Royal Historical Society of Victoria

Labassa Open Day
2024-11-17 10:30 - 16:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | 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 throughout the day, and the tea room is open 10:30am to 3:30pm. 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.
Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your intended tour time. Capacity will be monitored on the day. Pre-bookings for entry to the house are highly recommended to avoid disappointment. Walk up availability is subject to the numbers already in the house.
Cost: $0 – $50
No parking in Manor Grove.

My Grandfather's Clock
2024-11-13 14:00 - 15:00 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
🕰️ My Grandfather’s Clock
This is a joint Family History Connections and PMI Victorian History Library event. If family history, a love of research and discovery is your thing, do come along.
Hear about a story of an ordinary family’s journey from frontier warfare and dispossession through economic turmoil and emigration to modest prosperity. At each step, we are led to reflect on the puzzles of personal identity and the mystery of time. Based on a lifetime of creative scholarship, My Grandfather’s Clock is a moving testament to the power of family history to illuminate the present.
Graeme Davison is Emeritus Sir John Monash Professor of History at Monash University. He has written widely on Australian history. His previous family history, Lost Relations: Fortunes of My Family in Australia’s Golden Age, won a Judges’ Special Prize in the Victorian Community History Awards.
Graeme will sell and sign books on the day.
Bookings essential with a gold coin for entry.

The Life and Works of the sculptor Charles Summers (1825-1878)
2024-11-07 19:30 - 21:30 | Phyllis Hore Room, Kew Library, Civic Drive, Kew, Victoria, 3101, Australia
Join us on Thursday November 7th for our next club meeting.
Our upcoming talk is on the ‘Life and Works of the Sculptor Charles Summers (1825-1878).
He is best known as the maker of the bronze statue of Burke and Wills, Melbourne’s first public monument, but he also made many other important works.
Our speaker is Jennie Maggs, a descendant of the sculptor and a Summers researcher and collector.
Hosted by the Antique Collectors Club of Victoria.
The talk will be followed with a light supper.
Please message if you wish to come along to allow for catering.
Non-members/casual entry $10.
Thursday 7:30pm Phyllis Hore Room, Kew Library.

Life So Full of Promise
2024-11-06 18:30 - 19:30 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
Award-winning historian and biographer of Pompey Elliott, Ross McMullin, on his new book.
Ross is a renowned storyteller and an entertaining speaker. He will regale us with stories from “Life So Full of Promise”, his second lost generation multi-biography following “Farewell Dear People”, which won the Prime Minister’s Prize for Australian History.
Ross’s new book again combines prodigious research and narrative flair in a collection of interwoven family stories about forgotten Australians who had radiant potential. The rich cast of characters includes a popular doctor, a brilliant cricketer, and an exceptionally talented barrister who was a potential prime minister.
“Life So Full of Promise” illuminates what the war was like at home and at the sharp end. It provides insights into the experiences of Australians before, during and after the war, whether they were combatants or civilians, or soldiers’ wives or parents.
Bookings are essential with a gold coin for entry.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF THE VICTORIAN HERITAGE REGISTER
2024-10-30 17:30 - 19:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
The RHSV, in partnership with the Heritage Council Victoria, celebrates 50 years of the Victorian Heritage Register. The event will offer insight into the history and functioning of the Register, which should be of interest to all concerned with preserving our heritage.
2024 marks the 50th Anniversary of Victorian state government heritage legislation. In 1974, after years of campaigning by Victorian heritage conservation activists, the first buildings were included in the Victorian Historic Buildings Register to protect them for current and future generations. The Historic Buildings Register eventually became what we know today as the Victorian Heritage Register.
This event will be chaired by Professor Charles Sowerwine, Chair of the RHSV’s Heritage Committee. Charles will open with a few words about the 50th anniversary of the Historic Buildings Act 1974 and the beginning of the Victorian Heritage Register.
Professor Graeme Davison will speak on The Victorian Heritage Register: The Founding Years. Graeme Davison, well-known to RHSV members as a scintillating historian, is also someone with extensive experience of the Heritage Council and of the creation and evolution of the Register.
What’s in the VHR in 2024? Dr Marina Jansen, a historian with Heritage Victoria, will provide an overview of the Register and share insights from the VHR Analysis Project 2023-24. She will explain the registration process and describe the VHR Enrichment Project which aims to increase the diversity of heritage types, historical themes and social groups in the Register.
And finally we will hear from Dr Steve Campbell-Wright Heritage Council member. Steve Campbell-Wright is a cultural historian with particular interest in the influence of place on the culture of organisations and communities. He is a respected researcher and author on subjects ranging from built heritage and military culture to automotive history. Steve will bust some myths surrounding heritage and discuss Council’s role with regards to the Register.
Housekeeping
This event will be hybrid so presented in person in our rooms and also via ZOOM. Those purchasing Zoom tickets will be sent the log-in details 24hrs before the event.
An automatically generated confirmation of booking email is sent on booking – please check your Trash or Spam folders if this email does not turn up in your In Box.
As with most of our events, refreshments will be served from 5:30pm – 6pm when the lecture starts (the Zoom session also starts at 6pm). There will be Q&A at the end of the lecture.

