Talking History: Recent Episodes
History Trust of South Australia
Talking History is a series of free monthly lectures hosted by the History Trust of South Australia. Each month you can hear about a different aspect of South Australia's history. We have a range of speakers from various disciplines, from history and archaeology to architecture and community research.
Inspiring generations in the present through creative engagement with the past. The History Trust researches, preserves and presents the history of South Australia. We manage three museums, the State History Collection and a statewide community history program.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series.
Hans Heysen and Nora Heysen are Australia’s most well-known father-daughter artistic duo. In this episode, Professor Speck explores the letters written to each other from the time Nora moved to London in 1934 until Hans Heysen died in 1968. During that time Nora Heysen won the Archibald Prize, was appointed an official war artist, fell in love with a married man, Robert Black, with whom she lived with and eventually married, relocated to Sydney, and travelled extensively to the Pacific. Hans Heysen was knighted, sat on the board of the National Art Gallery of South Australia and was connected to leading figures in the Australian art world. The letters take readers into these events, life at The Cedars, Sallie Heysen’s role there, and the art itself.
Music in this episode courtesy of:
Parting of the Ways - Part 2 by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4196-parting-of-the-ways---part-2
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
No. 9 Esther’s Waltz by Esther Abrahmi
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGJgzJS3Ws
Vision of Persistence by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4592-vision-of-persistence
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Warning: This episode contains graphic depictions of animal cruelty.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series.
Samorn, the Adelaide Zoo's last elephant, was adored by generations of zoo visitors. When she died, there was an outpouring of sadness from all who knew or grew up with her.
Elephants and Egotists is a tribute to Samorn, but also tells of other elephants sent to South Australia and the colourful characters who decided their fate. Elephants, particularly those in Southeast Asia, are now a critically endangered species needing our concern and immediate action. As Sir David Attenborough asks: 'The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book?'
Music in this episode thanks to
Artist: Godmode | Track: Melancholia
Artist: Kevin MacLeod (https://filmmusic.io/)
Track: Circus Waltz
Track: Wind Of The Rainforest Preview
Track: Melodie Victoria
Track: Sneaky Snitch
(https://filmmusic.io/standard-license)
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series.
In 1894, South Australia granted women the dual right to vote and become elected members of parliament, thanks in no small part to the indomitable Mary Lee. Her unwavering pursuit for social justice and remarkable legacy is revealed as we follow the trajectory of her life from Ireland to Adelaide. The disappearance of Mary Lee’s journals and most of her letters, along with a dearth of recorded women’s history, kept her contribution to history hidden for more than 125 years. Undeterred, author Denise George travelled to Ireland and her painstaking examination of local records both there and in Adelaide revealed the compelling story of a woman who took on the Establishment, and won.
Music in this episode courtesy of:
Artist: Axletree | Track: Frost on the Meadows at Dawn
Artist: Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/) | Track: Lone Harvest
This public lecture was a part of the History Trust's Talking History series.
Holden historian Don Loffler and National Motor Museum senior curator Mick Bolognese discuss some of the most important landmarks in Holden’s manufacturing history. In it's golden age Holden sold about one in every two new cars in Australia, so it’s no wonder that most Australians have some connection with Holden cars, and that the retirement of the brand was so deeply felt around the country. Discover (or remember!) some of Holden’s best known vehicles and rarely seen prototypes.
Music in this episode thanks to -
Artist: E's Jammy Jams | Track: Darktown Strutters Ball
Artist: Patrick Patrikios | Track: Just Dance
Artist: Futuremono | Track: New Horizons
Artist: Chris Haugen | Track: Pedal to the Metal
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series.
In this episode curator Dr Adam Paterson and archaeologist/ educator Dr Chris Wilson unpack the history of South Australia’s whaling industry against the backdrop of the SA Maritime Museum’s exhibition 'Leviathan: An astonishing history of whales'. Leviathan was on display at the Maritime Museum in 2018.
Music in this episode is courtesy of Zachariah Hickman (Track: Argonne)
This public lecture was a part of the History Trust's Talking History series.
Hysteria is both a memoir of author Katerina Bryant’s experience of illness and a historical account of four women whose lives have intersected with the idea of ‘hysteria’. The book looks at the strength of women who were not seen as themselves but as patients alone. Katerina examines the lives of these women, touches on the South Australian context and speaks to what it means to contextualise herself within this complex history.
Katerina Bryant is a writer and PhD student based in South Australia. Her first book, Hysteria: A Memoir of Illness, Strength and Women’s Stories Throughout History (NewSouth), is out now.
