Emeritus Professor Brian Hinton Fletcher OAM, (1931-2018)
FAHS Councillors and friends will be saddened to hear of the recent
death of Emeritus Professor Brian Fletcher OAM. Brian Fletcher was a
member of the Federation Council from 1992 to 2001 as a representative
of the Royal Australian Historical Society and was President from 1992
to 1996.
Image, ABC
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I was on the Council at the time
representing The Royal Historical Society of Queensland. Brian was a
very amiable, highly experienced professional historian with the vision
and aims of the Federation at heart. The Council meetings (usually about
three or four per year) were held in Brian’s office at The University
of Sydney on Saturday mornings. After the meetings the Council adjourned
to a café at Erskineville for lunch.
In 2001 Brian was awarded a Fellowship for his services to the Federation of Australian Historical Societies.
Brian was a member of the History Department at the University of Sydney
from 1973 until his retirement in 1999. He became the foundation
Bicentennial Professor of Australian History in 1988. Brian is best
known for his three influential books – Colonial Australia before 1850, Landed Enterprise and Penal Society: A history of Farming and Grazing in NSW Before 1821, and Ralph Darling: A Governor Maligned. He wrote extensively on Anglican Church history in Australia and also wrote a history, Magnificent obsession: the story of the Mitchell Library, Sydney, published in 2007.
Brian was a Councillor of the Royal Australian Historical Society from
1971–73, 1975–81 and 1989–92, Editor of the Journal of the Royal
Australian Historical Society, 1968–93, and Vice-President
1982–88.
Dr Ruth S Kerr, The Royal Historical Society of Queensland
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Queen's Birthday Honours 2018
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The FAHS congratulates the following individuals who have been
awarded the Medal Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division
for services to history.
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Mr Kenneth Ralph AMES, NSW
For service to the preservation of rail transport history, and to youth.
Mrs Helene Lorraine CRONIN, Buderim Qld 4556
For service to community history.
Mr Colin James DENNISON, Glenorchy Tas 7010
For service to the preservation of local history.
Mr Patrick John DURNFORD, Townsville Qld 4817
For service to veterans, and to military history preservation.
Mr Donald Macarthur GODDEN, Kangaroo Valley NSW 2577
For service to the community through history preservation organisations.
Mr Michael Paul GOODWIN, North Mackay QLD 4740
For service to military history preservation.
Mr Pat HALLAHAN, Lesmurdie WA 6076
For service to the community through history preservation organisations.
Ms Merril Anne JACKSON, Point Frederick NSW 2250
For service to community history.
Mr Anthony James McALEER, Mount Evelyn Vic 3796
For service to the community, and to military history.
Dr Barry John McGOWAN, Cook ACT 2614
For service to community history.
Mr Ian Trevor McIVOR BEM, Toowoomba Qld 4350
For service to military history preservation, and to the community.
Mrs Shirley Naina McIVOR, Toowoomba Qld 4350
For service to military history preservation, and to the community.
Mr Thomas Edward PERRIGO, Kardinya WA 6163
For service to heritage conservation, and to the community.
Mr Frank Edward STAMFORD, Emerald Vic 3782
For service to rail transport history.
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Succession Planning, History Trust, SA
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After You've Gone
The National and Community History Officer and Curator, Bernadette
Flynn, visited South Australia at the invitation of History Trust SA to
run information sessions and a workshop on Succession Planning. The
talks generated a great deal of interest with a second talk scheduled to
enable over 60 participants to attend from Adelaide and the
regions. It was encouraging that so many local history groups and
community history museums recognised the value of succession
planning. Some lively discussion followed about planning for the
future, extending to ideas about governance and technology challenges.
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Workshop with the Adelaide Plains Council Historical Committee (formerly the Mallala and District Historical Committee).
