Welcome home for our Terlecki timber piano front
2024-04-04 10:30 - 12:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
Please join us to celebrate the restoration and reframing of our glorious carved Terlecki timber piano front.
This piano front was donated to us by Keith Kilner representing his wider family and the recent restoration was paid for with a donation from the Boak family. We are enormously grateful to both families for their generosity.
We’ll be celebrating in style with a sparkling morning tea at the RHSV premises, 239 A’Beckett St and we’ll be hosting members of both the Kilner and Boak families.
A tiny bit of background …
In 1862 Joseph Kilner (piano maker) and Joseph Wilkie (piano tuner), opened a music and piano saloon at 15 Collins Street in Melbourne Australia and in 1863 established a factory at 174 Queen Street to construct pianos. Driven by Kilner, the firm soon began experimenting with using Australian blackwood and red gum but also managed to incorporate other local timbers including kauri, myrtle, sassafras, Queensland pine and huon pine in their instruments.
Wilkie, Kilner and Company pianos won major prizes at home and abroad including a silver medal for best entry in its class at the Centennial International Exhibition held in Philadelphia in 1876 for an upright wooden-framed instrument that had a front panel intricately carved with Australian plants and animals, plus the words ‘Advance Australia’ beneath a rising sun, – reminiscent of the Rising Sun badge proudly worn by soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Australian Imperial Force in both World Wars (this is ‘our’ piano front).
The elaborate front was carved by Polish immigrant, Felix Terlecki, who also produced some of the finest ornamental wood-carvings found in Melbourne’s colonial churches, banks etc
HOUSEKEEPING

The Gallery Downstairs where this event will be held is fully accessible.
There will be no Zoom for this event.
Please RSVP, although the event is free, we do need to know numbers for catering and seating.
When you RSVP you will be sent an automatically-generated email of confirmation – if this email doesn’t pop up in your in-box, please check your Spam or Junk mail folders.
Those who RSVP do not need to bring a ticket on the day – your names will be at the door.

EXHIBITION LAUNCH: MELBOURNE'S STORIED LANEWAYS
2024-04-11 17:30 - 19:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE LAUNCH OF
MELBOURNE’S STORIED LANEWAYS
Launched by Julian O’Shea
Curated by David Thompson
Designed by Daisy Searls
Thursday 11 April, 5:30pm – 7pm

We all have our favourite Melbourne laneway and curator, David Thompson, has chosen his favourites which reveal some intriguing Melbourne stories. When we think of today’s gussied-up tourist-friendly laneways like Guilford Lane and Hosier Lane, it is hard to imagine that a mere 50 years ago the laneways were workaday places full still of small factories and light industry. And earlier still there was the desperation of Little Lon. Today we get just glimpses of those rough and ready laneways that serviced the city and a frisson as the mouths of some still grimy and squalid laneways beckon us deeper in.
This exhibition has grown out of the RHSV’s latest publication which is an updated version of historian Weston Bate’s Essential but Unplanned: Melbourne’s Laneways which came out 30 years ago in 1994. The new laneways book will be launched in a few months.
Julian O’Shea is a popular online creator with millions of views across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. You might have seen him on your For You Page standing in front of a strange piece of urban infrastructure. Julian recently won the 2023 Victorian Community History Award for best Digital Storytelling Award. Julian has performed at Melbourne Fringe and various comedy storytelling events including SciFight Comedy Debate, and has been a comedy writer for Mad Magazine. He is a regular guest on ABC Radio Melbourne with Charlie Pickering and recently shared stories of the city with Julia Zemiro on Great Australian Walks. His work has been featured in The Age, Herald Sun, 3AW and the ABC. Julian has an upcoming show, M is for Melbourne, in the Melbourne Comedy Festival (27 March – 7 April).

A G L Shaw Lecture. Anti-Slavery and Protection in Port Phillip and NSW: the Curious Colonial Afterlife of the 1837 Select Committee Report on Aborigines
2024-04-16 17:30 - 19:30 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
The AGL Shaw lecture has been presented in partnership with the C J La Trobe Society for many years. It is one of the RHSV’s Distinguished Lectures and we are thrilled that, in 2024, Professor Penny Edmonds from the Flinders University will be delivering the lecture.
In 1838 Quaker James Backhouse posted the 1837 Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Aboriginal Tribes (British Settlements) ‘hot off the press’ from Cape Town to key figures he had met in the Australian colonies, including missionary George Langhorne, with instructions for it to be sent to Police Magistrate Foster Fyans and Captain William Lonsdale in Port Phillip. The much-studied 1837 report is often described as the ‘blueprint’ for imperial reform and the protection of Aboriginal peoples in the colonies. Backhouse sent the report to New South Wales including to three men of influence whom he had met in Sydney – the Colonial Secretary Alexander McLeay, police magistrate Archibald Innes and Reverend John Saunders. These three men would be central to the formation of the Sydney branch of the Aborigines’ Protection Society or the ‘Australian APS’, suggesting that the report’s distribution was part of a transimperial moment of humanitarian activism.
In this lecture, Penny shines new light on these important networks – stretching from Britain to the Cape Colony and Melbourne – and Backhouse’s precious packages containing the report to show the entanglements of antislavery and protection, and to offer a nuanced account of the activities and flow of policy during the creation of the Port Phillip protectorate. She will illuminate these networks with new forms of data visualisation. As she argues, the careers of Governors La Trobe and Arthur of Van Diemen’s Land were embodiments of this shift from antislavery to protection during a complex moment when the establishment of Port Phillip and the invasion of Kulin lands occurred at the same time as the rise in humanitarian sentiment and policy regarding Aboriginal peoples in the British colonies.
Quaker James Backhouse attached the highest importance to the 1837 report as a means of bringing a moral ‘awakening’ to settlers who had invaded Aboriginal lands and protection to Aboriginal people on violent frontiers. Yet the violent frontier wars across the southeastern colonies at this time continued to frustrate the humanitarian aspirations of La Trobe and others. Despite their efforts, the notion of a ‘humane colonisation’ was always to be an impossible project.

