.
PLEASE NOTE: this seminar was originally advertised as being on Sat 23 Oct at 2:30pm – it has moved to Fri 22 Oct at 2pm.
This is a History Month event: click on the logo for the full program of events

A Trip to the Dominions - The Scientific Event that Changed Australia
2021-10-26 18:45 - 21:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
A presentation via zoom by Professor Lynette Russell AM
Tuesday 2 6 October 20 2 1
6.45pm for 7 pm
Please book by phoning: George Fernando 0448 296 258 or emailing – enquiries@chs.org.au
The link for the session will be sent after booking
Professor Lynette Russell AM, FASSA, FAHA is an award-winning Australian historian and Indigenous studies scholar. She is currently a Kathleen Fitzpatrick Laureate Fellow at Monash University. She is an elected member of AITSIS, and a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences of Australia (2013), the Australian Academy of the Humanities, the Royal Historical Society, and the Royal Anthropological Institute.
On the eve of the Great War, in 1914, the Australian Federal Government sponsored the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) to travel to Australia for their annual conference. Over 150 scientists were fully funded by the Australian Commonwealth government, and they travelled on three ships especially commanded for this purpose.
In terms of anthropology, the congress presented a unique opportunity to showcase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. The Association, deeply impressed by this, urged the Federal Government to support a chair in anthropology to be based at an Australian university. Other of the Association’s recommendations were to establish a Commonwealth Scientific Institute (later CSIRO) and to develop a national telescope at Mt Stromlo.

AWARDS CEREMONY FOR VICTORIAN COMMUNITY HISTORY AWARDS
2021-10-27 16:30 - 17:30 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
In partnership with the Public Record Office of Victoria (PROV) we are delighted to host the release of the Awards announcement for the Victorian Community History Awards.
The pre-recorded video will be released at 4:30pm on Wednesday 27th October announcing the winner of the Premier’s History Award 2021 and winners in the 9 other categories. It is a fabulous event to watch. If you are unable to watch at 4:30pm with all the hoopla of getting the news first, you can log in any time to watch the video. It is stored on the RHSV and PROV’s YouTube Channels. Click here to watch
Spread the word through your social media networks – get the link out there!
You can check out the short list here and buy books from the 2021 VCHA here.

This is a History Month event. For the full program click on the logo.

Transcribing oral history workshop (online)
2021-10-28 10:30 - 13:30 | Online
Have you completed some oral history interviews, but aren’t sure how to go about transcribing them?
Do you have interviews in your library, museum or historical society collection that haven’t been transcribed yet?
Would you like some guidance on how to go about preparing clear and informative transcripts that will be valuable research tools?
If you answered yes to any of these, then this workshop is for you. This hands-on workshop will cover:
 the importance of transcribing oral history interviews, and the consequences of inaccurate
transcripts
 the difference between spoken and written English and its significance for transcripts
 setting out transcripts
 transcription dilemmas and how to deal with them
 hints for improving the value of transcripts
 useful software
 is voice recognition software a reasonable substitute?
 ideas for using oral history transcripts
Date: Thursday 28 October 2021
Time: 10:30am – 1:30pm (ACT, NSW, Vic, Tas) 10am – 1pm (SA) 9:30am – 12:30pm (Qld) 9am – 12 noon (NT) 7:30am – 10:30am (WA)
Venue: online. Instructions for installing and using the software will be provided upon registration.
Cost: $80 per person, $60 for concession card holder/student
Bookings are essential. Please book and pay online using the link on this page:
listeningtothepast.com.au/online-workshops

Cataloguing Clinic via Zoom with Jillian Hiscock
2021-10-28 11:00 - 12:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
The October clinic will focus on different cataloguing systems – so everything from catalogue cards and excel spreadsheets to the more sophisticated specialist software.
Jillian Hiscock, the RHSV Collections Manager, started these cataloguing clinics during the early days of COVID and they suit Zoom very well. The clinics run for an hour from 11am – 12noon on the 4th Thursday of each month. It is a relaxed gathering of people who are finding their way through the intricacies of cataloguing material in historical collections which, as we all know, fall between a library and a museum with sometimes a bit of art gallery thrown in. With our membership scattered across Australia please remember that this is Melbourne time – AEDT in summer and AEST in winter.
Jillian always prepares some material on some specific queries but questions are encouraged and, remember, a problem shared is a problem halved. The clinics are conversational in format rather than a seminar. If you are new to cataloguing or an old hand you will find plenty to interest you in these sessions. Jillian often has material which is emailed out to attendees after the clinic.
The remaining clinics for 2021 will be held (all via Zoom) on these dates:

Oct 28, 2021 11AM
Nov 25, 2021 11AM

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZItd-yhqz8oHtJgxpBNwW8ieSnpwIWjKaLP/ics?icsToken=[REDACTED]
Join Zoom Meeting (this is applicable to all 10 clinics during 2021)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86005954246?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 860 0595 4246
Passcode: [REDACTED]
THIS IS A HISTORY MONTH EVENT. Click on the logo for the full program

LUNCH TIME MARKETING
2021-11-08 12:00 - 13:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Social media has become the most influential and important virtual space to network, build a community, promote what you do, find assistance, sell books and events and connect. Social media networks are open to all and they are free, giving historical societies a chance to connect with whoever shares their interests.
For historical societies it is a volunteer task that will attract younger members and it can be done anywhere, anytime so doesn’t have time or geographic restraints.
Jess Scott, the RHSV Marketing Officer, will lead these marketing conversations. She will cover all the social media channels – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok etc. These are casual conversational forums so bring your questions and concerns. We already have a number of historical societies which use social media exceptionally well – creating virtual events as well as promoting what they do – we’ll be calling on them in future sessions to share the expertise too.
A few facts, since Jess started with the RHSV in mid- 2019 our bookshop sales have doubled, we weathered COVID lock-downs exceptionally well because we were still active in the virtual world and our new members are on target to double this year – all in 2 years.
Lunch Time Marketing will be held on the following dates for the remainder of 2021

Mon 8 Nov, 2021 12 noon – 1pm
Mon 13 Dec, 2021 12 noon – 1pm

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZUpc-CsrTgsHdUXWND8AGsa8n1nz6rxvFdL/ics?icsToken=[REDACTED]
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81449433671?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 814 4943 3671
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Betty & Shmuel Rosenkranz Oration with Prof. Philippe Sands QC
2021-11-09 20:00 - 21:00 | DIGITAL PLATFORM
Betty & Shmuel Rosenkranz Oration with Prof. Philippe Sands QC

Join the Jewish Holocaust Centre for a major online event exploring justice after the Holocaust with keynote speaker Professor Philippe Sands QC.
For our annual Betty & Shmuel Rosenkranz Oration, international thought leader Prof. Philippe Sands QC will speak on what Nuremberg meant to the world and the challenges posed by post-Holocaust justice in the years ahead.
Prof. Philippe Sands QC is Professor of Law at University College London and a practising barrister at Matrix Chambers. He is also an award-winning author of The Ratline (2020), East West Street (2016) Torture Team (2008) and Lawless World (2005), and contributor to the New York Review of Books, Vanity Fair, the Financial Times and The Guardian.
Our annual Betty & Shmuel Rosenkranz Oration connects Melbourne audiences with international thought leaders to gain a deeper understanding of the Holocaust within a global context.
Image: Betty & Shmuel Rosenkranz Oration 2021 guest speaker Prof. Philippe Sands QC
Click here to book tickets: https://jhc.org.au/event/betty-shmuel-rosenkranz-oration-with-philippe-sands-qc/

Trove for Beginners
2021-11-10 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
Discover how to use Trove, the National Library of Australia’s extensive online database.
Trove is a National Library of Australia website which provides access to historic newspapers, photographs, and much more. Come along to this session to learn what’s available on Trove, and some tips and tricks to find what you’re looking for.

Inter-Institutional Loans Seminar
2021-11-10 12:00 - 13:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Inter-Institutional Loans Seminar
This free Zoom seminar is aimed squarely at all the historical societies which are members of the RHSV. It is a very important seminar for those societies interested in building their capacity and adopting best practice in relation to their collection.
We have put together a stellar panel of experts who have been involved in both lending and borrowing items from their collections to other institutions.

Annie Muir, Heritage Victoria. Annie is a Heritage Curator for Heritage Victoria’s Artefact and Research Centre. They look after all the objects found in archaeological digs and shipwrecks in Victoria. In recent years the RHSV has mounted two exhibitions with Annie’s help – one on the wreck of the Fiji and the other about objects related to childhood found in archaeological digs in Melbourne.
Sarah Haselton is the Senior Registrar Exhibitions and Loans, Collection Care at the State Library of Victoria. Through Sarah, the SLV recently borrowed material from the RHSV’s MacRobertson collection.
Amanda Wild is the Exhibitions & Loans Conservator, Collections Care at the State Library of Victoria.
Helen Stitt, Royal Historical Society of Victoria, will talk about her experience with collections like the large collection at RACV as well as what the RHSV looks for when we are asked to lend material to another institution.

