Federation of Australian Historical Societies

FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETIES INC

e-BULLETIN No. 124 – 16 April 2014

Hon Editor, Dr Ruth S. Kerr

1) Memorial Mania: The heritage of war commemoration in the present age

2) Heritage Festival - lecture by Dr John Moses on Journey through the life of Canon David Garland, the architect of Anzac Day

3) Silver medal gift from New South Wales Governor to a Maori leader in 1806 to be auctioned

4) Valuation of assets of Australian Museum in Sydney

5) Christ Church Cemetery, Tingalpa, Brisbane

1) Memorial Mania: The heritage of war commemoration in the present age

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF MONUMENTS AND SITES

Heritage of Commemoration
Memorial Mania: The heritage of war commemoration in the present age
23 April 2014 at 6pm

There is an intense rise in commemorative events of all kinds in Australia. This is associated with an equally intense increase in the construction of new war and related memorials not seen since the end of the First World War. Remarkably, these are at a time when the participants of both world wars are disappearing and direct memory and experience of wars are declining. While the national myth of Anzac is a contested part of our heritage, it still drives war commemoration in Australia and it still has sway as a generator of citizenship. This talk examines the heritage of commemoration in Australia.

Professor John Stephens will present this fascinating and topical lecture.

The lecture will be followed by refreshments.

Where: Fremantle Artillery Barracks Burt St, Fremantle (plenty of free parking)
When: 6.00pm, Wednesday 23 April 2014
Cost: $10 AICOMOS members, $15 non members
RSVP: to Anne Brake via email by Monday 21 April

Download the Memorial Mania talk flier.

(Source: ICOMOS News No 627 – 11 April 2014)

2) Heritage Festival - lecture by Dr John Moses on Journey through the life of Canon David Garland, the architect of Anzac Day

23 April 2014 – 5pm–6.15pm

The lecture by Dr John Moses on Canon David Garland is to be held on 23 April 2014 at the Commissariat Store, 115 William Street, Brisbane, headquarters of The Royal Historical Society of Queensland.

Dr Moses will trace the life of Canon Garland as Anglican clergyman, his chaplaincy roles as Lieutenant Colonel in Australia and the Middle East, architect of Anzac Day celebrations, and his return to ministry at St Barnabas Church at Ithaca from 1920 to 1939.

Dr John Moses has been researching the development of Anzac Day for many years. His article, Canon David John Garland (1864-1939) as architect of Anzac Day, was published by The Royal Historical Society of Queensland in its Journal in May 1999 (Vol.17 No.2, pp. 49-64).

More information: Canon Garland Museum Society – www.garlandmemorial.com

Bookings: Email: admin@bemac.org.au or phone 07 3391 4433

(Source: Canon Garland memorial Society and The Royal Historical Society of Queensland)

3) Silver medal gift from New South Wales Governor to a Maori leader in 1806 to be auctioned

A silver medal presented by Governor Philip King of New South Wales to a Maori leader, Te Pahi, in 1806 is to be auctioned by Sotherby’s Australia in April 2014 on behalf of a New South Wales family. The location of the medal has not been known for 200 years. The medal has a diameter of 45 mm and inscriptions cover most of the surface. It is expected to sell for $300,000 to $500,000.

(Source: Australian Financial Review 29-30 March 2014 p.5)

4) Valuation of assets of Australian Museum in Sydney

The official valuation of the 18 million items in the Australian Museum in Sydney has been downgraded. The official value of the museum’s collection, particularly its biological specimens, has almost halved from $860 million in 2011 to $485 million in 2013. The New South Wales Auditor General concluded that the practice of including a value for all specimens collected or donated led to an unreasonably large value. He concluded that the value of new additions including unregistered, unsorted and uncatalogued items could not be measured reliably.

(Source: Weekend Australian 5-6 April 2014 p.3)

5) Christ Church Cemetery, Tingalpa, Brisbane

At the Annual General Meeting on 12 April 2014, local Councillor Ryan Murphy spoke strongly of how the cultural heritage values of sites like the Cemetery encapsulate the story and heritage of all the people involved – ancestors, friends, managers, committee people, tourists. He advocated the greater promotion of cultural heritage in the community as an equal of natural heritage in Australia. The Friends of Tingalpa Cemetery Heritage Group Inc has now embarked on finalizing an agreement with the owner of the land, the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane. There are 300 existing graves and 48 grave sites. The Friends Group has received a number of Lord Mayor’s Suburban Initiative Fund grants for maintenance of the Cemetery.

(Source: Editor – personal attendance at AGM – 12 April 2014)