Music in this episode thanks to -
Myuu (http://www.thedarkpiano.com) | Track: Outsider
Chris Zabriskie (http://chriszabriskie.com) | Track: I Am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor
Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io) | Track: Despair and Triumph
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
In the wake of the Dunstan era Dimity Ware fell in love with a woman, left her husband, and became a single parent, feminist, and radical gardener. Join us for an illuminating conversation with her son, author Ianto Ware, about the personal and political history of feminism, lesbianism, gender, class and motherhood in 1970s & '80s suburban Adelaide. In this recording of a very special FEAST edition of Talking History Online panellists Dr Ianto Ware and Dr Nikki Sullivan discuss the personal, the political, and everything in between as they reflect on Dimity's Adelaide in relation to today's social and political world.
The Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Andrew Steiner Education Centre (AHMSEC) is Adelaide’s newest museum, opening in November 2020. The museum has an obligation to preserve Holocaust history and educate current and future generations through programs that instil human rights and develop ethical and social awareness of young people and the wider community. The AHMSEC invites visitors to engage with themes from the Holocaust and their continuing relevance in contemporary society through the core exhibition, travelling exhibitions, local Holocaust survivor stories, and education and public access programs.
In this talk Director Kathy Baykitch and Curator Pauline Cockrill explore the work of AHMSEC.
Content in this film is copyright to the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Andrew Steiner Education Centre (AHMSEC). They have agreed to share their film footage under a Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC-SA
South Australians have long had a love affair with sport. For over 180 years sporting clubs and associations around the state have provided an outlet for physical activity, a sense of community, and a place to come together. We’ve excelled in international, national and local arenas, but sport is not just for the professionals: a 2013 report found two thirds of us actively participate in some form of sport for recreation.
In this talk Keith Conlon and Kirby Fenwick take us on a tour of some great moments in South Australian sporting history.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust's Talking History series 2021.
| Artists often draw on real events, folk culture and family stories for inspiration, as well as occasionally delving into historical research as part of their craft. In this recording Dr Noris Ioannou and Sera Waters to share their thoughts on the relationship between folk culture, family influences and history on art in South Australia and the wider social and cultural context. This free public lecture was part of the History Trust’s Talking History series. |
Holden historian Don Loffler and National Motor Museum senior curator Mick Bolognese discuss some of the most important landmarks in Holden’s manufacturing story.
In this recording we hear about National Motor Museum’s Holden Heroes exhibition, which features the company’s most prized heritage vehicle collection. Mick and Don discuss the impact that these vehicles had on Australia after the Second World War. In its golden age, Holden sold about one in every two new cars in Australia, so it’s no wonder that most Australians have some connection with Holden cars, and that the retirement of the brand just a few months ago was so deeply felt. Discover (or remember!) some of Holden’s best known vehicles and rarely seen prototypes.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust's Talking History series 2021.
Special History Festival series: A State of Change
The History Festival has teamed up with Solstice Podcasting to give you a taste of the 2021 History Festival program.
In this special bonus episode, we take a walk with Rae Nunan and Catherine McMahon from the Estuary Care Foundation about the cultural, colonial and current tales of native oyster cultivation in the Port River ahead of their History Festival event Port Oyster Tales and Bubbles.
Search the full History Festival program online: historyfestival.sa.gov.au
South Australia's History Festival runs from 1 to 30 May 2021.
This podcast is proudly supported by History Festival regional partner SA Power Networks – Empowering South Australia since 1946.
Special History Festival series: A State of Change
The History Festival has teamed up with Solstice Podcasting to give you a five-episode taste of the 2021 History Festival program.
This week on the podcast, Paddy O’Toole from the Willunga Branch of the National Trust of South Australia regales us with tales of Willunga’s heinous past as she shows us through the old Courthouse Museum.
We then hear from Peter Lucas from the Milang Railway Museum, who tells us all about Nuggett the horse who brought goods (and royalty) along the jetty tramway to the township of Milang.
Search the full History Festival program online: historyfestival.sa.gov.au
South Australia's History Festival runs from 1 to 30 May 2021.
This podcast is proudly supported by History Festival regional partner SA Power Networks – Empowering South Australia since 1946.
This talk was recorded live for the opening of South Australia's History Festival in 2021, a special in-conversation event with Dr Jared Thomas and Dr Skye Krichauff as they examine the complexities of Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal understandings of past experiences and how different ways of knowing shape the practice of history. Facilitated by Dr Jenni Caruso.
Special History Festival series
The History Festival has teamed up with Solstice Podcasting to give you a five-episode taste of the 2021 History Festival program.
This week, we wander through gardens that reflect the heritage and lifestyles of first and second-generation European migrants with OEEGA (Organisation of Hellene & Hellene-Cypriot Women of Australia SA).
We then join Frances Frahn for a chat about the life and times of Holowiliena Station in the Flinders Ranges, owned by the Warwick family since 1852.
Search the full History Festival program online: historyfestival.sa.gov.au
South Australia's History Festival runs from 1 to 30 May 2021.
This podcast is proudly supported by History Festival regional partner SA Power Networks – Empowering South Australia since 1946.