This is a History Month event. Click on the logo for the full program

Armadale Heritage Walks
2024-10-30 14:00 - 15:00 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
🏛️ Armadale Heritage Walks – An Seniors and History Month Event
Join us for a captivating walking tour that blends history and exercise, perfect for enthusiasts of both! Starting at Armadale train station, you’ll explore the fascinating past of High Street, one of Victoria’s most iconic locations known for its vibrant food scene, fashion boutiques, leisure spots, and stunning architecture.
Our knowledgeable guide, Steve Stefanopoulos OAM, an architectural historian, former Mayor of the City of Stonnington, and past President of the PMI Victorian History Library, will lead you through the historical highlights and hidden gems of this renowned area.
Bookings are essential.

Book Launch: Melbourne Ghost Signs
2024-10-29 17:30 - 19:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
You’re invited to join RHSV Councilors, staff, volunteers, members and friends as we celebrate the launch of Melbourne Ghost Signs, a fascinating new book by Sean Reynolds, our very own Marketing Officer at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.
This mesmerising photographic collection captures Melbourne’s faded signs and forgotten logos, offering glimpses into the city’s rich and ever-evolving history. From the gold rush era to the Swinging Sixties, from brands like Robur Tea and Tarax soft drinks to hidden gems like ‘Miss Watson’s Motor Garage’ and the ‘St Kilda Coffee Palace,’ these ghost signs preserve a piece of Melbourne’s past amidst the modern skyline.
Sean Reynolds, originally from Illinois, was first drawn to these phantom relics while exploring Yarraville and Footscray with his daughter during their daily lockdown outings. His keen eye unearthed a treasure trove of historical remnants, and his passion for uncovering Melbourne’s unique past shines through in each image and accompanying story.
An Emmy-nominated marketing expert for shows like Ellen and TMZ, Sean has made Melbourne his home since 2015. In his spare time, he has embraced documenting the city’s hidden history, one sign at a time. You can follow his journey on Instagram at @melbourne_ghostsigns.
Housekeeping
Join us for an evening of nostalgia and discovery as Sean shares the stories behind these forgotten signs – some charming, others heroic, and a few tinged with tragedy.
Refreshments will be served, and as this event is in-person only– it will not be recorded or available via Zoom– we look forward to seeing you there.
Don’t miss this chance to uncover the Melbourne you never knew, one ghost sign at a time!

The book can be purchased and signed on the night of the event, or you you can purchase it here.

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

Miles Lewis Oration 2024 - Khoo Salma Nasution (Penang, Malaysia)
2024-10-28 18:30 - 20:00 | Japanese Room, Level 4, Glyn Davis Building (133), Parkville Campus
Consuming The Porous City : George Town, Penang
Khoo Salma Nasution
The term ‘porous city’, introduced by Walter Benjamin and his collaborator Asja Lacis (credited more to the latter) in their 1925 essay on Naples, serves as an analytical lens in contemporary writings on architecture and urbanism. This essay applies the concept of porosity to urban history and heritage conservation, from building materials to city boundaries, to the legibility of historical layering.
Initially, rent control delayed the redevelopment of the old city, and UNESCO listing later placed George Town on a unique developmental path. A port city in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, George Town has long been fertile ground for civilizational exchange and expressions of intangible heritage, particularly related to religious diversity. UNESCO’s 2008 listing of the Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca cited these outstanding universal values, as well as the largest collection of shophouses and townhouses in the region.
Built on a swampy promontory, George Town developed a townscape of artisanally-intensive and environmentally-responsive vernacular forms, later guided by building codes for ventilation and sanitation. Two features of the shophouse represent innovations of tropical urbanism: the skywell, which moderates the interior microclimate, and the mandatory five-footway, which functions as pedestrian shelter and social space.
Urban projects in the old city contend with layers of history, occasionally sparking contestation among indigenous, migrant, colonial, and contemporary narratives. The challenges of preservation are illustrated by various projects: dewatering around an underground car park and the discovery of a canal system, the remaking of a pocket park, the proposed redevelopment of a municipal market, the redesign of the clan jetty waterfront, and the re-introduction of moats in Fort Cornwallis.
While heavy-handed approaches risk turning historic sites into ersatz heritage, new residents and street artists are embracing the ‘aesthetics of decay.’ Aging long-time residents are increasingly outnumbered by tourists and guest workers, leaving many shophouses vacant or underutilized. In this fragmented landscape, creative entrepreneurs engage in micro placemaking, attracting weekend visitors to savour Penang’s street food, street life, and a sense of the past.
During annual festivals and processions, crowds suddenly reappear, reclusive residents perch themselves by windows or on five-footways, and streets are reclaimed by pedestrians, reaffirming the ‘porous city’ as a stage for enacting rites of belonging. These traditional celebrations allow us to imagine the strategies needed to mend the fractured connections between the inner and outer city – disrupted by late 20th-century zoning and eroded public transport policies – through a comprehensive, whole-city approach to urban resilience.
Khoo Salma Nasution is a writer, publisher, social historian, and an advocate of heritage and environmental protection. A leading author of Malaysian place-histories incorporating social history and environmental history. Co-founder of heritage and sustainability initiatives which advance knowledge at the intersection of culture, community and environment.
Zoom link is available via registration on Eventbrite.
Organised by the Australian Centre for Architectural History, Urban and Cultural Heritage