Professor Penelope Edmonds is Matthew Flinders Professor, History, in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Flinders University, South Australia. Penny’s research is distinguished by over two decades of creative and interdisciplinary work in the areas of Australian history, nineteenth-century British Empire and settler colonialism in the Australian and Pacific region, postcolonial histories, heritage and museums. She seeks to bring a critical-theory perspective to questions of colonialism, race, gender, reconciliation and redress, humanitarianism, slavery and unfreedom in the Australian and Western Pacific region. Penny’s book Settler Colonialism and (Re)Conciliation: Frontier Violence, Affective Performances, and Imaginative Refoundings (Palgrave UK, 2016) was shortlisted for the 2017 Ernest Scott Prize, University of Melbourne/Australian Historical Association for best book in colonial history.
Alan George Lewers Shaw AO, FAHA, FASSA, FRAHS, FRHSV (1916 – 2012) was an RHSV Councillor from 1965 to 1971 and President from 1987 to 1991. He is also a Benefactor of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. He was President of the C J La Trobe Society as well and the two organisations, the C J La Trobe Society and the RHSV, have jointly presented the annual A G L Shaw lecture since 2002 as a tribute to a great historian. A list of previous lecturers can be viewed here.

House-keeping
You will be sent an automatic email confirmation once you book – if this email doesn’t appear in your in-box, please check your Spam or Junk Mail folder as these automatically generated emails can go astray.
As at most RHSV events, we will be serving refreshments from 5:30pm to 6pm when the lecture starts however, for the AGL Shaw lecture, we also serve refreshments after the event and we encourage our members and the members of the C J La Trobe Society to stay a little longer and share our hospitality.

Gotcha! Concrete Prints from the McEwans Celebrity Pavement
2024-04-17 09:00 - 2024-08-16 17:00 | City Gallery, 110 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Who remembers the McEwans celebrity pavement?
Between 1972 and 1994, scores of celebrities had their hand- and footprints immortalised in cement at the entrance of the McEwans hardware store in Bourke Street. Shopping for a hammer or a hair-dryer, you’d step in the prints of actors, musicians, sportspeople, writers, dancers, politicians, an astronaut, a racehorse – even an operatic dog.
Curated by Robyn Annear, ‘Gotcha!’ presents 40 of the surviving prints from the McEwans pavement, together with stories of the celebrities who made them and newspaper images that capture the mood of the times.
Note: enter City Gallery via Customer Relations
Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm

South Yarra Water Works Company (1854 – 1863)
2024-04-18 17:30 - 19:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
Our first co-presentation with Engineering Heritage Victoria in 2024 will be by Ken McInnes who will explore the history, the entrepreneurs, the engineers, the operations, the expansion and the demise of the short lived South Yarra Water Works Company (1854 – 1863).
In 1854, 170 years ago, Yan Yean Reservoir was completed. Over the following ten years water was progressively reticulated to the houses and businesses of Melbourne and its suburbs.
Before Yan Yean, water was supplied from the Yarra River above “The Falls”, pumped into water carts and delivered around town. A large elevated cast iron tank was also built on Eastern Hill, filled by a steam pump on the north bank of the Yarra River, and provided reticulated water around the city area.
To provide water to Prahran and South Yarra, the ‘South Yarra Water Works Company’, pumped water into water carts, from the south bank of the Yarra River, upstream near Chapel Street. Once the Company was incorporated in 1855, it established a steam pump on Forest Hill and pumped water from the Yarra River to a tank on the corner of Chapel Street and Gardiner’s Creek Road, South Yarra, and provided reticulated water to nearby establishments. Later on the scheme was extended with another water tank near St.Kilda Junction.
The engineers initially associated with the Company were Alexander Kennedy Smith, George Holmes and Edward Richardson. The initial local entrepreneurs progressively gave way to later investors. There was lobbying, intrigue, and politics over granting land, financing, constructing of its tanks, laying of pipes in Central Roads Board reserves that later became municipal roads, ‘scuffles’ over the removal by council of pipes laid in ‘their’ streets. Once Yan Yean water mains were laid to the suburbs south of the Yarra River, the demise of the Company was inevitable, leading to its dissolution in 1863, and the gradual disappearance of all physical traces of its existence.
This presentation will provide a fascinating narrative for all who have an interest in the history of Victoria.

HOUSEKEEPING
This event will be offered in person at the RHSV and via Zoom. Those purchasing a Zoom ticket will be sent the log-in details 24 hours before the event. And the Zoom log-in is for 6pm.

Family History Workshops
2024-04-24 10:30 - 14:00, 2024-05-22 10:30 - 14:00 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
👩🏽‍👩🏽‍👦🏽‍👦🏽 Family History Workshops hosted by Wendy Eldridge from our Friends of the Library.
Do you want some guided help with your family history journey? We can help. Join a friendly and supportive environment while making use of the many resources available at the PMI Victorian History Library.
Our workshops will cover:
28 Feb – What you need to know what you Get Started
24 Apr – What Beginners should do
26 Jun – Special Guest – Heather Arnold
28 Aug – Doing your family history using Ancestry
30 Oct – Doing your family history using Ancestry / Understanding Military Records and Resources
Bookings are essential.