Special History Festival series
The History Festival has teamed up with Solstice Podcasting to give you a five-episode taste of the 2021 History Festival program.
This week, we take a tour through the West Terrace Cemetery and talk of the drownings, capsizes, and shipwrecks that dot SA's waterways with Lindl Lawton and Carol Lefevre. We then head up the Horrock Highway and chat to Steve Hyde, whose private Holden collection fills a restored GMH dealership.
Search the full History Festival program online: historyfestival.sa.gov.au
South Australia's History Festival runs from 1 to 30 May 2021.
This podcast is proudly supported by History Festival regional partner SA Power Networks – Empowering South Australia since 1946.
Special History Festival series
The History Festival has teamed up with Solstice Podcasting to give you a five-episode taste of the 2021 History Festival program.
This week, join Nikki Sullivan from the History Trust of South Australia and Skye Bartlett from SAMESH to hear the tales behind South Australia's AIDS Quilt. Then follow the queen of the walk Dr Gertrude Glossip and learn about upper North Adelaide's queer past.
Search the full History Festival program online: historyfestival.sa.gov.au
South Australia's History Festival runs from 1 to 30 May 2021.
This podcast is proudly supported by History Festival regional partner SA Power Networks – Empowering South Australia since 1946.
Fiction writers often draw on real events and people to inspire their stories. Many writers undertake extensive historical research as part of their craft. A story about the past can be made to come alive with the small details that immerse us in a time before our own. Where does the history stop and the fiction begin? What is it about the past that makes it such a good setting for spinning new narratives? Our panel of writers (Emma Ashmere, Victoria Purman and Pip Williams) discuss the role of history in their own work, and share their thoughts more broadly on the relationship of history and fiction.
Special History Festival series
The History Festival has teamed up with Solstice Podcasting to give you a five-episode taste of the 2021 History Festival program.
In episode one, we go behind the scenes at the Between Two Worlds exhibition and learn a little about the Kaurna culture on display from Aunty Lynette Crocker. We then join Annie Luur Fox and Lyndell Davidge onsite at the Schmidt-Rodert Hof in historical Hahndorf.
Search the full History Festival program online: historyfestival.sa.gov.au
South Australia's History Festival runs from 1 to 30 May 2021.
The regional segments in this podcast are proudly supported by History Festival regional partner SA Power Networks – Empowering South Australia since 1946.
Windjammers were enormous steel and iron sailing ships that transported South Australian grain during the final days of commercial sail. Sailing yearly from the Åland Islands, in the Finnish Baltic, Windjammers arrived in the South Australian summer to collect grain. They also collected young South Australians keen to learn the ropes. With small crews of 25-30 sailors, the youngest about 13 years old, skilled Captains sailed east and south passing through the tumultuous seas of Cape Horn where their ships, 100 metres long, rode waves that loomed like walls of water.
Join Dr Adam Paterson and Dr Andrew Yip as they set sail through the history of windjammers in South Australian waters, delving into the development of the exhibition and bringing the final age of sail into the 21st century through the creation of an immersive and interactive cinema experience. The installation draws on documents and objects in the SA Maritime Museum Collection, creating an interactive environment with a sense of linked authenticity.
This public lecture was a part of the History Trust's Talking History series 2020.
When the first woman to circumnavigate the world completed her journey in 1776, she returned home without any fanfare at all. Jeanne Barret, an impoverished peasant from Burgundy, disguised herself as a man and sailed on the 1766 Bougainville voyage as the naturalist’s assistant. For over two centuries, the story of who this young woman was, why she left her home to undertake such a perilous journey and what happened when she returned has been shrouded in mystery.
By re-examining the archival evidence around her life, Danielle Clode found a woman who broke the boundaries of her social and geographic restrictions and demonstrated remarkable personal agency and resilience. Jeanne’s story is both a re-examination of the lives of women in the past, but also a way of re-imaging the stories told about women now and in the future.
This public lecture was a part of the History Trust's Talking History series 2020.
Danielle Clode is an interdisciplinary scholar and creative writing academic who has published popular scholarly books in killer whales, bushfires, natural history, museums and fossils. She has a particular interest in the history of science and the natural history of French voyages of discovery to Australia and the Indo-Pacific region. Her award-winning account of French voyages of discovery to Australia, (Voyages to the South Seas) has recently been made into a documentary. In search of the woman who sailed the world, the story of her search for Jeanne Barret, was published by Picador in October 2020.
What do you think of when you hear of a First Nations history collection?
This presentation by Jacinta Koolmatrie, Curator of First Nations History at the Migration Museum, looks at what First Nations histories are represented in the History Trust’s collection. Using her experience and knowledge of working with the State History and South Australian Museum collections, Jacinta will explore what a First Nations collection should look like and how colonial objects can be reinterpreted to understand First Nations histories.
This free public lecture is part of the History Trust's Talking History series.
