In this seminar, three historians share their experience of researching women’s lives, as biographical dictionaries strive to increase their representation of women. From a medieval countess to Victoria’s female criminals, the stories uncovered range widely in both time and place, pointing to the richness the archives can yield 'with a little more effort and research'.

The presenters and their topics are:

Dr Carolyn Rasmussen, public historian

' "They just need a little more effort and research to track down": addressing the gender imbalance in the Australian Dictionary of Biography'

The Australian Dictionary of Biography was, from its inception, intended to include representative as well as significant Australians, but nevertheless women remained in the shadows with only 10 women to 565 men in volume one and 11 women to 596 men in volume two.  The proportion has gradually increased to nearly one quarter of those who died between 1991 and 2001, but the challenge to redress the balance has now been taken up and the number of ‘recovered lives’ is testament to the effort and research of recent years. Plans are in hand to incorporate them into a revised Australian Dictionary of Biography.

Dr Kathleen Neale, Monash University

'Looking for Elizabeth: locating medieval women in the archives'

In response to shifting community expectations, major biographical dictionaries are moving to include more women among their entries. How can medieval women be located in the archives of institutions from which they were largely excluded in their own time, and in which later archivists were often uninterested in noticing and listing them where their lives were recorded? This presentation reflects on my experience of researching the biography of one of the daughters of Edward I.

Dr Alana Piper, University of Technology Sydney

'Freeing female prisoners from the archives: understanding “criminality” in context'

In his 1937 memoir about his career as a police detective in Melbourne, Alfred Stephen Burvett made a seemingly oxymoronic remark when he stated 'It must be remembered that it is not always criminals who commit offences or crimes'. Historically not every individual who entered the prison system fitted popular conceptions of the ‘criminal’; this seems especially true of women prisoners. Using archival prison records, this paper will discuss the offending careers of 6,042 women incarcerated in Victoria between 1860 and 1920 in order to reveal the complexities behind the 'criminal' identity imposed upon such women.

Margaret Anderson, Director at the Old Treasury Building, will facilitate the discussion.

This free event is fully subscribed.
You can join the waiting list by sending an email request to info@historycouncilvic.org.au 

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.

Join the Melbourne Feminist History Group for a special viewing of the Wayward Women exhibition, followed at 6 pm by a seminar on 'Disposing of the unwanted products of women's bodies: identifying the gynaeocentric zone' led by Professor Shurlee Swain.

For further information, visit the Old Treasury Building's webpage about this event.

To book your free ticket, please visit this Eventbrite page. 

Professor Lynette Russell AM will deliver this lecture for the RHSV's celebration of Women's History Month.

'Twenty years ago I wrote a book that documented a journey I had been on for over a decade. The book was A Little Bird Told Me: Family Secrets, Necessary Lives. This book represented a journey of discovery where I located my Aboriginal ancestors and answered a number of questions that had dogged my family for generations. Along the way, I discovered a story of secrets and lies, of madness, and refuge.  In this talk, I will reflect on this book nearly 20 years later with a focus on the importance of women as the keepers and tellers of family stories. In so doing I will consider the reasons why I wrote the book, what impact it had at the time and its ongoing influence. I hope that these reflections might have something to say to other family historians. I want to question whether there are there some family secrets and necessary lies that should never be told?'

Professor Russell is an award-winning historian and Indigenous studies scholar at Monash University. In 2020 she is taking up an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship to examine 'Global Encounters and First Nations People: 1000 Years of Australian History'.

Bookings are essential for this lecture ($10 for RHSV members; $20 for non-members).
To make your booking, please visit the RHSV website:
https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/event/what-the-little-bird-didnt-tell-me/

March is Women's History Month!

This calendar includes a number of upcoming public events that relate to women's history. Each event is located in Victoria, Australia, 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.

The concept of Women's History Month was revived by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria which convened a gathering of representatives of interested organisations during 2019. This calendar is hosted by the History Council of Victoria.

If you are organising an event in Victoria during March, and if it relates to Women's History, you are welcome to publicise it here. 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 2019 Making Public Histories seminar 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.

Here is an outline of the seminars:

Tuesday 12 March 2019

In March we celebrate Women’s History Month, part of the context for annual celebrations of International Women’s Day on 8 March. In this seminar, three historians share their experience of researching women’s lives, as biographical dictionaries strive to increase their representation of women. From a medieval countess to Victoria’s female criminals, the stories uncovered range widely in both time and place, pointing to the richness the archives can yield 'with a little more effort and research'.

The presenters and their topics are:

Dr Carolyn Rasmussen, public historian

' "They just need a little more effort and research to track down": addressing the gender imbalance in the Australian Dictionary of Biography'

The Australian Dictionary of Biography was, from its inception, intended to include representative as well as significant Australians, but nevertheless women remained in the shadows with only 10 women to 565 men in volume one and 11 women to 596 men in volume two.  The proportion has gradually increased to nearly one quarter of those who died between 1991 and 2001, but the challenge to redress the balance has now been taken up and the number of ‘recovered lives’ is testament to the effort and research of recent years. Plans are in hand to incorporate them into a revised Australian Dictionary of Biography.

Dr Kathleen Neale, Monash University

'Looking for Elizabeth: locating medieval women in the archives'

In response to shifting community expectations, major biographical dictionaries are moving to include more women among their entries. How can medieval women be located in the archives of institutions from which they were largely excluded in their own time, and in which later archivists were often uninterested in noticing and listing them where their lives were recorded? This presentation reflects on my experience of researching the biography of one of the daughters of Edward I.