Spiritual histories on stolen land: The 2024 Greg Dening Memorial Lecture presented by Dr Laura Rademaker
2024-10-24 18:00 - 19:30 | Forum Theatre (Room 153), Arts West, the University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville VIC 3052, Forum Theatre (Room 153), Arts West, University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
Spiritual histories on stolen land: a religious history of sovereignty and land rights
Greg Dening was a deeply spiritual scholar. Though he walked away from the priesthood in 1970, he had been formed by his years in the Jesuit order, his practice of Saint Ignatius Loyola’s ‘Spiritual Exercises’ – the daily discipline of ‘spiritual readings’ – permeated his writing and teaching. Dening was a master of his craft. Yet towards the end of his career, he wrote of the ‘most enlightening experience [he] had in historiography.’ That is, of standing on a 100,000-year-old beach at Lake Mungo, learning from Muthi Muthi and Barkindji elders. ‘To listen you have to be silent.’ Dening was changed.
In this lecture, I seek to understand First Nations struggles for sovereignty and land rights through the lens of religious history. I show how disputes over First Nations land rights could be understood by the 1980s as a religious contest around the meaning of ‘true religion’. Aboriginal spirituality has long been denigrated by settler Australia as ‘pagan superstition’ or ‘primitive religion’ rather than ‘true religion’. In a surprising turn of events, however, First Nations people turned even Christian churches into strategic allies on the question of land, religion and sacred sites. I suggest that settler recognition of First Nations’ spirituality as grounds for sovereignty has been a form, however limited, of religious ‘conversion’. I close with some suggestions of what it might mean to tell spiritual histories on stolen land.
Dr Laura Rademaker is an award-winning historian of Indigenous Australia, missions, religion, gender and Christianity at the Australian National University. Her research explores histories of cross-cultural exchange and cross-cultural and community-based approaches to history. She is author of Found in Translation: Many Meanings on a North Australian Mission (2018) and co-author with Mavis Kerinaiua of Tiwi Story: Turning History Downside Up (2023). She is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Australian Historical Association’s Hancock Prize for most outstanding first book and the Academy of Social Sciences of Australia’s Paul Bourke Award for an outstanding Early Career Researcher.

CATALOGUING CLINICS 2024
2024-10-24 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 24 Oct 11am – 12noon (AEDT)
Thu 28 Nov 11am – 12noon (AEDT)

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
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Family History Workshops
2024-10-23 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.

Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions - Exploring Victorian Voices
2024-10-22 18:30 - 19:30 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
🍂 Join us for an event featuring acclaimed author Clare Wright OAM, Patron of the PMI Victorian History Library. She will discuss her latest book, which delves into the pivotal year of 1963. During this time, leaders of the Yolngu clans, in collaboration with their white allies, embarked on an unprecedented political journey that led to the presentation of four Bark Petitions to the Federal Parliament.
“Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions” offers a compelling narrative of a foundational document in Australian democracy and the individuals behind it. Clare Wright’s meticulous research and vivid storytelling bring to life the rich and enduring culture of Australia’s first peoples, highlighting their ongoing resilience and influence.
Bookings are essential.

A WORD IN TIME: Emerging Historians on their influences
2024-10-22 17:30 - 19:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
Every year the Professional Historians Association of Australia Vic & Tas, in partnership with the RHSV, ask three ’emerging’ historians about their work. In 2024 we’ve asked these historians to reflect on how the spoken word has influenced their history. Andrew Lemon (RHSV) and Sophie Couchman (PHA) will be our MCs for the evening.
We look forward to hearing from our three historians at this event: Dr Hannah Viney, Dr Mia Martin Hobbs and Dr Aleksander Potocnik.
1. Telling a Story: Word Choice, Tone, and Intent in Oral Histories
This talk by Hannah Viney considers how voice and tone can completely change the meaning of the words in an oral history interview, in ways that often do not come across in written analysis. With reference to my own experience interviewing and presenting, this paper asks how we can convey such an ephemeral concept as vocal tone in written formats.
Hannah Viney is a history consultant and museum professional who is passionate about making history accessible to a wide audience. Her recent research explores women’s anti-nuclear activism between 1945 and 1965 to both investigate women’s political history between WWII and the Women’s Liberation Movement and to understand more about women’s experiences of the Cold War in Australia.
3. Little Stories Everywhere
Mia Hobbs writes, ‘Each of my research projects have begun with a single story that hints at a bigger history, waiting to be uncovered. In this talk I will explore how hearing these stories inspired my different research projects, taking me to Vietnam and the US, into the national security state, and to uncover hidden soldiers’ stories here in Australia. While what I find in historical research always complicates and deepens our understanding of a topic, the first story continues to resonate, gaining layers of meaning as I uncover more about the bigger history.’
Mia is an oral historian of war and conflict with research interests in memory, trauma, gender, race, and peace. Her PhD was an oral history with American and Australian Vietnam veterans who returned to Vietnam after the War, and her current project explores the experiences of women and minority veterans from the US, UK, and Australian militaries in the War on Terror. She is presently a Deakin University Postdoctoral Research Fellow.
3. A remark made way back then …
Dr Alexander J. Potočnik writes, ‘As a teenager, I spent a night in a barn of a mountain farm at the Petrovo Brdo Pass [Slovenia]. A young man from the farm claimed that, during the First World War, German officer Erwin Rommel spent a week at this farm. The remark sparked my curiosity and three decades later I tried to find that young man in order to interview him for the book I was writing about Rommel and his role in the 12th Soča/Isonzo Battle, better known as ‘The Battle of Caporetto’.
Alexander J. Potočnik completed a degree in architecture at the University of Ljubljana in 1984 and in 1993 a Graduate Diploma course in Animation and Interactive Multimedia at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. Alexander has also worked as an illustrator. In 2006, he became an Associate Partner of the Ad Pirum Institute, a Slovenian organisation devoted to heritage protection and architectural conservation. His main field of research was Central European fortification heritage. In 2023, he completed a doctorate in history at Monash University.