Leongatha Historical Society Annual ANZAC lunch
2024-04-24 12:00 - 15:00
The Society’s annual Anzac lunch will be at the Leongatha RSL at 12 noon on 24 April. The speaker will be Jillian Durance of Mojarra who will talk on the Kongwak Avenue of Honour. Please join us for lunch or come along and hear Jillian speak. Jillian has carried out much research on soldiers from the Kongwak Mojarra area who served in WW1
When: 24 April 12pm
Where: Leongatha RSL, Crn Smith St & Michael Pl, Leongatha VIC 3953
RSVP: Please contact Lyn 0400249048 if you are able to attend

Chapel Street Walks - An Australian Heritage Festival Event
2024-04-24 14:00 - 15:00 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
🏛️ Chapel Street Walks – An Australian Heritage Festival Event
Meet at the PMI Victorian History Library then step into a charming adventure. Discover the tales of yesteryear’s department stores on Chapel Street, Prahran. An all-inclusive experience, perfect for everyone – families, individuals, and even your beloved pets!
The tour will be led by Steve Stefanopoulos OAM, architectural historian, former Mayor of the City of Stonnington and President of the PMI Victorian History Library.
Bookings are essential.
Image: https://stonnington.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/FULL/WPAC/ARCENQ/59432044/22945613,1?FMT=IMG

ANZACs of Coburg Cemetery
2024-04-25 13:30 - 16:00
The Friends of Coburg Cemetery have something special lined up, and would love for you to join them! They’re holding a special ANZAC Day tour that’s all about exploring the history and experiences of Australians during wartime.
ANZACs of Coburg Cemetery
Date: ANZAC Day – 25 April 2024
Time: 1:30
Location: Coburg Cemetery, Bell/Elizabeth Street, Preston.
Cost: $10 non-members / $2 members
Did you know there are over 200 ANZACs resting in Coburg Cemetery? Crazy, right? This tour is our chance to pay our respects and learn more about the stories of the brave men and women from Coburg/Preston who served our country with courage and selflessness during WWI and WWII.
The Friends of Coburg Cemetery will take you on a 90-minute walk filled with captivating tales and heart-wrenching moments as you visit the graves of these brave individuals. It’s a chance to connect with history in a whole new way.
Please let them know if you would like to join the tour. Have any questions? Feel free to shoot them a message at focc.group@gmail.com

Trivia Night: Celebrating 170 years of the PMI Victorian History Library
2024-05-01 18:30 - 19:30 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
📚 Trivia Night: Celebrating 170 years of the PMI Victorian History Library
We’re absolutely thrilled to share the news that our beloved library is turning a remarkable 170 years old this year. And to celebrate we are hosting a trivia night! With questions covering our library history, and elements of Victoria’s history like, nature, sport, social history and more. There will be something for everyone.
We have amazing prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place too. So book your ticket and get your thinking caps on!
We will also be unveiling our exhibition “The PMI Library: Celebrating 170 Years” on the night. Be sure to read all the descriptions to find out some of the whacky and strange stories that make up our history.
Dress: Smart Casual

CATALOGUING CLINICS 2024
2024-05-02 11:00 - 12:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Join Jillian Hiscock, the RHSV Collections Manager, each month in this informative and easy-going Zoom forum on all aspects of cataloguing collections for historical societies.
Jillian has a different topic each month and is happy to be guided by those who attend as to what they would like covered in upcoming clinics. Bring your questions (no matter the topic) – this is an interactive space where questions are encouraged. The RHSV does not endorse any particular cataloguing software – we believe it is horses for courses – and Jillian will talk about issues that impact on cataloguing whether you are using cataloguing cards or software.
The one-hour clinics are free and the Zoom log-in below is used every month in 2024, however, we do ask you to register each month as this enables Jillian to send you extra material / links etc after each session.
The remaining 2024 Cataloguing Clinics will be held at

Thu 2 May 11am – 12noon (AEST) * this is a week later than normal because of Anzac Day
Thu 23 May 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 27 Jun 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 25 Jul 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 22 Aug 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 26 Sep 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 24 Oct 11am – 12noon (AEDT)
Thu 28 Nov 11am – 12noon (AEDT)

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYqcO-hqD8uH92SLyLFy8RywYTvMs4EraaZ/ics?icsToken=[REDACTED]
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82776964459?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 827 7696 4459
Passcode: [REDACTED]
If joining by phone:
One tap mobile
+61370182005,,82776964459#,,,,*[REDACTED]# Australia
+61731853730,,82776964459#,,,,*[REDACTED]# Australia
Dial by your location
• +61 3 7018 2005 Australia
• +61 7 3185 3730 Australia
• +61 8 6119 3900 Australia
• +61 8 7150 1149 Australia
• +61 2 8015 6011 Australia
Meeting ID: 827 7696 4459
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdh0GPiJW

Female Convicts Research Centre 2024 Seminar/Webinar
2024-05-05 09:00 - 15:00 | UTAS, Dobson Road, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
The Femal Convicts Research Centre will host its 2024 Seminar/Webinar ‘Freedom: time served, moving on’ in Hobart (University of Tasmania) on Sunday 5 May. It is available as an in-person seminar or virtually as a webinar. Our program will focus on the pathways to freedom for convict women in Van Diemen’s Land and will explore the lives they led once they were emancipated. Registrations close on 24 April (Seminar) and 28 April (webinar). Registration is $60 (Seminar – includes morning tea and lunch) or $40 (Webinar).

