Is our history in a drawer, a scrapbook, or a curated collection? Speaker: Mandy Bede This talk will focus on a selection of ephemera collections, teasing out the theme of how our history is preserved. Join Mandy Bede, President of the Ephemera Society of Australia, as she shows examples of printed Australian ephemeral material from
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Recently, the library of esteemed community historian Weston Bate was donated to the RHSV. Amongst the many gems was a rare book, Scapegoats of the Empire, written in Lancefield and published in 1907 about military crimes half a world away in South Africa. The author, George Witton, was the 3rd defendant in the military trial for murder brought against Breaker Morant and Peter Handcock. Morant and Handcock were executed by firing squad and Witton was jailed for life. Join distinguished historian Dr Andrew Lemon AM as he explores not just Scapegoats but looks to the rich literature that is spawned when the truth gets murky. 

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.

Charlotte Chidell has researched the life of pioneer Katherine Rose Beale (1795-1856) who arrived at Port Phillip in 1839. The Beale family established the St Helena estate. Finding few reliable primary sources, her book, This Still Hearth tells the story of Katherine in a mix of fact and fiction. In this presentation Charlotte will discuss her research, writing
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