Housekeeping
This event will not be recorded however it is a hybrid event – both in person at the RHSV 239 A’Beckett St and via Zoom. The Zoom log-in details will be sent to ticket-holders 24 hours before the event.
As at most RHSV events, refreshments will be served from 5:30pm – 6pm.
This is a History Month event. The full History Month program can be seen here.

A Historical Society Seminar: Practical Strategies for a Successful, Vibrant Organisation
2024-10-18 09:00 - 15:15 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
Get ready for an inspiring professional learning event, hosted by RHSV’s Historical Societies Support Committee (HSSC)! Whether you’re joining us in-person at the iconic Drill Hall or tuning in globally via Zoom, this bumper program promises a full day of engaging, practical sessions.
We’ve curated a selection of popular presentations from recent years, each designed to tackle real-world challenges and offer actionable solutions for your organisation. Plus, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to ask questions, share experiences, and connect with others, making this a day rich in learning and collaboration.
What’s on the Agenda?
Friday, 18 October Program
8:45am – 9:35am: Guided Walking Tour of Flagstaff Gardens (optional)
Start your day with a journey through one of Melbourne’s most historic sites. Explore Flagstaff Hill and its significance in the city’s pre-European history, as a signalling station, and as a former burial ground. A must-do for history enthusiasts! Early birds can enjoy coffee and pastries from 8am.
9:00am: Registration
Tea, coffee, and a chance to meet fellow attendees.
9:45am – 10:00am: Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country
RHSV President Emeritus Professor Richard Broome, AM, FAHA, FRHSV, FFAHS, will kick things off with an Acknowledgement of Country, followed by Rosalie Triolo outlining the day’s goals.
10:00am – 10:45am: Session 1 – Attracting New Visitors, Members, and Volunteers
Rosalie Triolo shares positive strategies for welcoming people from diverse backgrounds and securing the future of historical societies.
10:45am – 11:30am: Session 2 – Tips for Winning Grants
Grant writing doesn’t have to be daunting! Learn proven tips from Graham Goulding OAM, who has secured over $250,000 in funding for various organisations.
11:30am – 11:45am: Morning Tea
11:45am – 12:30pm: Session 3 – ‘Requiem for the Newsletter?’
Craige Proctor explores the future of newsletters in the digital age and whether they still hold value in a world dominated by social media.
12:30pm – 1:30pm: Lunch and Networking
Enjoy lunch on-site and take advantage of a lightning tour of the RHSV’s collection at 1pm.
1:30pm – 2:15pm: Session 4 – Creating Engaging Events
Rosemary Cameron will provide practical tools and templates to make your events fresh, engaging, and resourceful, no matter the scale.
2:15pm – 3:00pm: Open Discussion
Participants and speakers dive deeper into earlier topics or introduce new ones for group discussion.
3:00pm – 3:15pm: Round-Up and Close
Rosalie Triolo highlights essential resources available to societies, ensuring support is at your fingertips 24/7.
Session Details and Speaker Highlights
Attracting New Members and Volunteers
Rosalie Triolo reveals how some societies are defying negative trends by actively attracting new members with a range of skills. This session offers practical tips to help you introduce at least one new person to your society in the next year.
With over 40 years in history education, Rosalie has led and advocated for the field at both state and national levels, earning numerous awards along the way. Her experience includes teaching Australian history in Victorian government schools and working across primary, secondary, and tertiary education. For the past 25 years, she’s also played a key role in developing specialist history teachers at Monash University.
Winning Grants
Graham Goulding OAM shares insights from his 40+ years of successfully securing grants. His session will leave you confident and ready to tackle your next application.
Graham, a retired teacher, has been writing successful grant applications since the 1980s, starting with education initiatives. In retirement, he has secured over $250,000 in funding for projects including Gippsland Immigration Park, the Walhalla Board of Management, and the Moe & District Historical Society. His expertise continues to benefit these important historical and community efforts.
‘Requiem for the Newsletter?’
Craige Proctor weighs up the merits of traditional newsletters versus social media, asking whether we risk losing something valuable by going fully digital.
Craige spent 14 years producing the Mortlake & District Historical Society’s newsletter and, since 2022, has taken on the Western Victorian Association of Historical Societies newsletter. Immersed in the world of local history publications, he has read countless newsletters from societies across the region. A pioneer in bringing historical societies online, Craige began managing Facebook pages in 2011 and, from 2014-17, presented for RHSV on community engagement through social media. He continues to support groups in building their digital presence.
Creating Engaging Events
Rosemary Cameron’s hands-on workshop will equip you with the tools to create engaging and sustainable events, from small talks to large-scale conferences.
Rosemary’s career has been centred on theatre and literary festivals, with a strong focus on both large and small-scale event management. She led Tour Guides Australia, where she crafted engaging tours, and in her current position as Executive Officer for the RHSV, she organises a diverse range of events. Previously, she directed the Melbourne Writers Festival, overseeing 400+ events in 10 days (2005–09), and the Brisbane Writers Festival (2003–05).
Support at Your Fingertips, 24/7
To wrap up the day, we’ll spotlight essential online resources you can access anytime, including valuable tools from the RHSV and the Federation of Australian Historical Societies. Whether you’re looking for research materials, guidance, or support, these resources are designed to help your society thrive long after the event.
Booking Information
Secure your spot by completing the booking form below. Registration closes at 4pm on Wednesday, 16 October.
For any issues on the day, contact us at 03 9326 9288 or via email at office@historyvictoria.org.au
Zoom Participants
You will receive the Zoom link 24 hours before the event.
For general enquiries, please reach out to Dr Rosalie Triolo OAM at rosalie.triolo@monash.edu
Join us for a day packed with inspiration, learning, and community as we celebrate History Month!

