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/