An all day workshop on Succession Planning ran in Mallala with the
support of Amanda James (Senior Community HIstory Officer) and Pauline
Cockrill (Community History Officer). In small cluster groups,
the 7 steps of the workbook were undertaken - from consideration
of the mission and vision statements - to critical roles and how to
recruit new people into the organisation. By the end of the
workshop the group had drafted sections of the plan with details to be
consolidated at a later date.
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Featured Historical Society - The National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame, Alice Springs
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The National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame (NPWHF) undertakes
research about the Old Alice Springs Goal site and operates as a public
museum for the purpose of recognising and honouring pioneering women who
contributed to the development of Australia.
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The Women's Hall of Fame was founded by
Molly Clark of Old Andado Station in 1993. After visiting the stockmen's
Hall of Fame in Longreach, she recognised a need to commemorate and
acknowledge the contribution made by women in outback Australia.
With support from the first female mayor and local station people, a
museum was established in the Old Courthouse. By 2004 this was found to
be too small for the growing collection and lacked adequate storage
facilities and a new site at the former HM Gaol was leased. This site
now tells the stories of the pioneering women who contributed to the
development of Australia and the people who worked and were imprisoned
in the Old Alice Springs Gaol from 1938 to 1996.
The NPWHF manages a collection of around 3,000 women’s objects donated
from across the country, ranging from domestic items to textiles,
furniture and artworks. Photographs, oral history tapes and documents
add to the repository of material relating to women's history in
Australia. Some of these items are accessible via an online database with much material still to be fully catalogued. Another database the HerStory Archive tells
of the achievements of over 1,500 pioneering women who have been first
in their field. Conserving the collection and building the
online catalogue to make more of it available is an on-going process.
Throughout the old gaol site, three permanent exhibitions commemorate the achievements of Australian women: Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives, Women at the Heart and What's Work Worth?. Installations
in the Women's and Men's Cell Blocks tell the stories of
the people who lived and worked at the Old Gaol through objects,
text panels, audio visual media and projections. In addition a
program of temporary exhibitions runs throughout the year. The
interesting work of the museum both in terms of events and museum
programs is disseminated via Facebook and Instagram.
Images: L to R; Installation What's Work Worth?; Panels from Women at the Heart exhibition, photograph Marie Ottilie Johannsen with her daughter Elsa en route to Hermannsburg, at Bloods Creek, 1909.
The NPWHF is fortunate to secure two main grants from the Northern
Territory Government, which enables a curator to be employed. As
the curator Dianna Newham notes having two sets of history in the one
place - women's Pioneer history and gaol history is an interpretative
challenge. The trauma history of the site further adds to the complexity
of the task.
The NPWHF is proactive in collaborating with other women's museums and
the GLAM sector and is a founding member of the International
Association of Women’s Museums whose purpose is to promote 'culture,
arts, education and training from a female perspective'. The
NPWHF collaborates with museums, archives and libraries in Alice
Springs and is one of the host organisations of the Museums and
Galleries 2019 conference, which is to be held in Alice Springs in
May.
Dianna Newham outlines the success of the community engagement programs -
through outreach into the community and by responding to people
who know about the museum and approach NPWHF directly. The museum runs
film nights, international women's day events, along with a
curator in residence program in a nearby retirement village.
The NPWHF school's program is designed for the Australian
Curriculum (History years 2, 3, 4 and 6). An on site shop sells
books, locally made jewellery and art. A collaboration with the NPY
Tjjanpi desert women facilitates the sale of woven figurines and
bowls.
Museum: Open 10.00 am - 5.00 pm every day Including public holidays
Location: Old Alice Springs Gaol, 2 Stuart Terrace, Alice Springs NT 0870
email: operations@pioneerwomen.com.au
Tel: 08 8952 9006
Sources: The National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame Website, visit and interview with curator, Dianna Newham
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The John Douglas Kerr Medal for 2018
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Dr William Metcalf at the RHSQ Queensland Day Dinner on 6th June
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The John Douglas Kerr Medal for 2018 (by
RHSQ & PHAQ) was awarded on 6 June 2018 to Dr William Metcalf.