This is a History Month event

EAST MELBOURNE HISTORICAL SOCIETY CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
2024-10-16 19:30 - 21:00 | East Melbourne Library, 122 George St, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia
25th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Wednesday 16 October 2024 – 7.30 p.m.

After the AGM we will celebrate 25 years since the founding of our Society.
Dr Liz Rushen AM, co-founder, will tell us the how the Society began.
Professor Richard Broome AM, President of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, will dip into the importance of history. Richard is a renowned historian and author/coauthor of 20 books; his special interest is Australian Aboriginal history. His talk is sure to inspire us all to learn more about our past, and the many avenues yet to be explored.
Afterwards join us for Birthday Cake and Bubbles
East Melbourne Library
122 George Street, East Melbourne
RSVP: Diane Clifford: Mob: 0437 221 249; email: dianeclifford1@gmail.com
Members: free. Guests: $5.00

Malvern Heritage Walks
2024-10-16 10:30 - 12:00 | Malvern Town Hall, Corner High Street and Glenferrie Road Malvern, Melbourne, 3144, Australia
🏛️ Malvern Heritage Walks – An Seniors and History Month 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.

La Trobe Society History Month Lecture
2024-10-15 17:30 - 19:30 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
John Auchterlonie Creelman: a Ship’s Surgeon and Colonial Doctor, 1848 to 1889
by Lorraine Finlay.
An Edinburgh University graduate who arrived in Melbourne as a ship’s surgeon in January 1848, Dr Creelman led an eventful career in regional towns as a doctor, a coroner and public vaccinator. Significantly, he was a medical witness in a notorious criminal case. Despite his government appointments and the income from his private practices, life was a constant financial struggle for him during the pre- and post- goldrush era. As the result of her detailed research, Lorraine Finlay will describe the highs and lows in the life of this colourful medical pioneer.
Lorraine Finlay, a member of the La Trobe Society, is the former Volunteer Property Manager of La Trobe’s Cottage and a graduate of Monash University in Visual Arts and History, with an MA in Australian Studies. The history of early Port Phillip and the era of Charles Joseph La Trobe and his legacy continue to be of special interest.
The C J La Trobe Society extends an invitation to RHSV members to attend this History Month event.
Venue: Royal Historical Society of Victoria, Cnr William and A’Beckett Streets, Melbourne Refreshments. Admission: $25 per person. Enquiries to secretary@latrobesociety.org.au, Ph: 0412 517 061
To book tickets you can do so below on this website page or you can go directly to the C J La Trobe Society website.

This is a History Month event. Click here for the full History Month program

Housekeeping
This event will not be recorded nor will it be available via Zoom.