Hysteria is both a memoir of author Katerina Bryant’s experience of illness and a historical account of four women whose lives have intersected with the idea of ‘hysteria’. The book looks at the strength of women who were not seen as themselves but as patients alone. Katerina examined the lives of these women, touched on the South Australian context and spoke to what it means to contextualise herself within this complex history.
This public lecture was a part of the History Trust's Talking History series and a special event for Mental Health Week 2020.
Katerina Bryant is a writer and PhD student based in South Australia. Her first book, Hysteria: A Memoir of Illness, Strength and Women’s Stories Throughout History (NewSouth), is out now.
This presentation is a brief introduction to the local environment of the Adelaide Plains from a contemporary Indigenous Kaurna perspective. The presentation will cover indigenous plants, animals and climate and how it is informed by the history of Kaurna language, and culture in the region.
Join Migration Museum Curator Birgit Heilmann as she discovers individual stories of British migrants who came to South Australia post Second World War. Oral histories which were undertaken for the ‘Hostel Stories Project’ by the History Trust of South Australia and The University of Adelaide between 2012 and 2014 form the basis of this podcast. Episode 3 of a three part series.
Warning viewers may find some of this content distressing.
When Phillip Hughes died after being struck by a cricket ball at the Sydney Cricket Ground in November 2014, his death was described as a ‘freak accident’ and a ‘million to one’ chance. However, research on Trove shows that nearly 200 Australians have died in cricket accidents since the first recorded fatality in 1858, with about half of these deaths occurring in formal matches in district, suburban, church and country competitions and the remainder in backyard, street and social games.
Tom Gara collaborated with several sports medicine experts on a detailed study of cricket fatalities which led to the introduction by Cricket Australia of the compulsory wearing of helmets by batters, wicket-keepers and close-in fielders in all grades of cricket. In this presentation Tom discussed the results of his research and the ways in which Trove has revolutionised historical research.
This talk is also available on YouTube - https://youtu.be/bNyR4ql8Vco
This free public lecture is part of the History Trust's Talking History Online series. For more on upcoming talks visit - https://history.sa.gov.au/where-to-learn-more/talking-history/
Join Migration Museum Curator Birgit Heilmann as she discovers individual stories of British migrants who came to South Australia post Second World War. Oral histories which were undertaken for the ‘Hostel Stories Project’ by the History Trust of South Australia and The University of Adelaide between 2012 and 2014 form the basis of this podcast. Episode 2 of a three part series.
A Talking History Online panel discussion featuring Jim Hammerton (La Trobe University, Melbourne), Moya McFadzean (Museums Victoria), Jan Coolen (featured in the exhibition 'British Migrants: Instant Australians?', and Mandy Paul (Migration Museum).
Between 1947 and 1981 nearly 1.5 million Britons migrated to Australia, seduced by promises of sun, surf and a better life. Most of the newcomers came on assisted passages, part of the Australian Government’s pursuit of a white, British, nation. This group of migrants were simultaneously everywhere and invisible, expected to become ‘instant Australians’. But the reality of migration is never that simple.
The exhibition 'British Migrants: Instant Australians?', developed by Museums Victoria, and currently on display at the Migration Museum in Adelaide, explores the personal experiences and historical and contemporary impacts of British migrants in the postwar decades. The exhibition features stories told by children, teenagers and families, labourers, adventurers, returnees, musicians, and even a snake dancer – brought to life through compelling digital animation.
This unique panel discussion unpacks these stories. This free public lecture is part of the History Trust's Talking History series. For more on upcoming talks visit https://history.sa.gov.au/where-to-learn-more/talking-history/
| Join Migration Museum Curator Birgit Heilmann as she discovers individual stories of British migrants who came to South Australia post Second World War. Oral histories which were undertaken for the ‘Hostel Stories Project’ by the History Trust of South Australia and The University of Adelaide between 2012 and 2014 form the basis of this podcast. |
Ian Hamilton from Arcuate presented Talking History Online: Regenerating South Australia’s Heritage Churches in July 2020.
Adelaide, city of churches, has a wealth of heritage places of worship that Ian Hamilton’s architectural practice, Arcuate, is helping to conserve and develop for future generations.
In this talk we learn about Ian’s passion for working with churches, and the initiatives being employed by Arcuate to conserve and regenerate South Australia’s Heritage Churches.
This talk is also available on YouTube - https://youtu.be/x38cLq33Sqk
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Professor Alistair Thomson presented September 2019’s Talking History lecture Forty Years On: The Transformations of Oral History
Celebrating forty years since the creation of the Oral History Association of Australia in 1979, current President of Oral History Australia Alistair Thomson reflected on the transformations of oral history across those years, in Australia and abroad. Starting with the first interview with his grandmother in 1979, and covering both community and academic oral history, Al drew on examples from his own interviews with war veterans, migrants and in the Australian Generations project to illuminate the history of oral history and its abiding value and impact.