The panellists will talk about exactly what their institution looks for when they are asked to lend items from their collection. They will also cover issues like how to approach an institution, the time-lines involved, permissions needed, paperwork to be signed off, transport of objects, conservation (incl climate control and lighting), security, insurance and potential costs. All institutions are different but there are lot of consistencies in the way they handle loans. It also works the other way – if your society is approached to lend an object from your collection, what should you be asking of the borrower?
Even if your society has no immediate plans to borrow or lend, this is an important seminar designed to show historical societies what they should be aiming for in terms of climate control, security, lighting etc

Stories from the Greece / Crete Campaign, WW2 - Presented by Patrick Ferry
2021-11-10 19:30 - 21:30 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
In early 1941, Britain committed nearly 60,000 soldiers to help defend Greece from an imminent German invasion. This included some 17,000 troops from the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). When the invasion came in April 1941, the Allies put up stiff resistance, but were soon forced into an arduous retreat. Over the next couple of months, an astounding 39% of the AIF in Greece and Crete were killed, wounded or taken prisoner of war. Despite this, the campaign remains relatively less well known. In this presentation, Patrick Ferry (State Manager, Victoria for the National Archives of Australia) will share the stories of some soldiers from Pakenham, Victoria who were caught up in this tragedy. Patrick will also talk about a major National Archives’ project to digitise WW2 Army and RAAF service records.
Please book – email Eileen at – secretary@nwfgh.org.au

Soldier Settlement Schemes seminar via Zoom
2021-11-11 18:00 - 19:30 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Soldier Settlement Schemes seminar via Zoom
A joint presentation with the Genealogical Society of Victoria and the RHSV.
We are delighted that Dr Charles Fahey has agreed to deliver this seminar on Soldier Settlement Schemes
The Soldier Settlement Schemes encompassed thousands of World War One returned soldiers who occupied farming land on conditional purchase leases across Victoria between 1919 and the 1960s. If you are researching family or Australian history this talk will help you understand the individual experience of a soldier settler, as well as the historical context of the Victorian Soldier Settlement Scheme. The talk will make special use of files from the parishes of Wagant and Kulwin to illustrate the information and stories to be found in vast archive left by the settlers.
Dr Charles Fahey joined Latrobe University in 1990 after briefly teaching history at the University of Tasmania in Launceston. He taught history at La Trobe University, in Bendigo, Melbourne and Shepparton until his retirement in 2018. His research explores Australian Labor, rural and mining history. He is the author of many Victorian rural histories and articles (a list of articles can be found here). Before becoming an academic, he was employed as a historian with the Victorian Government, where he worked on the conservation of historic sites on Crown land and the history of Victorian forestry. The unit Charles worked with was also responsible for transferring the vast archive of Solder Settler files to PROV.
This is a free Zoom presentation. Please register below and the Zoom log-in details will be sent to you 24 hours before the event.

(Photo courtesy of Public Record Office Victoria)

Out of the box: collectables & ephemera show & tell
2021-11-14 11:00 - 15:00 | Nagambie Golf Course, 12 Cemetery Lane, Ngambie, VIC, 3608, Australia
Out of the box: collectables & ephemera show & tell
Collectors, hoarders and memento keepers are encouraged to participate in this inaugural event by sharing stories about their displayed treasures. Filling fast please book by 31 October 2021. Everyone will be double vaxxed.
Grandfather’s pocket watch may have seen many adventures; tickets to theatre and stage shows prompt memories. We all have some things we treasure, tucked away.
Safe display space will be allocated for those with larger collections. Seating will be at your eventual lunch table, with room for smaller items.
Everyone will have a chance to tell their story or simply to enjoy those of others.
Some fascinating items have already been registered.
This fundraising day for the Society will build revenue towards renovation of interior plasterwork in the 1870s museum.
$30 includes lunch. Perpetual coffee and tea. The bar opens at lunchtime with drinks at bar prices.
The golf club offers full facilities, plenty of parking, and flat access.
For bookings and enquiries: Email: nagambiehistorical@outlook.com

NOVEMBER HISTORY FEST
2021-11-14 12:00 - 16:00 | Lancefield Mechanics Institute, High Street, Lancefield, VIC, 3435, Australia
Our first ‘HISTORY FEST’ will celebrate History Month. Enjoy talks and themed food: starting with Craig Sandy who will talk about Surveying through the ages.
A short break and burgers and bangers will be served before Peter Sanders talks about his Burke & Wills expedition paintings. We can also taste wines from the Burke & Wills Winery.
Finally, we will launch our new book, Discover Springfield by Brenda Sorragahn. A glass of champagne to celebrate her achievement!
For bookings, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/BTZKV
Sunday 14th November 2021
12pm – 4pm
Lancefield Mechanics Institute Annex
High St, Lancefield
For more information – https://www.romseylancefieldhistorical.org.au/upcoming-events/november-history-fest
