Category: Uncategorized

Annie’s War. The Story of One Boroondara Family’s Wartime Experience

Lucy Bracey, illustrated by Gregory Mackay

City of Boroondara, Melbourne, 2019

 

In 1916 Edward Slade enlisted in the First World War, and set off for the front, leaving behind his wife and three young children. His story is told from the viewpoint of his daughter Annie, who makes sense of the tumultuous events of wartime through her own experience of the homefront in suburban Melbourne.

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Gariwerd: an Environmental History of the Grampians

Benjamin Wilkie

CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 2020

 

The author of this well-presented work seeks to answer the question: ‘what is the nature of Gariwerd?’ This mountain range in Victoria’s western district, formerly known as the Grampians, has been a significant presence in the lives of people of the region since the earliest human settlement, tens of thousands of years ago.

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The Boîte. History Through Music, Song and Story

Jen Rose, Well Chosen Words in partnership with The Boîte

https://theboitehistory.org/about/

 

The Boîte—literally, the Cabaret—has been a significant part of Victoria’s cultural scene since 1979. In a variety of venues across Melbourne, and in rural settings, The Boîte has staged concerts, created choirs, and organised musical workshops and other projects. The central aim of the organisation’s multi-faceted program has always been to increase awareness within the Victorian community of the music of our migrants from non-English speaking countries. 

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Joint Winners

La Mama. The Biggest Little Theatre in Australia

Rachel Fensham and Andrew Fuhrmann for the Digital Studio at University of Melbourne and Digital Heritage Australia

https://digitalheritageaustralia.com/lm08/

 

Carlton’s La Mama theatre holds an iconic place in Victoria’s cultural landscape, and this web project provides an interactive tour exploring the history and significance of the theatre by inhabiting its archive as a material and virtual space. 

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Woman’s Sphere Remodelled. A Spatial History of the Victorian Woman’s Christian Temperance Union 1887‒1914

Ruby Ekkel

Victorian Historical Journal, vol. 91, no.1, June 2020

 

This is a thoroughly and deeply researched article presented with a verve and pace that makes it both conceptually strong and persuasive.  By undertaking a spatial analysis of the activities of the WCTU in Victoria between 1887 and 1914 the author demonstrates the ways in which these women negotiated the ideological framework of ‘separate spheres’ to expand the definition of the ‘private sphere’ women were allowed to occupy.  

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Printed on Stone. The Lithographs of Charles Troedel

Amanda Scardamaglia

Melbourne Books, Melbourne, 2020

 

Born in Hamburg in 1835, Charles Troedel became an apprentice lithographer to his father before being recruited to Melbourne by a Norwegian printer. Troedel founded his own business in 1863 and attracted praise for The Melbourne Album, which is reproduced here. A master of lithography, the technique of printing on stone, which transformed the production of graphic arts,

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The judges can award a special prize for any outstanding entry outside of established categories.

Visions of Victoria. The Magic of Kodachrome Film, 1950‒1975

Nick Anchen

Sierra Publishing, Melbourne, 2019

 

Visions of Victoria provides a window on Victoria’s past in the third quarter of the 20th century. Most of the photographs it presents were taken in Melbourne, but Bendigo, Ballarat and a range of smaller rural towns also feature.  

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Out of the Madhouse. From Asylums to Caring Community?

Sandy Jeffs and Margaret Leggatt

Arcadia, Melbourne, 2020

 

Out of the Madhouse is an outstanding history, in every regard. The ‘madhouse’ was Larundel Psychiatric Hospital, a Melbourne institution from 1953 to 1999. 

 

Drawing upon 71 interviews with former inmates, their family and friends, nurses, doctors, allied health workers and other staff, Out of the Madhouse brings to life the shocking consequences of mental ill-health and the equally shocking treatments;

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Wed 28 Oct 4:30pm

Click here to watch the announcement of all the winners on our YouTube channel

 

 

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The RHSV has a full program of webinars, online book events, on-line clinics and talks in October but we want to see every one rise to the challenge! We can help you with your event for History Month if you’d like to do something over Zoom. We also have a great many ideas for different kinds of events below, which we hope will inspire you. 

When you have an event upload it to www.historymonth.org.au .

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Sunday 2 August 2020

With level 4 restrictions coming in to place tonight from 6pm we have decided that all staff will work from home for the next 6 weeks or the duration of level 4 restrictions. Our phones are switched through to Rebecca’s mobile and we are still accessible by email. Our Zoom events and meetings will go ahead as planned. The bookshop will still be operating however, apologies in advance, we will only be posting books once a week so deliveries will be slower than usual.

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Cheryl Griffin’s wonderful riff on a simple photo of  a father and his children walking in Fitzroy Gardens under the skeletal elms in 1913 has been published in CBD News and can be read here.

For Docklands News, Ashley Smith was inspired by a photo (1878) of a building long gone to delve into stories of sailors and their salvation. Read Ashley’s story here.

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CBD News loves our articles on history so much that they have asked us to supply a monthly article for their sister publication, Docklands News. Ashley Smith, an RHSV researcher, has produced his first Docklands News piece and it is a wonderful riff on Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works’ divers. It can be read here. The photo has also been reproduced in both Melbourne’s Twenty Decades and Remembering Melbourne.

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We have decided to split the Administration Officer’s role into two parts: a full-time Administration role and a part-time (one day per week) book-keeper.

The position descriptions for both roles can be found by clicking on the links above.

Applications for both positions close at 5pm on Tuesday 16 June.

If you would like to discuss either position please contact our Executive Officer, Rosemary Cameron on rosemary.cameron@historyvictoria.org.au or 9326 9288

 

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