Sydney historian Anna Clark's new book Making Australian History (Penguin 2022) explores how each wave of Australian historians asks new questions and creates distinctive narratives of the past. In conversation with Monash historian Alistair Thomson, Anna will reflect on what brought her to the study of Australian history-making, the challenges she faced in researching and crafting her book, and what historians and Australians more generally can learn by thinking carefully and critically about our past and how we use and abuse it in the present.

Anna Clark is an ARC Future Fellow in Public History at the University of Technology Sydney. She is the author of Making Australian History (Penguin, 2022) and has written extensively on history education, historiography and historical consciousness, including: Teaching the Nation: Politics and Pedagogy in Australian History (2006), History’s Children: History Wars in the Classroom (2008), Private Lives, Public History (2016), the History Wars (2003) with Stuart Macintyre, as well as two history books for children, Convicted! and Explored! Reflecting her love of fish and fishing, she also recently wrote The Catch: The Story of Fishing in Australia.

Alistair Thomson is Professor of History at Monash University and President of Oral History Australia. His books include: Anzac Memories (1994 and 2013), The Oral History Reader (1998, 2006 and 2015 with Robert Perks), Ten Pound Poms (2005, with Jim Hammerton), Moving Stories: an intimate history of four women across two countries (2011), Oral History and Photography (2011, with Alexander Freund), and Australian Lives: An Intimate History (2017, with Anisa Puri). He is currently part of a team researching the history of fathering in twentieth century Australia.

The seminar is part of an ongoing series, Making Public Histories, that is offered jointly by the Monash University History Program, the History Council of Victoria and the Old Treasury Building. Each seminar aims to explore issues and approaches in making public histories. The seminars are open, free of charge, to anyone interested in the creation and impact of history in contemporary society. Click HERE to learn about other events in the series.

We thank the series sponsors, Monash University Publishing, the Monash University History Program and the Old Treasury Building.

Please join us for our next Book + Author event: Sheila Fitzpatrick in conversation with Paula Michaels about her recent book, The Shortest History of the Soviet Union.

With obvious relevance to our current day, Sheila Fitzpatrick shows us the fate of non-Russian republics often left out of discussions of Soviet history, provides vivid portraits of key Soviet figures and traces the aftermath of the regime’s unexpected fall, including the rise of Vladimir Putin, a product of the Soviet system but not altogether a Soviet nostalgic.

Free and online, please book below.

MV Lecture Series event

Story holders of the Northlands Secondary College 'Fight For Survival' – including Gary Foley, Moira Rayner and a special community panel – talk about the grassroots campaign to save this school and its uniquely successful educational model.

Northland Secondary College provided extraordinary education in a mainstream school with a difference. It was a place to belong. A place where people of all cultures over many years, from all walks of life contributed to an environment where Aboriginal education & other curriculum areas was able to bloom and grow across the whole school community.

The Fight for Survival exhibition presents photographs, videos, artworks from former students and unique material from the Aboriginal History Archive (VU) and reflects on why Northland Secondary College meant so much to so many people.

Speaker - Gary Foley

Gary Foley (b. 1950) is a Gumbainggir activist, actor, historian, curator and academic. Gary has played pivotal roles in many of the most provocative and effective Aboriginal protests and organisations of the last 50 years including the Aboriginal Embassy, the Brisbane Commonwealth Games, the 1988 Bicentenary, and the Aboriginal Health Services of Redfern and Victoria. He has written and starred in numerous stage productions and films and was the first director of the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council. Gary was a consultant to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and was the Senior Curator for South Eastern Australia at Museum Victoria from 2001 to 2005. He campaigned successfully against the closure of Northland Secondary College in 1992–1995. Gary is a Professor in History at Victoria University where he established the Aboriginal History Archive. 

Speaker - Moira Rayner

Moira Rayner was Victoria’s Commissioner for Equal Opportunity and the federal Human Rights Commission’s delegate under the Race Discrimination Act when the Kennett government targeted the Northlands Secondary College for closure. When two Aboriginal students challenged the decision in a race discrimination complaint, she accepted it, and declined to dismiss it, when the government refused to accept her invitation to conciliate. A senior practising lawyer and a lifelong anti-discrimination and human rights expert, Moira’s career survived Kennett’s scandalous abolition of her role. She received a Centenary Medal for outstanding services to the rights of children in 2000.

Having this panel discussion run in the daytime offers our theatre attendees the opportunity to view the 'Fight for Survival' exhibition currently showing in Bunjilaka, either before our after our event.  The MV Lecture Series team looks forward to welcoming you on the day.

 

Museums Victoria acknowledges the Woi Wurrung (Wurundjeri) and Boonwurrung peoples of the eastern Kulin Nations where we work, and First Peoples language groups and communities across Victoria and Australia.