The John Douglas Kerr medal of Distinction is awarded by the Royal
Historical Society of Queensland and the Professional Historians
Association (Qld) to a historian with demonstrated excellence in
historical research in Queensland or Australian history. Former
recipients include Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Blainey (2017) and
Professor Ann McGrath (2016).
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Dr Metcalf has worked as a historian for
over four decades. He is most known for his research into utopian
communalism in Australia and the local history of Brisbane. Metcalf was
formerly an adjunct academic at the School of Environment and Science at
Griffith University, and has been a Distinguished-Scholar-in-Residence
at Queen’s University, Belfast on three occasions.
Dr Metcalf has produced a prodigious body of work across a research
career spanning over four decades. He has advanced the study of
Queensland and Australian history most notably through his investigation
of utopian communalism in Australia, a project which he commenced in
1990. His publishing in this field includes two books, The Gayndah
Communes, published in 1998, and Herrnhut: Australia’s First Utopian
Commune, co-authored with Elizabeth Huf and published in 2002. In
addition to these volumes, Metcalf has authored an extensive
bibliography of journal articles and essays on this topic, and continues
to explore this subject in his ongoing project, The Encyclopedia of
Australian Utopian Communalism.
In addition to his work in this field, Bill has contributed
significantly to the study of local history in Brisbane. Bill’s work in
this field include the chapters ‘The Toohey Family: Irish Catholicism
and Land Speculation in Early Brisbane’, published in People, Places and
Pageantry in 1987; ‘Henry George’s Utopia: Wintergarden Centre, Queen
Street Mall’, published in Radical Brisbane in 2004; and ‘Dr Thomas
Pennington Lucas and Plague Denial – “More terrible than war!”’,
published in Brisbane Diseased: Contagions, Cures and Controversy in
2016. Bill’s most recent volume, Brisbane: Tertiary Education 1825-2018 –
Training, Teaching and Turmoil, co-edited with Barry Shaw and released
earlier this year, brings together several viewpoints on the development
of Brisbane’s academic landscape from the earliest period of the
Moreton Bay penal settlement to the present day.
Throughout his career, Bill has supported and enhanced academic rigour
in professional historical work. He has served as President of the
International Communal Studies Association and locally on the management
committee of the Brisbane History Group; he has acted as a peer
reviewer for The Queensland History Journal; and has performed as
Assessor and Advisor for the Brisbane City Council History and Heritage
Grants program. Most impressive, however, is Bill’s commitment to
ensuring historians of the future are capable of producing work of the
highest scholarly standard. Bill has been invited three times, in 1991,
1995, and 1998, to Queen’s University, Belfast, to deliver public
lectures and liaise with staff and postgraduate students as a
Distinguished-Scholar-in-Residence; and in his service as a research
methodologist at Griffith University, taught and encouraged tertiary
students to engage with history laterally to develop relevant research
questions for the discipline.
In all his research, Bill has demonstrated extraordinary energy in
identifying sources and people relevant to his research; this enthusiasm
is testified in the impressive quantity and consistent standard of his
published work. A commensurate historian, Bill has very much ensured
that the events and personalities of the past remain remembered and
considered in the present.
In conclusion, Dr William Metcalf is a most deserving recipient of the 2018 John Douglas Kerr Medal of Distinction.
Source: The Royal Historical Society of Queensland and the Professional Historians Association (Qld)
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History and Heritage Advocate receives RHSQ Centenary Medal
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On 17 May 2018 in Chillagoe Dr Ruth Kerr, Hon Secretary of The Royal
Historical Society of Queensland presented one of the Society’s
Centenary Medals to Mary Bolam of Chillagoe, North Queensland.
Image: L Mary Bolam with the RHSQ Centenary Medal; R Dr Ruth Kerr.
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Mary is a history and heritage advocate for
the region and has worked hard since the 1980s to preserve the Chillagoe
smelters site, the Court House and Railway Station. She has also been a
constant advocate for improved roads and has collected stories about
the prominent families in Chillagoe and Mungana history.