Dr Alana Piper, University of Technology Sydney

'Freeing female prisoners from the archives: understanding “criminality” in context'

In his 1937 memoir about his career as a police detective in Melbourne, Alfred Stephen Burvett made a seemingly oxymoronic remark when he stated 'It must be remembered that it is not always criminals who commit offences or crimes'. Historically not every individual who entered the prison system fitted popular conceptions of the ‘criminal’; this seems especially true of women prisoners. Using archival prison records, this paper will discuss the offending careers of 6,042 women incarcerated in Victoria between 1860 and 1920 in order to reveal the complexities behind the 'criminal' identity imposed upon such women.

Margaret Anderson, Director at the Old Treasury Building, will facilitate the discussion.

Bookings for this free event are now open.  To reserve your seat, click on the button at the foot of this page.
If the button says 'Sold out', you can join the waiting list by sending an email request to info@historycouncilvic.org.au 

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:

and the organising partners:

In recognition of 2020 as the UN International Year of Plant Health, this seminar will illuminate the challenging and contested past, present and future of Victoria’s native vegetation.

Professional historian Dr Gary Presland, author of many books about Victoria’s natural and human heritage (including Understanding our natural world: the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria 1880-2015) will speak about the importance of native vegetation in understanding past human activity.

Professor Mike Clarke from the Centre for Future Landscapes at La Trobe University will consider the place of fire in the history of Victoria’s vegetation: 'The Bush will be OK, it’s evolved to cope with fire…hasn’t it?'.

Dr Lilian Pearce, a research fellow on the ARC-funded project Owning nature: mapping the contested country of private protected areas and a member of the Landscape Reference Group with the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), will consider the changing role of history in contemporary environmental management activities.

This seminar contributes to the 2020 Australian Heritage Festival for which the theme is ‘Our Heritage for the Future’. The discussion will be chaired by Professor Alistair Thomson of Monash University.

Bookings for this free event are now open.  To reserve your seat, click on the button at the foot of this page.

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:

and the organising partners:

The study of the past and telling its stories are critical to our sense of belonging, to our communities and to our shared future.

History shapes our identities, engages us as citizens, creates inclusive communities, is part of our economic well-being, teaches us to think critically and creatively, inspires leaders and is the foundation of our future generations.

Identity
History nurtures identity in a world characterised by difference and change. History enables people to discover their own place in stories of families, communities, First Peoples, and nations—individuals and groups who have shaped the world in which they live. There are stories of freedom and oppression, justice and inequity, war and peace, endurance and achievement, courage and tenacity. Through these varied stories, the systems of personal and community values that guide approaches to life and relationships with others are shaped.

Engaged citizens
History helps people craft solutions that meet community needs. At the heart of democracy are individual citizens who come together to express views and take action. Understanding the history of contemporary issues that confront our communities, nation and world can clarify misperceptions, reveal complexities, temper volatile viewpoints, and open people to new possibilities, leading to more effective solutions.

Strong communities
History lays the groundwork for strong, diverse and inclusive communities that are vital places to live and work. Communities are wrapped in human memory: Indigenous knowledge, family stories, oral histories, social customs, cultural collections, heritage and civic commemorations. These all strengthen our connections and commitment to one another. History supports a sense of community identity and place; and that in turn promotes social cohesion, individual and collective wellbeing, and resilience.

Economic development
History is a catalyst for economic growth. People are drawn to communities with a strong sense of historical identity, material heritage and character. Cultural heritage is a demonstrated economic asset and an essential component of any vibrant local economy, providing an infrastructure that attracts talent and enhances business development, including cultural tourism.

Critical skills
History teaches independent thinking and vital skills for the twenty-first century. Historical thinking requires critical approaches to evidence and argument and develops contextual understanding and historical perspective, encouraging meaningful engagement with concepts like continuity, change and causation, and the ability to interpret and communicate complex ideas clearly and coherently.

Leadership
History inspires leaders. It provides them with role models to meet complex challenges. Personal stories of leadership reveal how women and men met the challenges of their day and can give new leaders the courage and wisdom to confront the challenges of our time.

Legacy
History is the foundation for future generations. It is crucial to our future because it explains our shared past. When we preserve authentic, meaningful and significant stories, places, documents, images and artefacts, we leave a foundation upon which future Australians can build.

Call to action

We call on individuals and organisations in Australia to endorse, share, and use this statement on the value of history in contemporary life. With common agreement, commitment, and open conversation about why history is important, we believe the historical community can better articulate history’s critical role in the public sphere.

Endorsing this statement in principle, via your nearest History Council, is an initial step. See below for contact details. Look for the Value of History statement on these sites to see how you can show your support.

We encourage you to adapt and incorporate these ideas into projects, funding applications, training materials, mission statements, websites, marketing materials, submissions and other organisational outlets.

Further information

History Council of New South Wales

Email: admin@historycouncilnsw.org.au

Website: www.historycouncilnsw.org.au/value-of-history-statement

Facebook: @HistoryCouncilNSW

Twitter: @HistoryNSW 

History Council of South Australia

Email: secretary@historycouncilsa.org.au

Website: www.historycouncilsa.org.au

Facebook: @HistoryCouncilSA

Twitter: @history_sa

History Council of Victoria

Email: info@historycouncilvic.org.au

Website: www.historycouncilvic.org.au/value_of_history

Facebook: @HistoryCouncilVic

Twitter: @History_Vic

History Council of Western Australia

Email: office@historycouncilwa.org.au

Website: www.historycouncilwa.org.au/value-of-history

Facebook: @HistoryCouncilWA

Twitter: @WAHistccl

Our Australian 'Value of History' statement is adapted with permission from History Relevance, a campaign that started in the USA in 2012.