Malvern Walks - An Australian Heritage Festival Event
2024-05-08 10:30 - 11:30 | Malvern Town Hall, Corner High Street and Glenferrie Road Malvern, Melbourne, 3144, Australia
🏛️ Malvern Walks – An Australian Heritage Festival Event
Beginning at the base of the clock tower of the Malvern Town Hall, you will explore the Town Hall, nearby Police Station and former Court House; St George’s Anglican Parish (church, hall and vicarage); Stonnington’s only bluestone house; Waiora house; Malvern Square and sculptures; former Malvern Fire Station; former De La Salle College, Armadale; Malvern Tram Depot; St Joseph’s Catholic Parish (church, presbytery, hall and girls’ & boys’ schools); Tower Building (De La Salle College); former site of Kildara College and Brigidine Convent; Northbrook (house, ballroom and stables); MCG (Malvern Cricket Ground and pavilion); finishing at the former ES&A Bank.
The tour will be led by Steve Stefanopoulos OAM, architectural historian, former Mayor of the City of Stonnington and former President of the PMI Victorian History Library.
Bookings are essential.
Image: Stonnington History Catalogue image MP5018

Author talk – The Red Witch with Nathan Hobby
2024-05-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Bentleigh Library and Youth Hub, 161 Jasper Road, Bentleigh, Victoria, 3204, Australia
The Glen Eira Historical Society has joined with Bentleigh Library (Jasper Rd, Bentleigh) to present an author talk by Nathan Hobby on his biography ‘The Red Witch’, about the writer and activist Katharine Susannah Prichard (1883-1969). Nathan lives in Western Australia and will be presenting via Zoom which you can watch in person at the Bentleigh Library or from home. Nathan will cover the early years of Prichard’s life in the Caulfield area, some of which didn’t make his book.
Bookings and more details here – https://library.gleneira.vic.gov.au/whats-on/events-calendar/author-talk-the-red-witch-with-nathan-hobby

Book Launch : The Architecture of Iwan Iwanoff
2024-05-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Japanese Room, Melbourne School of Design (University of Melbourne), Masson Road, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
REGISTER VIA EVENTBRITE FOR CATERING PURPOSES
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Hosted by ACAHUCH with Stuart Harrison, please join us to hear author Warren Andersen and former collaborator for the New Horizons exhibition to discuss his recently released book ‘The Architecture of Iwan Iwanoff’ in the Japanese Room at Melbourne School of Design.
There will be copies available to purchase on the night, and pre-order is available.
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THE ARCHITECTURE OF IWAN IWANOFF book is a comprehensive review of houses, commercial buildings, apartments, and shop fitouts from 1950 to 1986.
Iwanoff unified international modernism, Besser block relief, and innovation with material use and construction to create a unique aesthetic putting Perth, Western Australia onto the global architecture map. Including historical photography, drawings, furniture, lost structures, and unbuilt projects, this book provides a new perspective and authoritative resource.
Underpinned by five years of research in university archives in Australia, Germany, and Bulgaria, it examines Iwanoff’s legacy through recollections f his sons, Michael and Nicolai Iwanoff, professional architects, artists, contractors, and house owners.
‘One of the most exciting things was documenting all of the houses, some of which have never been open to the public. So you can look at bespoke woodwork, furniture and cabinets which are part of the whole package, not just the exteriors – Warren Andersen.’
This book takes the reader on a fresh journey through three decades of Iwanoff’s design innovation and influences from California moderne, geometric besser block, to Italian sculptural abstraction with a feast of biographical details and archive imagery.
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Stuart Harrison is an Australian architect, good design advocate, recently appointed senior lecturer in Architectural Design at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning,. He is a specialist in the re-use of buildings and believes in a strong link between history and contemporary practice. He has worked across architectural practice, teaching and media during the last 20 years. Stuart is director of Harrison and White (HAW), has worked in public radio, television, academia and has authored three books on housing. He hosted Seasons 2 and 3 of Restoration Australia on ABC-TV.
Warren Andersen is an urban planning and business management consultant with over 40 years experience in public and private sector. As a heritage advocate, he initiated the national listing and restoration of the 1906 WA Rowing Club building, and listing of Timber Town of Jarrahdale. In 2021, he secured inclusion into the municipal inventory of the City of Fremantle of the 1968 Martin Clark recording studio building designed by Iwan Iwanoff.

