Precis of 2020 activities

2020 activities:

Our end of year Friends Event was a panel discussion on 'History in a Time of Pandemic' featuring our Board members Professor Peter McPhee, Dr Susie Protschky and Dr Yves Rees on Thursday 3 December.
Participate in our 2020 History Roadshow, this year happening online for VCE students in regional Victoria, with a special invitation for students in Greater Melbourne. Click here to find out more.
With support from our partners, Monash University and the Old Treasury Building, the final Making Public Histories webinar for 2020 is scheduled for 10 November 2020. Click here to find out more and to book.

Our annual lecture for 2020 was delivered online by Associate Professor Ruth Morgan, Director of the Centre for Environmental History at the Australian National University on Thursday 8 October. A recording of Futures Past and Possible: Histories of and for Tomorrow can now be viewed via our YouTube channel. Read more...

We voiced our opposition to the Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 by contributing to consultation on an exposure draft of the legislation (14 August 2020) and by co-operating with the History Councils of NSW, SA and WA on a submission to a Senate Inquiry (10 September 2020). The August submission can be accessed via our Advocacy webpage. The September submission is #153 via the Inquiry website. See also our earlier advocacy: Australia Needs More Humanities & Social Science Graduates (25 June 2020) and A Humanities education: what’s the point? - an article by our Chair, Professor Peter McPhee (23 June 2020).

Did you miss the discussion on 11 August 2020 commemorating the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? It was broadcast by Radio National's Big Ideas program on Monday 24 August 2020. In addition, our video recording of 'Remembering the Atomic Bombs: History, Memory and Politics in Australia, Japan and the Pacific' is available via YouTube. Read more...

Catch up on our conversation about 'Public Monuments - Contested Histories' on 14 July 2020! A recording of the webinar is now available. Read more...
On 17 June 2020, our Chair's Letter to the Editor, The Age, advocated better protection of Indigenous heritage sites.

In May 2020, we welcomed Alicia Cerreto as the Deputy Executive Officer. Read more...

In March 2020, the Board appointed Professor Peter McPhee as its new Chair. Read more...

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:

Subscribe to our free newsletter: https://www.historycouncilvic.org.au/subscribe
Endorse the Value of History statement: https://www.historycouncilvic.org.au/endorse
Find us on socials: Twitter / Facebook / YouTube

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

The History Council of Victoria acknowledges the State Library of Victoria and the Public Record Office Victoria for supply of the archival images that appear on this website.

We acknowledge the National Film and Sound Archive for the right to use of the video footage on the home page, titled "Melbourne: Life in Australia (1966)".

Image credits

Italian sailors on ship at Port Melbourne 1938, Argus Newspaper Collection of Photographs, State Library of Victoria
Chinese procession in Collins near Elizabeth Street 1901, Harvie & Sutcliffe, photographers, State Library of Victoria
People’s homes, Aboriginal station Coranderrk 1878, Fred Kruger Photographer, State Library of Victoria
Chinese nurses at Children’s Hospital under scholarship 1947, Argus Newspaper Collection of Photographs, State Library of Victoria
Ladies physical culture class VRI Melbourne c1931, Public Record Office Victoria VPRS 12903/P0001, 011/02
Melbourne Cup, Derby and Oaks Day, Flemington Racecourse 1936, Public Record Office Victoria VPRS 12903/P0001/4802, 372/30
Flinders Street viaduct at foot of Market Street with advertisement for McRobertson’s Chocolate on bridge, Public Record Office Victoria VPRS 12800/P0003, ADV 1342