NAIDOC Week 7-14 July 2024

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The Royal Historical Society of Victoria welcomes the celebrations of NAIDOC week 7-14 July. The theme for this year is ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud!’ which celebrates the importance of cultural resilience and identity among First Nations communities across Australia.

This theme is important in this year of the Yoorrook truth-telling Royal Commission, which has allowed First Nations Victorians to speak of the ongoing impact of colonisation. To learn more visit Home –

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GERTRUDE ST REDEVELOPMENT UPDATE

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In a last ditch chance to secure a better outcome regarding the Besen Gertrude redevelopment at 1-9 Gertrude Street Fitzroy, a group of residents has appealed to the federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Tania Plibersek. Although planning approval has been granted for the proposed development as required under Victorian legislation, the residents are arguing that the development will have an adverse impact on the World Heritage Environment Area surrounding the Royal Exhibition Building (REB) and Carlton Gardens.

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QUEEN VIC MARKET: NOW IT’S “PODS”

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The next stage in the seemingly endless attempt to rob the Queen Victoria Market of its character and role as a traditional fresh food market has surfaced. Following the approval of a 21 storey building at 432-450 Queen Street, the City of Melbourne has applied to Heritage Victoria to use half the historic 1878 fruit and vegetable sheds (A-E) for hospitality, loading docks and a fenced-off area for storage. Further, the application requests the addition of modified shipping containers or ‘pods’ 2.4m wide by 2.6m high and either 3m or 6m long ‘painted monochromatically in one of three colours: cream,

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RHSV closed for National Day of Mourning and AFL Grand Final public holidays

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The RHSV will be closed on Thursday 22nd September for our National Day of Mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.  The RHSV will also be closed on Friday 23rd of September for the public holiday before the AFL Grand Final.
Statement on Queen Elizabeth II 1926 – 2022

The Council of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and our many members extend our deepest sympathies to the Royal Family and the members of the British nation and the Commonwealth.

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THE THREE Rs & THE SPIRIT OF PROGRESS

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Every month Cheryl Griffin and Ashley Smith write fabulous history articles for CBD News and Docklands News respectively. The articles are based on photographs from the RHSV collection.

This month Cheryl is inspired by a photograph from about 1865 of students in front of the Model School, Spring Street. You can read the full story here: The three “Rs”: school’s in at the Old Model School, Spring St

Ashley’s article is inspired by a photo of the presentation at the ‘launch of a new train that would become a feature of the railways for the next half-century,

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VALE PAUL MULLALY

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The Royal Historical Society of Victoria is much saddened at the death of long-serving member, His Honour Paul Mullaly QC. Paul contributed substantially to the RHSV over many years and in many ways however his greatest contribution has been his transcription and annotation of Judge Willis’ Port Phillip Casebooks, for which legal scholars will always be in his debt.

Paul’s work can be found on a mini-website within the RHSV website here: The Judge Willis Casebooks 

The RHSV extends sympathy to Paul’s family.

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Podcast of Dr Gary Presland’s launch of The Swamp Vanishes

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The launch speech for the RHSV’s current exhibition, The Swamp Vanishes, is now available online.

Launch speech: Dr Gary Presland

Curator: Lenore Frost

Consulting historian: Dr Gary Presland

Curatorial support: Richard Barnden and David Thompson

Before European settlers arrived in the Port Phillip district, a large wetland that lay between the Yarra River and the Moonee Ponds Creek sustained the indigenous people and the cultural traditions of the Kulin nation.

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