Upcoming Events
July 2024
EPHEMERA SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA: IT’S COLD AND OLD AND RARER THAN GOLD
Bookings: https://ephemerasociety.org.au/category/whats-on/ Tony Shields has been a stamp and coin dealer since 1970. Every day he handles wonderful pieces of history and art which he researches and loves. Since childhood, he has been fascinated by the stories of Scott and Mawson in the Antarctic and has sought stamps and other items depicting the experiences of these incredible explorers. Come and share Tony's enthusiasm and knowledge of collectables from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, 1820-1921. Housekeeping This event is…
In Search of the Last Continent: Melbourne and early Antarctic exploration
In 1886 gentlemen from Victoria's Royal Society and Geographical Society formed a joint Australian Antarctic Exploration Committee. With the ear of the Premier and his Agent General in London, they energetically pursued a joint whaling and scientific expedition. They came tantalising close to their goal and helped inspire the first landing and the first overwintering on the Antarctic continent. Through both published and unpublished items from the RHSV, join librarian and author Andrew McConville to explore this and other stories of early Antarctic exploration.
Historical Society Network Leaders: Victoria-wide Conference and Networking Day, 2024
The RHSV wants to bring together the leaders of the many networks of historical societies which exist across Victoria. This event will not be Zoomed as a key aim is for leaders to meet with peers from across Victoria and then to share their findings with their member societies. The conference is free-of-charge to each historical society network and 1-2 others from that network. And there is travel and accommodation assistance for those travelling long distances.
August 2024
Hugh Ralston Crawford: Innovator or Imitator?
Engineering Heritage Victoria and the RHSV present this event in partnership. Hugh Ralston Crawford (1876 - 1954) consulting engineer, was a pioneer in reinforced concrete work in Australia. He was granted a provisional patent for monolithic reinforced concrete cavity wall construction in 1907, and he later used the system to erect several concrete houses in Melbourne. In 1910, he designed and built, the heritage listed Sniders and Abraham's cigarette factory at 7 Dewery Lane Melbourne, it was the first wholly…
HUGH ANDERSON LECTURE DELIVERED BY DR ROSS JONES
Renovation or Revision: (re)writing Indigenous and Institutional Histories We are thrilled that Dr Ross L Jones will deliver the 3rd Hugh Anderson Lecture in the RHSV's Distinguished Lecturer series. Eric Hobsbawm wrote that national histories comprise ‘anachronism, omission, decontextualization and, in extreme cases, lies.’ If we substitute ‘nation’ with ‘university’ does the truth hold, especially for foundational institutions in settler colonies, such as the University of Melbourne? In this lecture Dr Jones will take a number of case studies highlighted…
CURATOR’S TOUR OF MELBOURNE’S STORIED LANEWAYS WITH DAVID THOMPSON
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…
September 2024
Tracing Madame Brussels: A public figure with an elusive background
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.
CURATOR’S TOUR OF MELBOURNE’S STORIED LANEWAYS WITH DAVID THOMPSON
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…
October 2024
Book Launch. The Story of Melbourne’s Lanes: Essential but Unplanned.
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
CURATOR’S TOUR OF MELBOURNE’S STORIED LANEWAYS WITH DAVID THOMPSON
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…
GRAVE MATTERS: USING CEMETERIES AS A RESEARCH TOOL
This full day seminar is co-presented by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and the Genealogical Society of Victoria. 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…
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