The respect with which Mary Bolam is held for her work was demonstrated
by the attendance of the Mayor of Mareeba Shire, Tom Gilmore, and three
Councillors Lenore Wyatt, Mary Graham and Edward (‘Nipper’) Brown
together with approx. 35 Chillagoe Alliance Inc members, townspeople,
Auctus Resources mining company managers and Historical Society members
from Mareeba. Mr Tom Prior drove one of his antique Ford utilities to
the event.
The event was held in the historic Chillagoe Court House which is now a
museum and a lunch was held afterwards in the Chillagoe Town Hall.
Source: Dr Ruth Kerr, RHSQ
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A New Report by the Australian Heritage Council
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The report on the Protection of Australia’s Commemorative Places and Monuments
reviews the existing legal framework protecting such places and
monuments in Australia. The report has been prepared by the Australian
Heritage Council, having regard to input from all states and territories
and Australia’s tiered system of heritage recognition and management.
The report finds that the current legislative and policy framework
across the country is adequate, but also makes a number of
recommendations to allow Australians to further recognise and promote
our shared Indigenous and colonial heritage.
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A Celebration of NSW’s Heritage: Portraits of NSW
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In celebration of the 40th anniversary of
the NSW Heritage Act 1977, the Minister for Heritage launched Portraits of NSW.
This publication celebrates and highlights the diversity of NSW’s state
significant heritage by telling stories behind a selection of items on
the State Heritage Register.
Download here
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Canberra and District Historical Society Members Recognised
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Photo: Dawn Waterhouse at Calthorpe's House, ABC Radio Canberra: Louise Maher
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Dawn Waterhouse, lifetime Canberra resident
and long-time Canberra and District Historical Society member, has
earned a plaque on Canberra’s Honour Walk.
The Media Release from the Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, described Dawn
as having ‘had an influence on the history, heritage and community
life of Canberra for more than 90 years, particularly through her
former home, Calthorpe’s House’.
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Photo: Laura Edwards, Canberra City News
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Alan Foskett OAM, CDHS member and frequent contributor, especially
to the Regional Studies Network, has also been recognised on Canberra's
Honour Walk. He received a FAHS Merit Award in 2010.
Alan Foskett's passion for Canberra’s history is highlighted by the 36 historical works he has published about the city.
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Meet the Canberrans inducted to the ACT Honour Walk
On ABC Drive with Laura Tchilinguirian. Click on image below to go to the interview
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Australian Century Farm and Station Awards
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 An
invitation is extended to all Australian families farming their land
for 100 years or more to apply for a Century Farm or Station award, or
the Sesquicentennial award (150 years).
All types of primary production including viticulture, horticulture and forestry are eligible.
The awards are not tied to a specific amount of land although some of the original selection must remain in family ownership.
Applicant families must submit verification of this, generally copies of
deeds etc. They are also required to write a narrative of family
history and if possible enclose photographs both historic and modern to
illustrate that story.
An agreement to archive the collected material has recently been forged
with the prestigious Noel Butlin Archive, Australian National University
, Canberra, A.C.T
An application fee of $550 is required to enter for the award. The closing date is December 31st.
Further information: www.centuryfarms.org.au
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Save the Date, RAHS 2018 Conference, Port Macquarie
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Surveying the Past, Mapping the Present
The Westport Club, Port Macquarie
20th – 21st October 2018
Image: Flynn's Beach, Port Macquarie, N.D., Captain Frank Hurley (RAHS Postcard Collection).
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In 1818, Surveyor-General John Oxley led an
expedition from Bathurst to explore the inland rivers of New South
Wales. Travelling great distances, Oxley found the Hastings River and
followed it to the coast, naming its entrance to the sea ‘Port
Macquarie’ (after the Governor of NSW, Lachlan Macquarie).
Two centuries later, the RAHS annual conference will be held at Port
Macquarie, to explore how historians survey the past by searching
through records as part of a continuous journey to map the context of
events that have shaped our shared history.