The History Trust of South Australia in partnership with the North Terrace Cultural Precinct Innovation Lab was pleased to host Mahendra Mahey of British Library Labs for a public talk on digital cultural heritage and the scale, complexity and diversity of digital materials collected and preserved by the British Library, the UK’s national legal deposit library.
At the British Library, millions of digital items and objects are being created and collected for the world to use, such as digitised manuscripts, sheet music, newspapers, books, maps, archived websites, radio programmes, performances, TV news broadcasts, and artworks. British Library Labs Manager Mahendra Mahey will take you on a journey through some extraordinary examples of how these digital collections are being used for research, creativity, innovation, education, inspiration and enjoyment all around the world.
This talk emphasises the innovative work of British Library Labs, sometimes known as ‘BL Labs’. You will hear about the global efforts of BL Labs in leading and building an international collaborative network of digital cultural heritage innovation Labs (or GLAM Labs); sharing practice, knowledge, tools and experience across borders to ensure institutions and the digital cultural heritage they hold are increasingly open and accessible for the whole world to enjoy.
Professor Angela Woollacott reflects on the challenges of researching and writing the first comprehensive biography of Don Dunstan. She suggests how much a biography has to offer, such as showing how growing up in racially-stratified colonial Fiji shaped his strong sense of racial justice, and his drive for policy and legislative reform, including prohibiting racial discrimination, and pioneering Aboriginal land rights. She shares some things that surprised her, recounts curious moments during the research, and notes the help she received from others.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
A special talk on the Epic Flight Centenary 2019, celebrating the first flight from England to Australia by South Australian brothers Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith. Experts say that in its day the feat was as awe-inspiring as man landing on the moon. Journey back in time with journalist and writer Lainie Anderson to hear how the incredible feat was achieved.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
In 1894, South Australia granted women the dual right to vote and become elected members of parliament, thanks in no small part to the indomitable Mary Lee. Her unwavering pursuit for social justice and remarkable legacy is revealed as we follow the trajectory of her life from Ireland to Adelaide. The disappearance of Mary Lee’s journals and most of her letters, along with a dearth of recorded women’s history, kept her contribution to history hidden for more than 125 years. Undeterred, author Denise George travelled to Ireland and her painstaking examination of local records both there and in Adelaide revealed the compelling story of a woman who took on the Establishment, and won.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Hans Heysen and Nora Heysen are Australia’s most well-known father-daughter artistic duo. Professor Speck explores how this dynamic motivated her interest in the Heysen letters to each other written from the time Nora moved to London in 1934 until Hans Heysen died in 1968. During that time Nora Heysen won the Archibald Prize, was appointed an official war artist, fell in love with a married man, Robert Black, with whom she lived with and eventually married, relocated to Sydney, and travelled extensively to the Pacific. Hans Heysen was knighted, sat on the board of the National Art Gallery of South Australia and was well connected to leading figures in the Australian art world. The letters take readers into these events, life at The Cedars and Sallie Heysen’s role there, and the art itself.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Paul Sendziuk and Robert Foster, the authors of A History of South Australia (Cambridge University Press, 2018) discuss how they approached writing the book. How does one tell an engaging chronological story of South Australia’s past – from before European settlement to the present day – in a coherent and inclusive fashion? How does one choose what to include and what (and who) must necessarily be left out? How does the book differ from previous accounts? And, from a comparative perspective, what makes South Australian history ‘distinctive’?
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Dr Nikki Sullivan and Amy Dale presented on 20 November 2018 'Greetings From ...'
The Migration Museum exhibition 'Greetings from…' celebrates the power of souvenirs, from the poignant to the marvellously kitsch and eccentric. Souvenirs are often seen as insignificant trinkets, yet they play an important role in memory-making, how we see ourselves, and our relationships with people and places.
In this talk curators Dr Nikki Sullivan and Amy Dale speak about the treasured keepsakes that migrants have brought with them across the world, alongside familiar mementos of holidays, love tokens and artworks that turn the idea of a souvenir on its head.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Robert Kearney and Sharon Cleary presented on 9 November 2018 'Valour and Violets, SA in the Great War'.
In 2015, the State Government established a unit within Veterans SA to coordinate commemoration of the Anzac Centenary for South Australia. One of the activities that found its way onto the to do list was production of a book about South Australia’s involvement in the Great War. Sourcing budget, a publisher, an author, and determining the books structure and contents were all part of the ambitious task. Robert Kearney and Sharon Cleary, with support from their respective in house teams at Veterans SA and the Virtual War Memorial, divided the subject material into home front and battlefront, with Robert writing the military history and Sharon compiling the history at home with support from the History Trust, and local historians and authors.