REGIONAL SEMINAR WEEKEND IN MORTLAKE
2024-05-18 - 2024-05-19 | Mortlake RSL Sub-Branch, 17 Shaw Street, Mortlake, VIC, 3272, Australia
We are thrilled that Mortlake & District Historical Society will be hosting our first HSSC* regional seminar for 2024.
*HSSC is the RHSV’s Historical Societies Support Committee.
Mortlake is located 216 km west of Melbourne via the Hamilton Highway (2.5-3 hours drive) and 49 km north-east of Warrnambool so it makes a great weekend away and a wonderful starting point for more Western District exploring. It is an historic settlement which lies at the base of Mount Shadwell, an extinct volcano. The town, which has a large number of impressive bluestone buildings, lies in an area of fertile volcanic plains which have produced a rich pastoral and agricultural district. The area is known for its olivine crystal which can be fossicked on Mount Shadwell.
Mortlake and District Historical Society
Located at 27 Shaw Street, the Ark Heritage Centre (mortlakedhs@gmail.com | 0435 508 684), Mortlake & District Historical Society collects and preserves material relating to the history of Mortlake and the surrounding district.
The RSL Hall in Mortlake will be our Sunday venue – it is a beautiful bluestone building dating from the 1870s. It is the one-time Temperance Hall and has had many uses prior to 1947 including a glove factory during the Second World War. Mac’s Hotel is also booked for the Saturday dinner (it is even older than the RSL, dating back to 1859). Mac’s Hotel also has accommodation – check it out here.
2 DAY PROGRAM
DAY 1 SAT 18 MAY 2024
Today is an optional program.
3:30pm – 5pm BLUESTONE HERITAGE WALK with a snapshot of Mortlake’s history led by members of Mortlake and District Historical Society (free and open to the public). Meeting point: Soldiers’ Memorial Hall, Shaw Street, Mortlake
4.30pm – 5.30pm The ARK HERITAGE CENTRE open (open to the public). Venue: 27 Shaw Street, Mortlake.
6:30pm DINNER at Mac’s Hotel followed by a night stroll along Dunlop Street (almost full moon). Our AFTER-DINNER SPEAKER is Peter Yule whose topic is ‘Western District Vignettes’.
Venue: Mac’s Hotel, 90 Dunlop Street, Mortlake https://www.macshotelmortlake.com.au/
Please reserve a spot at the dinner when you book for the seminar. You can pay for dinner on the night.
DAY 2: SUN 19 MAY 2024 FULL DAY SEMINAR
Venue: R.S.L. Hall, 13 Shaw Street, Mortlake
Includes lunch and morning tea
Please note that in every session there is time for questions and answers and sharing of experiences.
9:00am REGISTRATION tea/coffee and networking
9:45am – 10am PROGRAM START: Acknowledgement of Country, welcome, housekeeping. Rosalie Triolo, Craige Proctor and Robert McLaren
10am – 10:45am PRESENTATION 1: Rosalie Triolo, ‘Your community’s young people as your society’s historians; now and into the future’
10:45am – 11:30am PRESENTATION 2: Richard Broome, ‘”Who’ll Take a Glove?”: Aboriginal Tent Fighters’
11:30am – 11:45am MORNING TEA
11:45am – 12:30pm PRESENTATION 3: Helen Laffin, ‘Caring and Sharing – Digitising & promoting your collection’
12:30pm – 1:30pm LUNCH and mingling/networking
1:30pm – 2:15pm PRESENTATION 4: Paul Fearon, ‘Hearts & Minds – Meeting the challenge of managing things and leading people’
2:15pm – 2:45pm FORUM DISCUSSION with all speakers
2:45pm – 3:30pm PRESENTATION 5: Robert McLaren, ‘The Rev. Kay: Front Row Seat to a Changing World from 1850 to 1880′
3:30pm – 3:45pm ROUND UP AND CLOSE

SPEAKERS & ABSTRACTS
EMERITUS PROFESSOR RICHARD BROOME AM, FAHA, FRHSV has published many articles in Australian history and 20 books, 10 of them in second to fifth editions. He has written about Indigenous History, and also histories of immigration, sport and popular culture, the Mallee, Coburg, and several life stories of Lebanese Australians and Nagaland people. He taught at La Trobe University for thirty years, and has been President of the History Institute in the mid-1990s and is currently President of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria 2019+. He co-edits the Victorian Historical Journal and is currently co-author of The Story of Melbourne’s Lanes, RHSV (in press).
Part performance, part brutal reality, tent fighting was iconic at agricultural shows from 1900 to the 1970s in Victoria and beyond. Were Aboriginal tent fighters exploited by their managers or agents shaping their own lives? Richard Broome will answer that question with special reference to the Western District. Richard began researching tent boxing in Warrnambool in the late 1970s, which led to several articles and a book Sideshow Alley (1998). He will share his insights, which will illuminate Australian life and Aboriginal lives in that era.
ROSEMARY CAMERON has been the RHSV’s Executive Officer since 2017. Her entire career has been in not-for-profit membership-based arts management. Overseas she worked for London’s English National Opera and Royal Opera House and Oslo’s Early Music Festival. She is former director of the Melbourne Writers Festival (2005 – 2009) and the Brisbane Writers Festival (2003 – 2005). Rosemary is a judge of the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Prize for non-fiction. She was involved in Melbourne’s successful bid to become a UNESCO City of Literature.
PAUL FEARON FAICD FCPA FIPAA (Vic) joined the RHSV Council in 2022 following a 40-year career in the energy industry, including government advisor and regulator. He currently holds director roles in two volunteer-based charities and is undertaking a PhD in history. He holds arts, business and finance degrees and is passionate about leadership training and education.
In his engaging session, Hearts & Minds – Meeting the challenge of managing things and leading people, Paul will lead a discussion on how we can plan for succession, attract volunteers and deal with the most common people challenges in any organisation—effective delegation, giving and receiving feedback, building teams, pre-empting team conflict and dealing with difficult personalities.
HELEN LAFFIN holds a Master of Cultural Heritage, Deakin University, and is currently Heritage Collections Co-ordinator at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. She is also part of the City of Whitehorse Arts and Culture team which oversees Schwerkolt Cottage Museum Complex and the Whitehorse Artspace. She has a strong interest in local history and collection management and has worked as staff or volunteer at many small and large collections in Melbourne including Melbourne’s Living Museum of the West, CERES Community Environment Park archives, and Coburg Historical Society. Helen will share practical knowledge from her experiences in the heritage sector.
In ‘Caring and Sharing: Digitising & promoting your collection’ Helen will provide tips on how to start digitising your collection without getting overwhelmed, using examples from her own experience and others. She will then show how these images can be used to promote the value of your collection within and outside your organisation. She is hoping that those attending with share their experiences as well.
ROBERT MCLAREN grew up at Mortlake in the Western District of Victoria. Although he moved away from the district he has maintained a strong interest in the area. Robert has written four local history books and numerous articles on the people and places around Mortlake and district. He worked as an Accountant and Humanities secondary teacher and recently retired from full time work. Robert is the President of the Mortlake and District Historical Society.
‘The Reverend Kay: Front Row Seat to a Changing World from 1850 to 1880′ Great stories on people who lived in our local areas are out there waiting for someone to turn the first stone to shed light on them. The Rev. Kay and his wife Caroline Hoste who arrived at the Wickliffe Charge in 1863 are one such story. A photo in the State Library of Victoria, a Melbourne University scholarship and a large memorial on a grave in the Dunedin cemetery were the catalysts for me to keep searching. The story was to unearth a naval hero, links to the Royal Family, a life in rural Scotland, scandals, the birth of Italy, a messy court case and a legacy that continues today.
CRAIGE PROCTOR a recently retired teacher and university program manager, is a fifth generation Mortlake resident who joined the first incarnation of the Mortlake and District Historical Society in the 1980s and the re-floated Society in 2000. His passion for storytelling came from listening to his grandparents’ tales and has evolved over more than fifty years, resulting in town and cemetery tours and co-authoring or authoring five books on the district’s history but managing the Society’s Facebook page since 2011 has taken storytelling in many new and rewarding directions. Beyond Mortlake, Craige is a committee member of the Western Victorian Association of Historical Societies and the Association’s Newsletter Editor, a committee member of the Pebble Church Heritage Association at St Arnaud, Secretary of the Wimmera Mallee Pioneer Museum at Jeparit where he also lives and is a member of the RHSV’s Historical Society’s Support Committee. In 2022 Craige received an RHSV Award of Merit, one of his proudest moments
Dr ROSALIE TRIOLO FRHSV is the Chair of RHSV’s Historical Societies Support Committee. She has enjoyed over 40 years in History education, including multiple, long-term, volunteer Victorian and national leadership, presentation and advocacy roles; teaching Australian history in diverse Victorian rural and city government schools, including Derrinallum; publishing for general public, as well as tertiary, secondary and primary education audiences; and facilitating the development of specialist teachers of History for 25 years at Monash University.
‘Your community’s young people as your society’s historians; now and into the future’ A local historical society is an excellent setting for encouraging young people’s lifelong love and learning of ‘History’ while nurturing their roles as future carers of their community’s history, heritage and the society, itself. This workshop outlines the importance of engaging at present with young people as visitors, members and volunteers while sustaining a positive, long-term view to their involvement. While interactions with school groups are a first and important consideration, there are many more opportunities for events, programs and resources that specifically welcome individual families with young children, or groups of families, as well as members of other ‘young groups’ in the community. This workshop invites sharing of successful activities in the above regards while offering further strategies and resources to locate and support ‘the next generations’.
Dr PETER YULE had the good fortune to marry into an old Warrnambool family and worked for many years at Grayson’s Newsagency and Collins Booksellers. He has written over 30 books including many Western District local histories as well as books on topics ranging from the Collins Class submarine project and Australian National Airways to the Baillieu and Buxton families. Peter is a member of the Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Koroit and Mortlake historical societies and a Councillor and Fellow of the RHSV.
Peter will give an after dinner speech on Saturday evening entitled, ‘Western District Vignettes’.

