The 2020 Making Public Histories webinar series was presented as a joint initiative of Monash University, the Old Treasury Building and the History Council of Victoria.
The series was generously supported by the three partner organisations and sponsored by the School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies at Monash University. Gifts for the speakers were kindly donated by Monash University Publishing.
When restrictions were placed on face-to-face gatherings in Victoria in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was redesigned for online delivery. Each webinar attracted a large and international audience. The webinars were recorded and are freely available to view and to share via the HCV's YouTube channel.
Here is an outline of the webinars:
Tuesday 14 July 2020
Public Monuments - Contested Histories
Presenters:
Emeritus Professor Peter McPhee AM, The University of Melbourne and Chair of the History Council of Victoria
Claire Baxter, graduate of the University of Glasgow
John Patten, Museums Victoria and a Board member of the History Council of Victoria
Convenor:
Alistair Thomson, Monash University
Click HERE for further information.
Tuesday 11 August 2020
Remembering the Atomic Bombs: History, Memory and Politics in Australia, Japan and the Pacific
Presenters:
Professor Robin Gerster, Monash University
Dr Gwyn McClelland, University of New England
Dimity Hawkins AM, Swinburne University
Convenor:
Alistair Thomson, Monash University
Click HERE for further information.
Tuesday 10 November 2020
Victoria's Native Vegetation: History, Heritage, Politics
Presenters:
Dr Gary Presland, professional historian
Professor Mike Clarke, La Trobe University
Dr Lilian Pearce, RMIT and the University of Tasmania
Convenor:
Alistair Thomson, Monash University
Click HERE for further information.
Posted
on
Prizes
by
Margaret Birtley
· October 08, 2020 5:00 PM
The History Council of Victoria is very pleased to announce its establishment of the Jane Hansen Prize for History Advocacy.
This Prize recognises the efforts of a group or individual that has advocated for the value of history (of any society and/or period), the work of historians and/or the importance of a history education.
The Prize is named in honour of Ms Jane Hansen AO whose passion for history and its advocacy is widely acknowledged. Through the Hansen Little Foundation, which aims to create a legacy of significant and positive change that inspires and enables Australians, Ms Hansen has provided generous philanthropic support for history and historians in a number of organisations. Her unsolicited donation to the HCV in 2020 inspired the Board to create this Prize.
A call for nominations for the Prize (with detailed guidelines) will be issued in early 2021. The inaugural winner will be announced in conjunction with the HCV's Annual Lecture in October 2021.
An annual prize of $500 is offered. Winners will also be recognised with a certificate, acknowledgement via the HCV’s publications and social media, and year-long membership to the HCV Friends.
Nominations (by others, or by self) will require the submission of examples of the person's advocacy of history (e.g. through radio, tv, newspaper, social media, letter-writing etc.) plus the results and responses.
This prize is administered by the Board of the HCV.
The HCV welcomes enquiries from individuals and organisations that wish to sponsor awards and prizes in areas relating to history and the work of historians.
The HCV also welcomes donations at any time. All contributions help to support our work towards achieving our cultural purposes. Donations over $2 are deductible for Australian tax-payers.
Posted
by Margaret Birtley
· October 01, 2020 4:05 AM
Posted
on
Projects
by
Margaret Birtley
· July 20, 2020 4:11 PM
Many career pathways benefit from the study of history at post-secondary level.
Click HERE to discover a number of job titles where historians have made an impact.
Posted
on
News
by
Margaret Birtley
· June 13, 2020 1:06 PM
Posted
by Margaret Birtley
· June 13, 2020 12:51 PM
As a 21st-century organisation, the History Council uses digital communication technologies whenever possible and appropriate.
News about the History Council of Victoria is communicated via this website, via our social media accounts (Twitter and Facebook) and also by email to those who subscribe to our free and occasional E-news bulletin.
Advocacy: click HERE to read our published submissions and correspondence.
Annual Reports: click HERE to read our reports on HCV activities.
Archive of the E-news bulletin and selected web pages:
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
Please note that web-links in older documents may no longer be active.
To download and print PDF documents, you need to install a PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat or CutePDF on your computer.

Sarah Morris joined the History Council of Victoria in March 2020, representing the Australian Museums and Galleries Association, Victoria.
Sarah brings over 20 years of experience in the Australian museums and galleries sector, across performing arts, visual arts, and social history institutions. She has worked with state collections, local government, and international cultural programs; and has extensive curatorial, programming and exhibition development experience. Prior to her role of Executive Director at AMaGA Victoria, she was a member of the leadership team for the Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne.

Professor David Lowe FASSA joined the History Council of Victoria in May 2020, representing Deakin University, and became Deputy Chair of the Board in September 2020.
David is Chair of Contemporary History in the Faculty of Arts and Education at Deakin University, and a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge. He has published widely on the history of Australia in the world and on international history and memory, including Menzies and the Great World Struggle (1999), Australian between Empires: The Life of Percy Spender (2010), Remembering the Cold War (with Tony Joel, 2013), and Remembering Independence (with Carola Lentz, 2018). In 2015 he was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.
David is co-founder of the Australian Policy and History network (https://aph.org.au) and was Visiting Professor in Australian Studies at the University of Tokyo, 2019-20.

Dr Yves Rees joined the History Council of Victoria in May 2020, representing La Trobe University.
Yves is a Lecturer in History at La Trobe and co-host of the history podcast Archive Fever. Yves has published widely across Australian gender, transnational and economic history, and also writes on transgender identity and politics. Yves is a regular contributor to ABC radio and The Conversation, and their work has appeared in the Australian Book Review, Overland, Guardian Australia, Inside Story and Archer.