Further Information: https://www.rahs.org.au/2018-rahs-conference/
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Seminar: Convict Women and Orphan School Children, Tasmania
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A Great Blessing? Convict Women and Orphan School Children
Lieutenant-Governor Arthur believed it would be ‘a great blessing’ for
the children of convicts to be removed from their parents. The
Spring 2018 seminar explores the relationship between the Orphan School,
the orphans and convict women.
In 1828, women convicts transferred from the old Hobart Town Female
Factory to the new Factory at the Cascades. In 1828, the King’s
Orphan Schools opened. To mark the 190th anniversary of both
institutions, our next seminar will be run jointly by the Female
Convicts Research Centre and the Friends of the Orphan Schools and it
will be held at the Orphan School, St John’s Avenue, New Town.
Date: 28th October, 2018
Registrations: Open late July 2018.
https://www.femaleconvicts.org.au/index.php/fcrc-seminars/research-seminars
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Oral History NSW Regional Engagement Grants
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Applications are now open for The Oral
History NSW Regional Engagement Grant which offers $1500 biannually
and aims to raise the profile of oral history in regional areas in
NSW.
Applications close 1 Sept 2018.
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This new grant aims to raise the profile of
oral history in regional areas and extend its expertise and use
throughout New South Wales. This grant is aimed at librarians,
archivists, museum curators, artists, film-makers, independent oral
historians or community groups based in regional areas in NSW who wish
to develop an oral history project that illuminates some aspect of their
regional area which is of significance or interest to others.
Applicants must be members of Oral History NSW to be eligible to apply for this grant.
Further information: https://historycouncilnsw.org.au/oral-history-nsw-regional-engagement-grant/
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New Publication available from HSNT
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Two Excellent Girls by Steven Farram
Cissy and Clara Mcleod, the Northern Territory 'half-Caste' Foster Daughters of Captain and Mrs Mugg
Publisher: Uniprint NT, Charles Darwin University, 2018
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The true story of two sisters, Cissy and
Clara Mcleod born in Borroloola, NT who lived in Darwin with their
foster parents during the early 1900s. In 1922, they left Darwin for
Singapore and never returned to live in the Territory again. The McLeod
sisters achieved a lot considering how Aboriginal people were treated at
that time. Their ultimate fates were tragic but their lives in Darwin
had been successful.
Available from the Historical Society of the Northern Territory
Cost $25.00. Postage & Handling $5.00
Email: hsnt@iinet.net.au Mobile: 0487 413 709
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RWAHS, History Out and About, Katanning Tour
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Kobeelya Girls School
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Piesse's Flour Mill
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The RWAHS is running a history tour to Katanning, August 3rd – 6th 2018
Three nights in Katanning include:
- The Premier Mill Hotel, (Piesse Old Mill recently restored by Dome to a boutique 5 Star hotel)
- The Old Mill
- Kobeelya House and Conference Centre
- The Old Kobeelyans’ museum and chapel (dating from Kobeelya House as a girls’ boarding school)
- The
Katanning Historical Society Museum complex at the old primary school
and the former printing works (featuring linotype machines)
- Other
places of interest in this country centre, the original Piesse
establishment and town site and the Katanning sheep saleyards (largest
in the southern hemisphere)
Registration Cost: $200 (members) $225 (non-members)
Phone: (08) 9386 3841 or email:admin@histwest.org.au
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AE Williams Western Australian History Prize, WA
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The Society is offering a $1,000 prize for a publication on Western Australian history published or accepted for publication between January 2017 and June 2018.
Closing date: 1 October 2018.
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Entries may include a book or booklet,
an article in a published book, a family history, a biography, a local
or community history on any Western Australian subject. There is no
word limit and printed, digital and self-published entries are
acceptable.
The prize is open to the general public as well as to members of the Society and Affiliates.