In this talk Robert and Sharon speak about how this special centenary project was conceived and achieved, and what the book reveals about South Australia’s involvement in the Great War - the people, the sacrifices they made at home and at war, and the short and long term impact it had on us all.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Dr Julie Collins & Peter Lekkas presented on 18 September 2018 'Stories, Statistics and Sanatoria'.
Pulmonary tuberculosis was described by writer John Bunyan in 1680 as “The Captain of all these men of death”. In South Australia tuberculosis mortality peaked in the 1890s and with a growing awareness of its contagiousness the state was one of the first places to declare it a notifiable disease in 1899. As such, detailed mortality records were kept recording the fate of those diagnosed as having the disease.
The availability of historical health data has enabled a mapping of the spatial distribution across metropolitan Adelaide of cases of mortality due to pulmonary tuberculosis from 1902-7. This mapping has allowed the associations between the distribution of these cases and the historic social and urban geographies within which they arose to be explored. But is not only the statistics which speak of the situation. Some of the stories of those who suffered from the disease were uncovered, providing another layer of detail about their lives and living conditions.
In this talk Dr Julie Collins explores the interdisciplinary research concerning the urban, social and cultural histories of tuberculosis in South Australia at the turn of the twentieth century. Research which raised many questions particularly in reference to those who died from tuberculosis: Who were they? Where did they live? What were their social, urban and housing conditions? In the crusade against tuberculosis, the therapeutic benefits of place were also promoted by medical professionals and architects alike. This talk will also look at places designed for such treatment - Kalyra and Nunyara at Belair, two of the earliest sanatoria purpose-designed for the open-air treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis in Australia.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Liz Harful presented on 21 August 2018 'Tried Tested and True'.
Forget celebrity chefs. The books that truly reflect what most Australians cooked and ate at home for more than 100 years were put together by people you have never heard of, all in the name of helping others. Community cookbooks have raised millions of dollars for thousands of causes, ranging from cash-strapped local schools and churches to international movements like the Red Cross, since what is regarded as the first Australian example was released in the 1890s.
Many of these books were humble publications, hand-printed and stapled together by volunteers. But some, like the iconic Green and Gold Cookery Book, have outlived fleeting food fads, and are still in print and much-used today.
In this talk, best-selling author Liz Harfull explores previously untold stories from the extensive original research she undertook to write her book, 'Tried Tested and True', and the woman who inspired her quest.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Dr Andrew Yip presented on 16 August 2018 'Immersive interactions: a new museology of consciousness in the age of virtual reality'
This talk addresses the human and social potentials of immersive, interactive media installations to connect museum visitors to each other and to an expanded experience of cultural histories. Rather than focus on particular hardware types, or the novelty and marketability of in-vogue digital platforms, this lecture argues that immersive media platforms should be characterised by the paradigms of experience and emotion that they allow, rather than be pigeonholed museologically by their medium simply as ‘the digital’. How does this new museology of the virtual fit in with the mission of museums to collect and preserve material artefacts? Through recent case studies and audience research, I argue that new forms of immersive media are a natural fit for cultural heritage institutions, that allow them to speak to new audiences in their native languages, across time and place.
Dr Andrew Yip is a research fellow and resident 3D artist at the iCinema Centre for Interactive Cinema Research, University of New South Wales, where his research focuses on applications for experimental visualisation and embodied interaction platforms for the GLAM sector and cultural heritage studies. Andrew creates virtual reality installations for museums and artists. His virtual reality exhibition Henry VR is currently on show at the Art Gallery of NSW, and his Sidney Nolan’s Ned Kelly Unmasked: Virtual Reality 2017 won the 2018 Museums and Galleries Australia National Award for interpretation, learning and audience engagement. Andrew publishes widely in contemporary art and Australian art history. He was co-editor of the book The Legacies of Bernard Smith: essays on Australian art, history and cultural politics, which won the 2017 Art Association of Australia and New Zealand Book Prize for Best Compilation. Andrew holds a first class honours and PhD in art history from Sydney University and prior to joining UNSW held positions at the Art Gallery of NSW and Sydney University.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Helen Stagg presented on 17 July 2018 'Harnessing the River Murray, a Journey of Discovery: Archives and Voices from the Past'.
Helen’s talk took a journey through her research for the book, 'Harnessing the River Murray: stories of the people who built Locks 1 to 9, 1915-1935'.
Helen shared 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 gives background to the River Murray Scheme and stages of lock building. Helen explores 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.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Dr Gillian Dooley presented on 19 June 2018 'Matthew Flinders and his Friends'.