ACCOMMODATION
Try Mac’s Hotel (it dates from 1859) – many of us are staying there. Some photos of Mac’s Hotel courtesy of the Mortlake & District Historical Society. The 3rd photo below is 1920 and fourth photo is 1909.
Mount Shadwell Hotel and Stables (motel units). Contact through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Mt-Shadwell-Hotel-The-Stables-Motel-100057078294907/
Accommodation can be limited so, if the above two suggestions are fully booked, please contact Craige Proctor (craige@iprimus.com.au) and he can advise you of alternatives.

Open Day: Broadmeadows Historical Society
2024-05-18 09:00 - 16:00 | Broadmeadows Museum, 21 Pearcedale Parade, Broadmeadows, VIC, Australia
As part of the Australian Heritage Festival, the Broadmeadows Historical Society are having an Open Day!
The Broadmeadows Historical Museum is reopening after extensive redesign of displays, to become more Broadmeadows and district centric. Enjoy our clean more open display with designated research facilities. Click here for more info.
Where: Broadmeadows Museum, 21 Pearcedale Parade, Broadmeadows, Victoria -The museum is located behind the Youth Central building.
When: 18th May 2024
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Entry Fee: By donation
BHS website:http://home.vicnet.net.au/~broadhs
As Broadmeadows Historical Society undergoes an exciting revitalization, they’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers from the local community to be a part of this transformative journey. Whether you have a passion for preserving the past, love sharing stories, or simply want to make a difference in your community, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Sign up today to be a volunteer and become part of history!
Please contact BHS for all enquires: secretarybroadmeadowshs@outlook.com

Labassa open day
2024-05-19 10:30 - 16:00 | Labassa, 2 Manor Grove, Caulfield North, Victoria, 3161, Australia
Experience the complex richness of Labassa’s architectural and human history. Although more than 700 people have lived at Labassa, it has miraculously survived with most of its opulent Victorian era decoration intact.
Guided house tours and tower tours operate through out the day, and the tea room is open 10.30am to 3.30pm. Join us for a guided tour or opt for a self-guided tour.
Guided House Tour Times:
11am: Interior House Tour
12pm: ‘Who’s been living in this house?’ Tour (Note: this tour goes upstairs)
1pm: Exterior tour
2pm: Interior House Tour
3pm: Interior House Tour
Tower tours:
10:45am
11.45am
12.45pm
1.45pm
2.45pm
3.45pm
The tower will be open with a limit of 12 people per tour group. Due to the tower’s narrow, steep steps visitors are advised to wear sensible shoes.
Tea room: 10.30am – 3.30pm
Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your intended guided tour time. Capacity will be monitored on the day.

