In 2008, Melbourne joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network when it was designated the first and only City of Literature in Australia, and the second in the world after Edinburgh.
The network of Cities of Literature has grown considerably since then and one of the wonderful initiatives between these cities is to arrange virtual residencies for writers. This is the first year the RHSV has taken part and we are thrilled to host Bria Cotton,
read more...History Month 2023 saw us launch a new History Month website and a record number of events and exhibitions and social media happenings across Victoria – all highlighting the great work that happens in the history sector and especially that generated by the 350 historical societies across Victoria. I hope all the organisations that took part in 2023 are dreaming up more exciting events for October 2024.
Many thanks to our co-ordinator, Susannah Beardsell and a huge thank you to The Vera Moore Foundation which funds the RHSV to produce History Month.
read more...The Robur Tea Building, 28 Clarendon St, Southbank, a Victorian Heritage Registered site, was refused a development permit in May this year by Heritage Victoria. But now the applicant for the development permit has requested a review of the determination and has requested an appeal hearing (see grounds below). The permit review hearing will be scheduled to take place in the coming months. The RHSV submitted a successful objection earlier in the year and will be following the review process too.
read more...The Councillors, staff, volunteers and members of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria note with great sadness the death of our friend, Gordon Moffatt, on the 27th July 2023.
Gordon had been an active member of the RHSV since 1983 and, for three years 1983-85, served on Council. He was also a most generous supporter of the Society ensuring that Victorian history was valued and preserved.
We send our condolences to Gordon’s family on their loss.
read more...The RHSV is very pleased to announce our second Historian-in-Residence, Dr Fiona Gatt, who has begun work on her project: The forgotten class? Shopkeepers of nineteenth-century Melbourne. Fiona explains: ‘Shopkeepers were important agents in the effective functioning of nineteenth-century Melbourne society. Yet the realities of that role in the community remain considerably under-researched. This project will illuminate the role of shopkeepers in nineteenth-century urban Melbourne, and it will prompt a question not adequately engaged with as yet: are they in fact the forgotten class of Australian history?
read more...Heritage groups, community groups and individuals across Melbourne are condemning the City of Melbourne’s new plan to surround the Queen Victoria Market with three 25 – 40 storey towers. The $1.7 billion proposal, known as Gurrowa Place and announced in late June, also includes plans for a city square to be built on the market’s current southern car park.
Since the announcement, Charles Sowerwine, Chair of the RHSV Heritage Committee, has been a prominent voice in the media,
read more...The Royal Historical Society of Victoria welcomes the celebrations of NAIDOC week 2-9 July. The theme for this year is ‘For our Elders’ which celebrates the importance of Elders to the strength of families and communities across the generations. There is a continuity of Elder wisdom and knowledge in Aboriginal society that has stretched across 2000 generations.
All of us should pay heed to this respect shown by Aboriginal people to Elders. We should recognise the importance of elders in our own lives and our own families.
read more...Tuesday 13 June 2023
Dear RHSV members,
I am sure you are as concerned and disappointed as I, and the RHSV Council, are by the recent decision in the 2023 state budget not to fund community history – both PROV’s Local History Grants Program and the Victorian Community History Awards.
History in this state and indeed across the country now receives very little support from government. History is currently not part of government thinking at all levels on funding for the Arts or cultural policy.
read more...The Royal Historical Society of Victoria acknowledges that Friday 26 May is National Sorry Day in recognition of the Stolen Generations in our history. We acknowledge the trauma experienced by Indigenous families across Australia, caused by the invidious policy in all jurisdictions for generations of removing Indigenous children from their families in the wrong and vain hope of separating them from their cultures. In some circumstances this continues making the need change and reconciliation even greater.
read more...The Council of the RHSV stands for the principle of diversity. It affirms the RHSV’s continuing efforts to reflect the diversity of cultures in our contemporary society through our various collections and their catalogues, our publications, our events and other aspects and endeavours of our Society.
The Council acknowledges Indigenous Australians as Traditional Custodians of Country; is enhancing our Indigenous history in our catalogues, lectures and publications; supports the aspirations in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) and the Uluru Statement from the Heart (2017) and believes Australia’s First Peoples should be recognised in the Constitution.
read more...The famous Robur Tea House on Clarendon Street, Southbank faces another attempt to reduce its heritage value and architectural significance. A proposal has been submitted to redevelop the site, including the partial demolition of the Tea House and construction of office, retail and residential buildings, including a 25 story apartment and hotel complex.
The proposed Tea House Hotel will be more than 100 metres tall and will dwarf the six storey original building.
read more...We loved this review of our History Victoria bookshop from Lachlan in Google: “Great selection of books at their quaint bookstore. Staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. What’s more is they were conveniently located opposite the Flagstaff Gardens – perfect place to sit down and read your new book!”
Our bookshop focuses on Victorian history and has 800+ titles. We try to stock all Victorian history books whilst they are still in print and we are the only stockist for many titles.
read more...Each year the RHSV engages a project officer/s to work on History Month (October) and the Victorian Community History Awards (the key event of History Month). Both projects require similar skills and the fee is $5,000 per project. Both projects could easily be worked concurrently by one person or they could be handled by two different individuals.
The closing date for applications is 5pm Monday 24 April 2023. With a mooted start around Monday 15 May 2023 –
read more...16 March, is National Closing the Gap Day. Ever since the Apology to the Stolen Generations in 2008 governments have pledged to Close the Gap on a set of agreed socio-economic indices concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage. For ten years progress was slow, which was to be expected given the gap to be bridged, the slow movement of change over each year, and also that First Nations peoples were not fully consulted on the programs.
read more...Today, 8 March, is International Women’s Day. The RHSV honours the contributions of women to Australian society and to our history. Women are extraordinary volunteers across all spheres and in particular within the community history movement. At the RHSV, women form a majority on our Council, committees and amongst the volunteers. All of our paid staff are also women. This is Women’s History Month and to celebrate that we have a distinguished lecture by Iola Mathews on Flos Greig,
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239 A'Beckett Street Melbourne, Victoria, 3000 
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03 9326 9288 
office@historyvictoria.org.au