In all the ups and downs of his career, Matthew Flinders always knew he would get nowhere without his friends – and we have a vast amount of evidence from his letters and journals about what friendship meant to him and whom he regarded as his friends. ‘How extremely happy I have been in my friendships’, he wrote to George Bass. His wife, Ann, was ‘not only a beloved wife, but my most dear and most intimate friend’. He called Sir Joseph Banks ‘my greatest and best friend,’ but the Investigator ship’s cat Trim was also his friend and in turn Matthew was Trim’s ‘affectionate master and friend’. When he wrote towards the end of his life that he had gone to sea ‘against the wishes of my friends,’ he meant his father, who had opposed his wish to join the navy. Detained on Mauritius for more than 6 years, he made many life-long friends among the French inhabitants. He took friendship and its obligations extremely seriously and often went out of his way to repay a friend’s kindness.
In this talk, Dr Gillian Dooley, Honorary Senior Research Fellow from Flinders University with a long-standing interest in the life and times of Matthew Flinders, visited Flinders’ own writings and other contemporary sources, to explore his affections and allegiances, and establish who his real friends were.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Why does the past matter? In our fast-paced, future-facing world, what's the value and importance of studying history, and how can we do it better? And what part do our answers to these questions ultimately play in shaping times to come? Dr Stuart Candy presented this public lecture as part of the State History Conference 'Hearts & Minds: Revaluing the Past' and the Open State program, held in October 2017. It was supported by Museums Galleries Australia (SA) and University Collections, University of Adelaide. In the recorded talk Dr Stuart Candy explores the value of understanding our past when it comes to looking to the future. Dr Stuart Candy is leader of Foresight + Innovation for Arup Australasia, based in the Melbourne office. He brings to the role a decade of experience in futures practice across multiple sectors. He has worked on projects for the governments of Australia, Korea, Hawaii, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, and has also done foresight events or projects with General Electric, Autodesk, Frog Design, Institute for the Future, IDEO, and the TED conference in Long Beach, California. Stuart works at the intersection of design and foresight, and has an international reputation in the design of experiential futures – translating scenarios into immersive situations and tangible artefacts. This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
On 29 June 2017 the History Trust held a centenary reading of First World War poetry. Carole Whitelock and Keith Conlon read from ‘Violet Verses’ 100 years on from its publication. In 1917, as the First World War continued to take its toll around the world, including on the people of South Australia, the women of the Cheer-Up Society in Adelaide organised the third annual Violet Day to raise money in support of returned troops. ‘Violet Verses’ was published that year as part of the fundraising efforts. With an introduction by Henry Lawson and poems contributed from members of the community the publication was sold for a shilling. It was released in time for Violet day on 29 June 1917, when members of the Cheer-Up Society sold posies of violets and ‘buttons’ as a fundraiser. 100 years on we relived the feelings of the day through its poetry.
Dr Alice Gorman presented on 17 April 2018 'From Venus to Voyager: What Space Junk says about Humans beyond Earth'.
Starting with the Vanguard 1 satellite, the oldest human object in space and 60 years old this year, Dr Space Junk takes us on an archaeological survey of the solar system which finishes with one of the most recent artefacts in space – Elon Musk’s red sports car.
Dr Alice Gorman is an internationally recognised leader in the field of space archaeology. She is a Senior Lecturer in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Flinders University, where she teaches the Archaeology of Modern Society. Her research focuses on the archaeology and heritage of space exploration, including space junk, planetary landing sites, off-earth mining, rocket launch pads and antennas. She is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Board of the Space Industry Association of Australia and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Her work is regularly published in The Best Australian Science Writing anthology, and 2017 she won the Bragg Prize in Science Writing. She tweets as @drspacejunk and blogs at Space Age Archaeology.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Patricia Sumerling presented on 28 November 'Elephants and Egotists'. Samorn, the Adelaide Zoo's last elephant, was adored by generations of zoo visitors. A gift from the Thai government in 1956, she was transferred thirty-five years later to Monarto Zoo to live out her days. When she died there in 1994 there was an outpouring of sadness from all who knew or grew up with her. Elephants and Egotists is a tribute to Samorn, but also tells of other elephants sent to South Australia and the colourful characters who decided their fate. Elephants, particularly those in Southeast Asia, are now a critically endangered species needing our concern and immediate action. As Sir David Attenborough asks: 'The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book?' 'Elephants and Egotists: in search of Samorn of the Adelaide Zoo' was published in 2016 by Wakefield Press. www.wakefieldpress.com.au/ This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