MENTIONS IN DESPATCHES: In Conversation with Dave Sabben MG
2024-05-19 14:45 - 15:45 | Shrine of Remembrance, Birdwood Ave, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
Get a fascinating glimpse into day-to-day life during the Vietnam War as Dave Sabben MG uncovers stories from his new book Mentions in Despatches.
Appearing in conversation with Shrine Governor and former broadcaster Squadron Leader (Retd) Peter Meehan OAM, Sabben will share his stories of service collected from letters sent home during his tour of Vietnam.
From arriving in South Vietnam to the Battle of Long Tan, this talk will reveal in unrivalled detail what life was like for a frontline soldier in a war without front lines.
After the talk, guests are invited to attend a Last Post Service, from 4.45pm–5pm, commemorating Operation Hardihood—a joint US and Australian security operation to clear and seize Nui Dat in 1966.
Copies of Mentions in Despatches will be available for purchase at the event.
Book here: https://www.shrine.org.au/mentions-despatches-conversation-dave-sabben-mg
“A must-read for anyone who aspires to become a worthy leader in the Australian Army, but equally readable for anyone interested in a grassroots picture of what a soldier endured during a 1960s tour of Vietnam.”
Sgt Dave Morely, Army Newspaper

A Musical Ouroboros
2024-05-21 18:30 - 19:30 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
🎶 A Musical Ouroboros – how the Hottest 100 both reflects and encourages the empowerment of Australian youth.
For 30 years, triple j’s Hottest 100 has been Australia’s go-to countdown for the year’s top songs. Beyond mere entertainment, it’s a reflection of youth sentiment. In the past, it echoed Gen X rebellion with bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Today, it’s a diverse tapestry showcasing female artists, LGBTQ+ voices, and people of colour, mirroring a generational shift. This countdown isn’t just about music; it’s a space where young Aussies steer the conversation. Their votes drive the event’s success, inadvertently giving them a platform and a voice in shaping cultural dialogue.
Bookings are essential with a gold coin for entry.

CATALOGUING CLINICS 2024
2024-05-23 11:00 - 12:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Join Jillian Hiscock, the RHSV Collections Manager, each month in this informative and easy-going Zoom forum on all aspects of cataloguing collections for historical societies.
Jillian has a different topic each month and is happy to be guided by those who attend as to what they would like covered in upcoming clinics. Bring your questions (no matter the topic) – this is an interactive space where questions are encouraged. The RHSV does not endorse any particular cataloguing software – we believe it is horses for courses – and Jillian will talk about issues that impact on cataloguing whether you are using cataloguing cards or software.
The one-hour clinics are free and the Zoom log-in below is used every month in 2024, however, we do ask you to register each month as this enables Jillian to send you extra material / links etc after each session.
The remaining Cataloguing Clinics in 2024 will be held at

Thu 23 May 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 27 Jun 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 25 Jul 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 22 Aug 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 26 Sep 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 24 Oct 11am – 12noon (AEDT)
Thu 28 Nov 11am – 12noon (AEDT)

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYqcO-hqD8uH92SLyLFy8RywYTvMs4EraaZ/ics?icsToken=[REDACTED]
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82776964459?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 827 7696 4459
Passcode: [REDACTED]
If joining by phone:
One tap mobile
+61370182005,,82776964459#,,,,*[REDACTED]# Australia
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Dial by your location
• +61 3 7018 2005 Australia
• +61 7 3185 3730 Australia
• +61 8 6119 3900 Australia
• +61 8 7150 1149 Australia
• +61 2 8015 6011 Australia
Meeting ID: 827 7696 4459
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdh0GPiJW

The Geology of Williamstown and surrounds
2024-05-23 19:30 - 20:30 | Williamstown Town Hall, Level 1 Meeting room/ 104 Ferguson Street, Williamstown, Victoria, 3016
Presented by: Ross Cayley, Senior Geologist (Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action)
Williamstown Historical Society – History presentations
Did you know that the Williamstown Railway Line accidentally follows the deeply buried course of an ancient river, or what a ‘lateral stream’ is?
– Do you know that the growth of the New Zealand Alps has made living in Williamstown possible?
– Do you hate volcanoes?
– Does thinking about time in terms of millions of years seem ridiculous to you?
– Did you know that the whole of Williamstown lies over 10 metres north of where it was when its first streets were surveyed?
If you’ve answered “No” to any of these questions then you’ll probably enjoy this talk!

Historic Country 3 Courts Car Tour Weekend
2024-05-25 11:00 - 16:00, 2024-05-26 11:00 - 16:00
Interested in the history of Law in Victoria? Experience 3 historic courtrooms
Three Court Houses are opening their doors for a weekend of car touring. It is a leisurely drive between Port Fairy, Macarthur & Penshurst in the vicinity of vineyard lunches and cottage accommodation.

Penshurst Court House History Centre, 33 Martin Street Penshurst
Macarthur Court House Museum, 31 High Street Macarthur
Port Fairy Court House Museum, 30 Gipps Street Port Fairy

Stand in the Dock and bring the Courtroom to life!
May 25th and 26th 11am to 4pm
Click here to book

Monash Park Historical Signage
2024-05-25 14:00 - 17:00 | Shepparton Heritagfe Centre, 154 Welford Street, Shepparton, VIC, 3630
Monash Park Historical Signage, Saturday 25th May, 2.00pm.
We are thrilled to announce the highly anticipated official unveiling of the Monash Park Signage Project, an exciting initiative showcasing Shepparton’s rich early history. These panels offer a captivating glimpse into the past, particularly focusing on the area along the river at the back of Welsford Street between High and Fryers Streets.
As the heart of Shepparton’s early European settlement, Welsford Street stood as the town’s centre when the first waves of development swept through. The sixteen historic interpretive panels serve as poignant reminders of the industries and events that shaped the area’s history, highlighting the significant contributions made along the riverbank.
This project is proudly presented by the Shepparton Heritage Centre, in collaboration with RiverConnect and Greater Shepparton City Council. We invite you to join us in celebrating our heritage and exploring the fascinating stories behind Shepparton’s evolution.
Following the unveiling ceremony, an afternoon tea will be provided by Shepparton Heritage Centre in the History Research Hub, 156 Welsford Street.
When: Saturday 25th May, 2.00pm
Where: History Research Hub, 156 Welsford Street Shepparton VIC 3630
No RSVP required
Contact Shepparton Heritage Centre for all queries: secretary@sheppartonheritage.com.au

