Deb Tout-Smith

Deborah Tout-Smith joined the History Council of Victoria in November 2021, representing Museums Victoria. Deborah is Senior Curator, Home & Community, in the Society & Technology Department of Museums Victoria. She curates Home & Community, Childhood and Military History collections, and co-curates a Clothing & Textiles collection.

Deborah is passionate about the documentation, research and interpretation of history. She has curated major exhibitions including World War I: Love & Sorrow (2014) and The Melbourne Story (with Liza Dale-Hallett, 2008). She is currently researching the use of Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building by the RAAF and WAAAF during World War II, building on the project https://museumsvictoria.com.au/reb/stories/wartime-stories-from-the-royal-exhibition-building/

Deborah’s recent publications include Museums, History and the Intimate Experience of the Great War: Love and Sorrow (ed.) with Joy Damousi and Bart Ziino, Routledge (2021); World War I: 100 Years (ed.), Beiträge zur Museologie series, vol. 8 (2021); and ‘Love & Sorrow: the Role of Emotion in Exhibition Development and Visitor Experience’, in Loughran, T. and Mannay, D., Emotion and the Researcher: Sites, Subjectivities and Relationships. Studies in Qualitative Methodology series (2018).

Deborah holds a Master of Arts in Public History (High Distinction) degree from Monash University.

About

The History Council of Victoria Incorporated (HCV) is the peak body for history in the Australian state of Victoria. Its vision is to connect Victorians with history and to inspire engagement with the past, their identity and the world today. The HCV champions the work of historians and the value of history. It recognises that history can be written about any place, any person, any period. The HCV advocates why history matters.

Events

Our calendar lists all upcoming public events arranged by the History Council of Victoria (HCV), plus events in Victoria, Australia, that are added by our Friends and Members.

If you are organising an event that relates to History, we encourage you to publicise it on our website.

Advocacy

As the peak body for history in Victoria, the History Council makes submissions on current issues. In doing this, the HCV Board is guided by its Advocacy Policy and by the Value of History, a statement developed co-operatively by the HCV and the History Councils of New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.

Prizes

Since 2015, the HCV has been pleased to sponsor the Years 9 and 10 category of the Historical Fiction Competition organised by the History Teachers' Association of Victoria.

Support

Ways to support us:

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Summary

The HCV was formed as an advisory body in 2001 and incorporated in 2003. It comprises representatives from cultural and educational institutions and heritage bodies; history teachers and curriculum advisors; academic and professional historians; and local, Indigenous, community and specialist history organisations.

As the peak body for history, the HCV has both ‘outward-looking’ roles (including advocacy and representation to government and the wider community, consultation, community education, and networking with allied interest groups) and ‘inward-looking’ roles (including member support, information dissemination, and networking between members).

Credits

Image acknowledgements to go here.