Calendar of Events
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1 event,
Gotcha! Concrete Prints from the McEwans Celebrity Pavement
Who remembers the McEwans celebrity pavement?
Between 1972 and 1994, scores of celebrities had their hand- and footprints immortalised in cement at the entrance of the McEwans hardware store in Bourke Street. Shopping for a hammer or a hair-dryer, you’d step in the prints of actors, musicians, sportspeople, writers, dancers, politicians, an astronaut, a racehorse – even an operatic dog.
Curated by Robyn Annear, 'Gotcha!' presents 40 of the surviving prints from the McEwans pavement, together with stories of the celebrities who made them and newspaper images that capture the mood of the times.
2 events,
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM: MARITIME HERITAGE MATTERS FOR THIS VAST ISLAND CONTINENT
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM: MARITIME HERITAGE MATTERS FOR THIS VAST ISLAND CONTINENT
The Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network is presenting this fascinating lecture at the RHSV. Speaker: Daryl Karp, Australian National Maritime Museum’s Director and CEO Ms Karp has worked in the broadcast and cultural industries for over 20 years. Prior to her appointment as Director and CEO of ANMM, she was the Director of the Museum of
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2 events,
Zoom lecture: Gardens and land management in Western Victoria
Zoom lecture: Gardens and land management in Western Victoria
Zoom lecture: Gardens and land management in Western Victoria Winter online zoom lecture by Dr Raymond Madden, Senior Lecturer, Anthropologist, in the School of Social Sciences, La Trobe University James Dawson, (1806-1900), was a prominent pastoralist in the colonial history of western Victoria. In 1881 he published, ‘ Australian Aborigines: The Languages and Customs of Several Tribes
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2 events,
Rare Book Week: ‘Good price, reliable recipes, great photos’
Rare Book Week: ‘Good price, reliable recipes, great photos’
Australian Women’s Weekly cookbooks and their influence on Australian food culture Speaker: Dr Lauren Samuelsson The Australian Women’s Weekly’scookbooks were (and still are) remarkably popular. The Weekly, Australia’s most popular women’s magazine, started publishing a range of cookbooks from the late 1930s, but it was during the 1970s when their cookbooks became incredibly popular. Many of the Weekly’s cookbooks, whether
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3 events,
Incinerator History Tours
Incinerator History Tours
Discover the captivating history of the Essendon incinerator on our monthly volunteer-led history tour. Strategically located near parkland and residences, this iconic structure emerged in 1929, revolutionising waste disposal was designed by the offices of visionary architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Join us as our knowledgeable guides unveil the ‘Destructor’s’ transformative journey,
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Rare Book Week: The Mysteries and Mayhem of Early Melbourne
Rare Book Week: The Mysteries and Mayhem of Early Melbourne
Speakers: Jane Sullivan and Lucy Sussex Melbourne has always had its underbelly of crime, inspiring crime fiction detectives from Mary Fortune and Fergus Hume to Peter Temple’s ‘Jack Irish’. Join Jane, whose latest novel Murder in Punch Lane, is a thriller inspired by real events and people in 1868 Melbourne, and Lucy, who in 2025 will publish Outrageous Fortunes, a
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2 events,
Labassa Open Day
Labassa Open Day
Experience the complex richness of Labassa’s architectural and human history. Although more than 700 people have lived at Labassa, it has miraculously survived with most of its opulent Victorian era decoration intact. Guided house tours and tower tours operate through out the day, and the tea room is open 10.30am to 3.30pm. Join us for
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2 events,
Rare Book Week: Olympic Treasures in the Melbourne Cricket Club Library
Rare Book Week: Olympic Treasures in the Melbourne Cricket Club Library
In September 2023, the MCC Library celebrated its 150th anniversary. To mark this milestone, 150 items were selected from the collection, to be rotated as part of a special display throughout the year. During Melbourne Rare Book Week, the chosen items will all feature the Olympic Games, to coincide with the 2024 Paris Games opening on
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5 events,
EPHEMERA SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA: IT’S COLD AND OLD AND RARER THAN GOLD
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
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In Search of the Last Continent: Melbourne and early Antarctic exploration
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.
Some Rambles with the Campbells
Some Rambles with the Campbells
Some rambles with the Campbells – The life and times of Western District pastoralist politician, and Anglican vicar, Colin Campbell (1817-1903) and his family. This talk with Dr. Ian Clark will cover Colin Campbell and his wife Frances Campbell (née McWhirter) and their relationship with the Djabwurrung Aboriginal people of the Buangor district. Colin Campbell
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6 events,
Family History Workshops
Family History Workshops
👩🏽👩🏽👦🏽👦🏽 Family History Workshops hosted by Wendy Eldridge from our Friends of the Library. Do you want some guided help with your family history journey? We can help. Join a friendly and supportive environment while making use of the many resources available at the PMI Victorian History Library. Our workshops will cover: 28 Feb -
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Rare Book Week: E.W. Cole and his Book Arcade
Rare Book Week: E.W. Cole and his Book Arcade
Presented by Jodi Kok A look at the life and exploits of E.W. Cole, creator of Cole’s Funny Picture Book and owner of the famous Cole’s Book Arcade. Cole was a canny businessman, a visionary, and a true believer in everyone having the right to access books. We will take a look at some treasures from the Library’s
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Rare Book Week: North Melbourne Ghost Signs
Rare Book Week: North Melbourne Ghost Signs
Cultural archaeology in Haunted Hotham Speaker: Sean Reynolds You’ve likely stumbled upon them, roaming the winding streets of North Melbourne—ghost signs, those timeworn remnants of advertisements past, keepers of tales hidden in plain sight. Join Sean, the madcap maestro behind the Instagram cult-hit ‘Melbourne Ghost Signs’, for a night drenched in stories, histories and mysteries. Rendezvous
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2 events,
CATALOGUING CLINICS 2024
CATALOGUING CLINICS 2024
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.
3 events,
Historical Society Network Leaders: Victoria-wide Conference and Networking Day, 2024
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.
Rare Book Week: Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute
Rare Book Week: Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute
An introduction to the Collection Speaker: Ellen Becker Established in central Ballarat in 1859, the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute’s Collection is of historical significance as the largest and most intact repository of material relating to Mechanics’ Institutes in Victoria, with its rare and valuable items demonstrating the tastes and interests of the inhabitants of a major
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2 events,
AGM and Speaker Series – City of Protest? Melbourne and its history of dissent
AGM and Speaker Series – City of Protest? Melbourne and its history of dissent
We invite members and friends of Glen Eira Historical Society to join us at our AGM followed by a presentation from Margaret Anderson FFAHS, Director Old Treasury Building, on our city’s history of protest. Melbourne’s history of protest reaches back to the very first decade after Europeans first made their homes here. It has continued
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office@historyvictoria.org.au 
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