GRAVE MATTERS: USING CEMETERIES AS A RESEARCH TOOL
2024-10-12 09:00 - 16:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
This full day seminar is co-presented by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and the Genealogical Society of Victoria.
Discover the hidden stories in Victoria’s cemetery records when you join us for this enlightening seminar where leading experts will reveal how cemetery records can be a treasure trove for local and family historians. Learn techniques to deepen your research and unearth fascinating stories about the past.
Explore the past and enrich your research with insights gleaned from cemeteries. Whether you are a seasoned historian or just starting your journey, this seminar is an invaluable opportunity to enhance your research skills and connect with a community of history enthusiasts.
Featured Speakers

Dr. Celestina Sagazio – Historian with expertise in cemetery studies
Dr. Cheryl Griffin – Social Historian
Rod Armstrong – Family History Researcher
Friends of Cemetery Groups – Insights from passionate cemetery preservationists
Representatives from the GSV and RHSV – Details of our extensive resources

What You Will Gain

Strategies for using cemetery records to expand your local and family history knowledge
Tips for interpreting cemetery elements and records
Knowledge about the resources from the GSV, RHSV and other sources
An opportunity to ask questions

Housekeeping
When you book tickets you will be sent an automatic, system-generated confirmation email with your tickets embedded. If this can’t be found in your in-box please check your Spam folder or Junk Mail folder as these system-generated emails often go astray. If you can’t find your tickets, don’t panic, we always have a list at the door.
Provided: Light lunch with tea, coffee, and water throughout the day
The seminar is not available on Zoom nor will it be recorded.
This is a History Month event

MURDER IN PUNCH LANE: a conversation
2024-10-10 17:30 - 19:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
We are delighted to host this conversation between author Jane Sullivan and historian/author Dr Andrew Lemon to mark the publication of Jane’s book, Murder in Punch Lane.

Inspired by real events and people, Murder in Punch Lane is a dark and gripping crime novel that maps the sins and secrets of nineteenth-century Melbourne.

Melbourne, 1868. When dazzling theatre star Marie St Denis dies in the arms of her best friend, fellow actress Lola Sanchez, everyone believes it was suicide by laudanum overdose. Everyone except Lola. On the brink of stardom herself, she risks everything by embarking on a quest to find Marie’s killer.
When journalist Magnus Scott, writing as ‘the Walking Gentleman’, publishes a compassionate obituary about her friend, Lola decides to seek his help. A fraught attraction develops between these two amateur detectives from opposite sides of society, and their volatile relationship soon begins to compromise their investigation.
Lola keeps a secret from Magnus. She traverses the corrupt underbelly of the brash young metropolis just as he does, but disguised as a boy, entering dangerous, forbidden spaces where the lives of the rich and privileged intersect with the city’s underclass and outsiders: bohemians, theatre folk, prostitutes, down-and-outs and opium addicts.
Neither are prepared for the truths they will uncover about the powers that rule Melbourne – or the consequences for their own lives. And now they must race to find the murderer before the city destroys them both.
PRAISE FOR MURDER IN PUNCH LANE:
‘A story that is both lyrical and visceral’ SULARI GENTILL, author of The Woman in the Library

Jane Sullivan is an author and literary journalist who loves books and has always written about them.
Her latest novel is Murder in Punch Lane (Echo Publishing), set in 1868 Melbourne. Inspired by real events and people, it follows the quest of two unlikely detectives as they become enmeshed in the sins and secrets of the brash goldfields city.
Jane writes the Saturday Turning Pages column about books and writing for the Age and the online Sydney Morning Herald. Her previous novel Little People, set in 1870s Australia, was shortlisted for the Scribe-CAL fiction prize and for the UK Encore award for a second novel. Her other books are a novel, The White Star, and a memoir, Storytime, about growing up with books.

Housekeeping
Please note that books will be for sale at this event and ticket-holders will get a $10 discount on purchasing Murder in Punch Lane (Zoom ticketholders will be sent a coupon code to apply to online purchases).
This event will be hybrid so presented in person in our rooms and also via ZOOM. Those purchasing Zoom tickets will be sent the log-in details 24hrs before the event.
An automatically generated confirmation of booking email is sent on booking – please check your Trash or Spam folders if this email does not turn up in your In Box.
As with most of our events, refreshments will be served from 5:30pm – 6pm when the lecture starts (the Zoom session also starts at 6pm). There will be Q&A at the end of the conversation.
This is a History Month event

Stonnington Mansion Bus Tour
2024-10-10 14:00 - 15:30 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
🚐 Stonnington Mansion Bus Tour – An Seniors and History Month Event
The 90-minute tour will allow you to peer over fences in an elevated bus through the streets of Toorak, Armadale and Malvern. The tour will start at Town Hall, Malvern and end there.
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.

Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network: Presentation on 2024 International Congress on Maritime Museums Conference
2024-10-09 17:30 - 19:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
Jackie Watts will deliver an informal presentation on her short paper, entitled: “Capturing the past to inform the future”, and a discussion on issues arising from the 2024 International Congress on Maritime Museums conference. Worldwide, it seems that, regardless of assets, infrastructure or funding, many museums are dealing with emerging issues and struggling for relevance. The 2024 Conference of the ICMM, held in Netherlands and Belgium, has just ended and Jackie Watts, inaugural Chair of the Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network Board, was a speaker at the conference, delivering the above paper.
The evening will start with MMHN’s brief AGM followed by Jackie’s presentation. Refreshments will then be served.
Click to read the full program of the 2024 conference

Jackie Watts holds a Doctorate in Education (RMIT), postgraduate qualifications in Teaching & Librarianship (University of Melbourne) and a Bachelor of Arts (La Trobe University). Her areas of professional expertise include secondary & tertiary education, librarianship, research, vocational education and training (VET), professional development, commerce and community activism. Jackie served on Melbourne City Council between 2011 – 2020, and in 2012 became the first Chair of the Knowledge City Portfolio and Deputy Chair of the People City Portfolio holding these positions until leaving Council in 2020. These portfolios represented the most significant economic and socially progressive areas of work on Council. Jackie also represented Council with the Bay Municipalities Association of Victoria and is currently a Board member of Offshore and Specialist Ships Australia(OSSA). She has a keen and abiding interest in heritage recognition, preservation and celebration, and in particular, maritime heritage.

Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network (MMHN) is a non-political, not-for-profit, member-based ‘umbrella’ organisation (i.e. a Network) that brings together individuals and stakeholder groups from marine, maritime heritage, education, tourism, corporate and community sectors, all of which share a commitment to fostering greater recognition of, and knowledge about, Melbourne’s rich maritime heritage and maritime industry sector – past, present and future. MMHN is a catalyst to advocate for the better management of maritime matters. It seeks to sharpen the focus on the richness of Melbourne’s maritime heritage and the crucial role of its port facilities in delivering social, cultural and economic benefits to Melbourne and regional Victoria.

A History Month event. For full program click on the History Month logo.

CURATOR'S TOUR OF MELBOURNE'S STORIED LANEWAYS WITH DAVID THOMPSON
2024-10-09 11:00 - 12:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
David Thompson will take you behind the scenes of our current exhibition, Melbourne’s Storied Laneways which David curated. The exhibition was prompted by the upcoming publication of The Story of Melbourne’s Lanes: Essential but Unplanned by Weston Bate, Richard Broome, Nicole Davis, Andrew J. May, Helen Stitt which will be launched on 3rd October 2024.
We all have our favourite Melbourne laneway and curator David Thompson has chosen a handful of lanes which reveal 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.
This is a History Month event

Book Launch. The Story of Melbourne's Lanes: Essential but Unplanned.
2024-10-03 17:30 - 19:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
THIS EVENT IS BOOKED OUT.
Please join us for the launch of this re-imagined second edition of Weston Bate’s history
THE STORY OF MELBOURNE’S LANES: Essential but Unplanned
Weston Bate, Richard Broome, Nicole Davis, Andrew May, Helen Stitt
To be launched by Professor Robert Adams AM, multi award-winning architect and urban designer
Thursday 3 October 2024, 5:30pm – 7pm
Royal Historical Society of Victoria, 239 A’Beckett Street, Melbourne 3000
Published by RHSV and SLV
We are thrilled that Lee ‘Sonnyboy’ Morgan, a Gunditjmara/ Kirrae Whurrong man hailing from Framlingham in SW Victoria, will be performing at our book launch. Lee is a blues and country music guitarist and lyricist who has performed with and appeared on many albums with some of Australia’s legendary musical talents including Shane Howard, Archie Roach, the late great Ruby Hunter, Jessica Mauboy and Dean Geyer (Australian Idol fame), Jimmy Barnes and Paul Kelly. In 2023 he was appointed Indigenous Ambassador with Blues Music Victoria Inc.

Housekeeping
This event will be in-person only at the RHSV rooms. There will be no Zoom. Although it is a free event we do ask our members and friends to RSVP so we can get the catering right!
You will be sent an automatic email confirmation of your booking – if it doesn’t turn up in your in-box please check your spam mail or junk mail folders. Don’t panic – there will be a list at the door – you don’t need your ticket.
The book will be available for purchase at a special launch price.
This is a History Month event

THE DRIVE-IN LANDSCAPE OF THE LUCKY COUNTRY
2024-10-01 14:00 - 15:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
The National Archives of Australia (NAA) and RHSV are proud to co-present this event with eminent historian, Professor Graeme Davison.
Professor Davison, in response to the NAA’s current exhibition, Reception this way: motels – a sentimental journey with Tim Ross | naa.gov.au , will discuss the motel which was the most popular of a suite of American-inspired innovations that transformed Australia’s towns and suburbs in the 1950s and 60s: the drive-in cinema, the service station, the drive-in bottle shop and hotel, the carport and the drive-in shopping centre. In his book, The Australian Ugliness, architect Robin Boyd decried the excesses of what he dubbed ‘Austerica’ but also hoped to civilise the form. Meanwhile ordinary Australians simply enjoyed the new possibilities of travel, leisure and convenience that the car and the drive-in world offered.

The exhibition, Reception this way: motels – a sentimental journey with Tim Ross, which can be seen at the Victorian Archives Centre revisits your memories of the classic Aussie motel, from family holidays and long road trips to continental breakfasts and mid-century mod-cons. In a land where the car has provided us with the ultimate freedom to hit the road and explore, it is no surprise that Australians wholeheartedly embraced the American concept of the motel. When motels began springing up in the 1950s, they represented a new, stylish and sophisticated way to travel.