Our organisation, in partnership with the First Peoples of Victoria, is working to place First Peoples living cultures and histories at the core of our practice.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Australian Midwifery History Project would like to present our new website: https://australianmidwiferyhistory.org.au/.

The website outlines the history of midwifery in Australia as well as that of the Australian College of Midwives; it is the only site in Australia that contains this comprehensive source of information.  Launched in December 2021, the site is a living history project so we are continuously adding new historical material as colleagues, families, local communities and others share valuable information and memories with us.  

As you know, midwifery is one of the oldest recorded professions. All towns and cities throughout history would have had a local midwife. These women were important members of their communities. Besides attending women in childbirth, they were often the person who was called to assist families around death and dying.

Older members of your family or someone you know may have memories of one of these ‘Granny Midwives’ or of one of the growing number of professionally trained midwives who practised in the first half of the 20^th Century in Australia. You may have knowledge of midwifery and childbirth for First Nations people, pre-colonisation. If so, we would love to hear from you on [email protected].

The website is for all who have an interest in the history of midwifery and childbirth in Australia. Please peruse at your leisure. 

March is Women's History Month!

This Women's History Month calendar lists public events that relate to women's history and is scheduled to occur during the month of March. The events are hosted by a range of organisations - government, academic, professional and community-based - in the history sector.

If you are organising an event during March 2022, and if it relates to Women's History, you are welcome to publicise it here. Please consider carefully whether face-to-face events are viable in your community. Then click on the 'Host your own event' button at the foot of this page to get started. Please note that there may be a delay of up to 48 hours (for moderation) before your event becomes visible on the website.

The concept of Women's History Month was revived by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria during 2019 with support from several interested organisations. This calendar is hosted by the History Council of Victoria.

To download the Women's History Month logos to use on your promotions, please click here: Women's History Month logos

Join Australian history bloggers as they explore Women's History Month. This Pinterest group will feature links to the posts by a variety of local and family history bloggers. New posts will continue to be added all through the month of March.

https://www.pinterest.com.au/jenealogy7/womenshistory/ 

Entries for the inaugural Lynette Russell Prize for First Peoples' History in Schools will open in early 2022.

The History Council of Victoria is very pleased to announce its establishment of the Lynette Russell Prize for First Peoples' History in Schools.

The Lynette Russell Prize for First Peoples’ History in Schools was established in 2021 to recognise the efforts of Victorian school students in years 7-10 in their study of First Peoples’ history. The prize was established by Professor Lynette Russell AM to encourage the creative engagement and deeper knowledge of a wider number of secondary school students in this area of fundamental importance to historical literacy and an educated citizenry. 

Terms and conditions. The prize will be awarded for the first time in 2022 and thereafter will be awarded at the discretion of the judging panel (as outlined under ‘Selection process’ below). The prize will be awarded to a group of students or a class in years 7-10 for a project on the history of Australian First Peoples and may take any form: written, visual, digital or performative. The prize will be awarded on the basis of substance, engagement and creativity.

Award. The prize will consist of a cash payment of $500 and a certificate presented to the school. The use of the prize will be determined by the teacher or Koori Education Support Officer, as appropriate, in consultation with students. Winners will also be recognised with acknowledgement via the HCV’s publications and social media, and year-long membership to the HCV Friends.

Eligibility. Applicants must be from a Victorian school. 

Nominations. Student groups or classes will be nominated by their teachers or Koori Education Support Officer as appropriate. Applications are required to provide:

• a copy of the project in hard or digital copy.
• a completed entry form listing name, contact details, signature and date. The closing date for applications is 30 June each year.

Selection process. The Schools Prize for First Peoples History will be administered by a judging panel appointed by the Board of the HCV, consisting of at least three members of the Board. The decision of the panel will be final.

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.

Entries for the 2022 Jane Hansen Prize are now open.

The Jane Hansen Prize for History Advocacy was established in 2020 to recognise the efforts of a group or individual that has advocated for the value of history, the work of historians and/or the importance of an education in history.

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, including the History Council of Victoria.

You can access the application form and submit via google form: https://forms.gle/3BrNsHmdEEDd7KuY8, and applications close 31 July 2022.

A preview of the form can be viewed here (but we ask that you submit entries via the form above): Preview Form 2022

Background

The winner will be announced in conjunction with the HCV's Annual Lecture in October each year.

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.

We announced the winner of the inaugural Jane Hansen Prize for Advocacy at our Annual Lecture in October 2021.

You can read our press release here: Jane_Hansen_Prize_for_History_Advocacy_-_Press_release.pdf

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.

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.

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. 

In 2020, the HCV inaugurated the Jane Hansen Prize for History Advocacy.

In 2021, the HCV inaugurated the Lynette Russell Prize for First Peoples' History in Schools.