Incinerator History Tours
2024-05-26 11:00 - 12:00 | Incinerator Gallery, 180 Holmes Road, Aberfeldie, VIC, 3045, Australia
Discover the captivating history of the Essendon incinerator on our monthly volunteer-led history tour.
Strategically located near parkland and residences, this iconic structure emerged in 1929, revolutionising waste disposal was designed by the offices of visionary architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin.
Join us as our knowledgeable guides unveil the ‘Destructor’s’ transformative journey, from waste disposal facility to council depot, to a performing arts venue and now Incinerator Gallery. Immerse yourself in the essence of Griffin’s design ethos and explore a bygone era where sanitation and aesthetics converged. Don’t miss the chance to delve into this historic gem’s narrative on our engaging monthly tours.
History Tours are presented at Incinerator Gallery and run from 11 am to 12 noon.

RHSV AGM + 2024 Weston Bate Oration: Dr Fiona Gatt
2024-05-28 17:00 - 19:30 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
The forgotten class? Shopkeepers of nineteenth-century Melbourne
Shopkeepers played a vital role in the functioning of nineteenth-century Melbourne society. They owned the businesses where residents obtained goods, from basic daily needs to the flights and fancies of an emerging modern consumer culture. Echoes of their presence live on in the shopfronts and main shopping streets. This lecture investigates and compares the shopkeepers who operated in three distinct, representative suburbs of nineteenth-century Melbourne: genteel Malvern, inner urban North Melbourne and industrial Footscray. In doing so it provides a genuine comparative cross-section of the urban retail trade in this period and reveals the subtle differences between these localities in terms of the prestige and identity ascribed to shopkeepers within the socio-economic fabric of these local societies. Yet across all three towns (or suburbs), shopkeepers held an important and unique role, one that cannot be understood through the same lens as the working class or middle class.
Dr Fiona Gatt is a professional historian who works on commissioned histories for clients such as the National Trust of Australia (Victoria). She teaches history at La Trobe and Deakin universities and undertakes research for history projects at universities across Australia. Her particular areas of interest include urban history, class, migration, housing and First Nations history. Her work has been published in History Australia, Postcolonial Studies, the Victorian Historical Journal, and shortlisted for the Victorian Community History Awards. The 2024 Weston Bate Oration will present Fiona’s research findings as Historian in Residence at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria 2023–2024.
The Weston Bate Oration is one of the RHSV’s Distinguished Lecture Series.
Housekeeping
The Weston Bate Oration follows the RHSV’s Annual General Meeting. The AGM runs from 5pm until about 6:10pm when we have a short break before resuming for the Oration at 6:30pm. Refreshments will be served in that break. If you wish to attend the Oration only then there is no need to arrive at the Drill Hall until, say, 6:15pm for 6:30pm.
Both the AGM and the Oration are hybrid and will be available on ZOOM for those who cannot attend in person at the Drill Hall. The same ZOOM log-in will apply to both the AGM and the Oration and those log-in details will be sent to those who RSVP 24 hours before the event. You just need to log-in when you are able to join the meeting/oration.
There is the opportunity below to record your apologies if you cannot attend the AGM in person or via ZOOM.
Members will be sent the papers for the AGM 14 days prior to the AGM.
Non-members are more than welcome to attend the AGM – we just ask members to identify themselves when RSVPing as it makes it easier for us to count votes etc

Making Public Histories: Energy Transitions: Historicising Australia's Nuclear Debate – 5pm (webinar)
2024-05-30 17:00 - 18:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Australia is in the midst of an energy transition, but specific policies and decisions around the shift to more renewable forms of energy production, storage and use have become the subject of heated debate. Historians have an important role to play in this debate, shedding light on the historical factors that shape ideas and attitudes in the present. How have Australians thought about nuclear energy, and the extractive processes that underpin it, over the last seventy years? What cultural attitudes have developed around coal and coal mining in Australia, and how do they shape attitudes and policy today? And how have we transitioned between energy regimes in the past?
In this seminar, three leading scholars consider how Australia’s past shapes debates about the nation’s contested energy transition today.
Speakers:
Assoc. Prof. Nancy Cushing (University of Newcastle)
Dr Jessica Urwin (La Trobe University/Australian National University)
Dr Matthew Ryan (The Australia Institute)
This event will be chaired by Rohan Howitt of Monash University.
We thank the series sponsors, Monash University Publishing, the Monash University History Program and the Old Treasury Building.
Bookings: https://www.historycouncilvic.org.au/australia_s_nuclear_debate_mph
We will be live tweeting the event from our Twitter/X account @History_Vic with the hashtag #MakingPublicHistories

The Great Orange Peel Panic: and other stories from Melbourne
2024-06-11 18:30 - 19:30 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
🍊 The Great Orange Peel Panic: and other stories from Melbourne
Did you know around the 1860’s civic reprobates who discarded orange peel in the streets of Melbourne, risked life and limb? Apparently new flagstone paving stones, combined with discarded orange peels, were a serious hazard. Oranges were a popular snack at the time and peel littered the pavements, with women blamed by the newspapers as the ‘chief strewers of peel’.
Join us as Robyn Annear talks about this story and more from her new book Corners of Melbourne. Robyn is an author who…’tackles her sprawling subject matter with her trademark wit and her knack for singling out the perfect historical reference.’ Age
This is a joint event with Family History Connections. Bookings are essential with a gold coin for entry.
