Following our AGM at 5pm, we are delighted that Dr Andrew Lemon will present this year's Weston Bate oration, AUSTRALIAN HISTORY AS LITERATURE: AUSTRALIAN LITERATURE AS HISTORY. Andrew contemplates the nature of the divide between the writing of history and the writing of fiction. Our best historians—including the late Weston Bate—are invariably outstanding writers, but why is it that historians are so rarely included when the literary world acclaims the best Australian writers? This lecture looks at the writing of Australian history as literature, and considers why journalists and storytellers customarily outsell academic historians when writing on historical subjects. Does this matter? Should aspiring historians be taught about good writing and literary technique? Has jargon and cliché prevailed in the academic teaching and writing of history? 

  A seminar from the Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network Bridges should be acknowledged as critical maritime infrastructure – enabling, connecting or in some cases thwarting! Historically bridges have brought significant economic and social benefit to Melbourne - but not always!  For example, the poorly conceived yet dominant Bolte Bridge effectively curtailed Melbourne’s maritime engagement for
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To replace the cancelled Symposium "Women in Horticulture" which was to be held in conjunction with Friends of Burnley Gardens (FOBG) and the Herb Society of Victoria, AGHS is offering these two planned lectures online instead. FOBG will be organising a launch of the book “Burnley Gardens: their design and the people who loved them”
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Inquests and newspaper articles tell the stories of train fatalities. Crossing the train tracks at Carrum, Frank Pynn was carefully watching the up train when he and his cordial wagon were was hit by the down train.  Unlucky Oswald Ritchie who fell from an electric train near Brighton Beach station as he was trying to retrieve  his hat which had blown off,  and fell through the open door of a carriage.