If you cannot get to the Victorian Archives Centre, you could visit the on-line curator’s tour: Curator-talk – Reception this way | naa.gov.au This is based on the exhibition when it was in the NAA’s Canberra office. The touring version of the exhibition in Melbourne is a slightly smaller version due to the size of the gallery.
Photo caption: ‘The California Motel, Hawthorn c. 1964. NAA: B942, HOTELS – MOTELS & RESTAURANTS [3] [id: 30766249]’
Housekeeping
This is a Zoom only event however you are more than welcome to visit the exhibition at the Victorian Archives Centre, 99 Shiel St, North Melbourne (home to both the NAA and PROV). The exhibition can be accessed Monday to Friday 10am to 4:30pm.
The ZOOM log-in details will be sent to all attendees 24hrs before the event.
An automatically generated confirmation of booking email is sent on booking – please check your Trash or Spam folders if this email does not turn up in your In-Box.

This is a History Month event (click here for the full program)

CATALOGUING CLINICS 2024
2024-09-26 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.
In 2024’s first Cataloguing Clinic for the year, Jillian will talk about collection management, what you keep or don’t keep, when you catalogue material as an archive or a collection and any issues around the actual collection.
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 Cataloguing Clinics in 2024 will be held at

Thu 22 Feb 11am – 12noon (AEDT)
Thu 28 Mar 11am – 12noon (AEDT)
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

CURATOR'S TOUR OF MELBOURNE'S STORIED LANEWAYS WITH DAVID THOMPSON
2024-09-25 11:00 - 12:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
David Thompson will take you behind the scenes of our current exhibition, Melbourne’s Storied Laneways which David curated. The exhibition was prompted by the upcoming publication of The Story of Melbourne’s Lanes: Essential but Unplanned by Weston Bate, Richard Broome, Nicole Davis, Andrew J. May, Helen Stitt which will be launched on 3rd October 2024.
We all have our favourite Melbourne laneway and curator David Thompson has chosen a handful of lanes which reveal 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.
Other dates available:
26 June
28 August
9 October

A Musical Ouroboros
2024-09-24 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.

History of the PMI Victorian History Library
2024-09-20 14:00 - 15:00 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
📜 Join our Collections Librarian Ellen Coates, on a journey through the fascinating history of Victoria’s second oldest library as they celebrate their 170th year. Beginning when the Library declared itself into existence in on the 1st of May 1854. The challenges of the early years, including how the Committee dealt with a squatting Secretary Librarian, then onto how the collection, at the time, came to be described by Aeneas Gunn as “without exception to be in a shockingly neglected and filthy condition.”
The 20th century saw the Library survive war, pandemic, and hostile takeover and to ultimately make the decision to specialize in Victorian History, which has seen it stay relevant.
The talk also includes a tour of the PMI’s 170th exhibition and the stories behind it.
Bookings are essential.

Rare Book Week: Noted Donations to the Melbourne Public Library
2024-09-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Tonic House, 386 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, 3000, Australia
From its beginning the Melbourne Public Library supplemented its book stock with donations. In 1873, the library published a catalogue of these gifts, listing an array of donors from emperors and kings to more humble colonists. In part a celebration, in part an appeal for more gifts, the catalogue provides an insight into the literary culture of the time. Historian Shane Carmody will discuss book culture in the early years of the Colony of Victoria, featuring eminent donors and their fascinating donations to the Melbourne Public Library collection.
Speaker: Shane Carmody
Thursday 18th July, 6-8pm
Presented by The C J LaTrobe Society at Tonic House
386 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Information: dmreilly@optusnet.com.au
Click here to register

This event is part of Rare Book Week.
You can access the full program here.

Tracing Madame Brussels: A public figure with an elusive background
2024-09-17 17:30 - 19:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
We are delighted that esteemed historian Barbara Minchinton will deliver our September lecture based on the research for her latest book.
Madame Brussels was Melbourne’s most vilified brothel-keeper of the nineteenth century, but little has been known about Caroline Hodgson, the woman who played the role. There were no Visitors’ Books to reveal her networks, and few letters written in her own hand. Family material that came to light in 2018 provided some clues, and a German genealogist found others, but for her biography the details of her life in Melbourne were largely sourced from newspapers and government records. The story that emerged was the story of Melbourne’s sex industry from 1871 to its criminalisation in 1908.
Barbara Minchinton is a historian and independent researcher who has worked extensively with the collections of the Public Record Office Victoria as a volunteer. Her first book The Women of Little Lon: Sex Workers in Nineteenth-Century Melbourne won the Victorian Community History Publication Award for 2022. Barbara’s latest book, published in July 2024 by La Trobe University Press, is Madame Brussels: The Life and Times of Melbourne’s Most Notorious Woman.
Barbara’s books will be available for purchase on the night and Barbara is happy to sign copies.
Housekeeping
This event will be hybrid so presented in person in our rooms and also via ZOOM. Those purchasing Zoom tickets will be sent the log-in details 24hrs before the event.
An automatically generated confirmation of booking email is sent on booking – please check your Trash or Spam folders if this email does not turn up in your In Box.
As with most of our events, refreshments will be served from 5:30pm – 6pm when the lecture starts (the Zoom session also starts at 6pm). There will be Q&A at the end of the lecture.