Submission to the Royal Western Australian Historical Society Inc, 49 Broadway Nedlands WA 6009
Phone: (08) 9386 3841. Email: admin@histwest.org.au
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The Van Diemen History Prize
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Forty South Publishing The Van Diemen History Prize 2018/19
To foster quality writing about Tasmanian history, Forty South
Publishing is initiating a biennial prize for non-fiction history
articles written for a general audience. Entries open July 1, 2018
and must be lodged by September 24, 2018. The winning entry will
receive a cash prize of $500 and publication in Tasmania 40°South
magazine.
A selection of the best entries will be published in an edited volume,
The Van Diemen History Anthology 2019 (publication estimated to be
in mid-2019).
For further details, Terms and Conditions and entry form, please visit https://fortysouth.com.au/tasmanian-writers-prize/
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Lunchtime Lecture at RHSV
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Victoria's Mad Colonial Reputation
Speaker: Jill Giese
When: Tuesday 17th July at 12 noon
Cost: Free.
Booking: Register your attendance.
Join author and clinical psychologist, Jill Giese, for a lecture based on her research and book, The Maddest Place on Earth.
Gold-fuelled Melbourne was booming, but so was an alarming statistic -
Victoria had the highest rate of insanity in the world. The colonials
embarked on the great asylum project, genuinely intending to cure
insanity with an enlightened treatment. This grand endeavour is explored
through the eyes of patients, the doctor in charge and a mysterious
undercover journalist.
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Jill Giese is a clinical psychologist and
writer. Her extensive career in mental health encompasses many
years of clinical practice, as well as senior executive roles in policy
and advocacy with the peak organisation for psychology in
Australia. Jill is also a past editor of the magazine for the
Australian psychology profession, with a readership of over 20,000.
Recently Jill has immersed herself in the world of Victoria’s colonial
lunatic asylums. Trawling the archives with a deep professional
knowledge of psychology, mental illness and systems of care,
Jill has written The Maddest Place on Earth.
The book recounts colonial Victoria’s endeavours to address an
alarmingly high rate of insanity – in fact, the proud colony officially
had the highest lunacy statistics in the world. The colonials
embarked on the great asylum project, with the genuine intention to
cure insanity through an enlightened treatment regime.
Jill will share her research and writing journey back to this
intriguing slice of colonial history in the lunchtime lecture for RHSV.
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Talking History Lecture, History Trust SA
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Talking History is a series of free monthly lectures hosted by the History Trust of South Australia.
Helen Stagg presents July’s Talking History – Harnessing the River Murray, a Journey of Discovery: Archives and Voices from the Past.
Helen’s paper takes a journey through her research for the
book, Harnessing the River Murray: stories of the people who built
Locks 1 to 9, 1915-1935.
When: Tue, 17 July, 5:30pm–7:00pm
Where: History Trust of South Australia
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In the talk, Helen will share the genesis of
the book and her motivation to record the stories of those involved in
South Australia’s share of locking the River, to reveal the experiences
of people who did not get the chance to author their own story. Her
presentation will give background to the River Murray Scheme and stages
of lock building. Helen will explore some of the challenges of
discovering the names of the workers and discuss some of the documentary
evidence. A valuable adjunct to this was her discovery of a
metaphorical time capsule which gave a rare and valuable perspective, an
up-close and personal insight into the past.
Register for the free event
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Holsworth Local Heritage Trust Grants, Victoria
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Grants of up to $2,000 are available for the
publication of any specific or general local history or natural history
in rural and regional Victoria.
Applications close: 31st July 2018.
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The Holsworth Local Heritage Trust, a
charitable fund within the Victorian Community Foundation, provides
grants from not-for-profit organisations such as historical societies,
clubs, schools and museums in regional and rural Victoria.
The Trust is interested in supporting enthusiastic community groups and
organisations with a true interest in heritage preservation and
appreciation, and the enhancement of community life.
The RHSV auspices the grants process. Further information: http://www.historyvictoria.org.au/programs/holsworth-local-heritage-trust
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The FAHS e-Bulletin, No. 179,
8th July 2018
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