The National Motor Museum of Australia's Senior Curator, Michelangelo Bolognese, presented on 17 October 'Bush Mechanics: The Exhibition.' In this talk Michelangelo explored the history of the content and development of Bush Mechanics: The Exhibition, based on the incredibly popular ABC TV series of the same name. It shows the adoption of the motorcar as an integral part of Aboriginal life in Central Australia. More than just a showcase of bush ingenuity, the show was a documentary-style series with strong elements of comedy, music and magical realism. The exhibition, developed in close partnership with Pintubi Anmatjere Warlpiri (PAW) Media, shows the ingenuity of the bush mechanics in the context of Warlpiri storytelling, music and art and wider issues (motoring and non-motoring) affecting Aboriginal Australians. The exhibition was displayed at the Torrens Parade Ground as part of the Tarnanthi festival. This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Dr Sue Anderson presented on 19 September 2017 'Bill Edwards, A Remarkable Man; A Remarkable Mission'. From a humble upbringing in regional Victoria, Bill Edwards found his calling working with Aboriginal people in the far north of South Australia. As a young, newly-ordained minister he was posted to Ernabella (now Pukatja), a Presbyterian mission in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in 1958. Soon after his arrival there the superintendent took ill and was forced to resign his post and Bill found himself thrown in at the deep end as he assumed the role. An energetic and cheerful person, Bill quickly learned the Pitjantjatjara language and turned his hand to anything that came his way – from carpentry, to stock keeping, to preaching the gospel. There he met his wife, Val, the resident nursing Sister, who had a similar work ethic and devotion. While Val had to step down after marriage, she continued to assist and run the clinic at Ernabella as needed. At the same time, she trained Anangu women in nursing, midwifery and domestic work and catered for the constant stream of visitors to the mission. Bill travelled difficult terrain over vast areas on a regular basis to minister to his congregation and conducted the famous Ernabella choir for fourteen years until the couple moved to Adelaide in 1972. This was not the end of their work. Bill went on to teach, speak, write and publish on Aboriginal issues, he translated and interpreted in courts and hospitals, and had a long association with the University of South Australia where he remained an adjunct until he passed away in 2015 at the age of 86. This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Guadalupe Cincunegui presented on 29 August 2017: 'Archaeology Takes Centre Stage - an Archaeological Assessment of the new Queen's Theatre Site in the Adelaide CBD'. The paradox of archaeological excavation is that the process of excavation is destructive and irreversible. This paradox has been heightened in the wake of rescue and salvage archaeology, simply because it is the only avenue available to record information before it is lost forever. If physical preservation in situ is not feasible, an archaeological excavation for the purposes of ‘preservation by record’ is an acceptable alternative. So it was with the 'New Queens Theatre' site located on Waymouth Street in the Adelaide CBD. A small team of archaeologists worked for a month in 40+ degree heat to excavate and record the remnants of Adelaide’s colonial past before it became the site of a large apartment tower. As a result more than 100 boxes of artefacts were recovered and archaeological deposits relating to the very earliest periods of European occupation in the Adelaide CBD were unearthed and recorded. A fascinating tale of the earliest days in Adelaide emerged, of imported liquor and luxury table goods. Artefacts and archaeology hand in hand telling a story not commonly found in the archival data. Guadalupe discussed the process of the archaeological excavation, processing artefacts, recording techniques, what was found and what it all means for the history of the city of Adelaide. Guadalupe has worked as an archaeologist for the last 15 years all over Australia and the Middle East. Guadalupe has a special interest in burials and burial rites in the archaeological record and has authored several papers on this subject. She currently runs her own heritage consultancy business working on Aboriginal and European heritage projects. This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Paul Irish & Tom Gara presented on 10 August 2017 'Hidden in Plain Sight'. Aboriginal settlements and camps were a feature of Australia’s capital cities – and, indeed, other major cities and towns – throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries. They took many forms from transient camps to more or less permanent settlements, but they have one thing in common; they have been largely forgotten and their existence has been ignored – perhaps even deliberately erased – from local histories. Paul Irish, a Sydney researcher and author of the recently published book 'Hidden in Plain View', examined the origin, history and nature of settlements in Sydney and discussed the traditional affiliations and lifestyle of the residents of those camps. Tom Gara discussed the history of Aboriginal camps in Adelaide in the 19th and 20 centuries. Paul Irish is a Sydney historian and archaeologist with heritage consultancy MDCA. He was the recipient of the 2015 NSW History Fellowship and has recently published the book Hidden In Plain View: The Aboriginal People of Coastal Sydney (NewSouth Publishing). Tom Gara has worked for several decades as an historian specialising in Aboriginal history. He is currently employed as the senior research officer in the Native Title Section of the SA Crown Solicitor’s Office. His publications include several papers on the post-contact Aboriginal history of the Adelaide area. This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Dr Steven Anderson and Rhondda Harris presented July's Talking History lecture in 2017: 'Gallows and Governance at the Old Adelaide Gaol.' The Adelaide Gaol once housed some of South Australia’s most notorious criminals, from petty thieves to the very worst lawbreakers. Dr Steven Anderson talked about the criminals who were executed at the gaol. His talk showed that rarely did an encounter with the colonial hangman go to plan - botched executions, misbehaving criminals and rowdy spectators were all commonplace. Rhondda Harris is the author of 'Ashton’s Hotel: The journal of William Baker Ashton, first governor of the Adelaide Gaol'. She discussed the early years of the gaol and how the recent discovery of Ashton’s gaol journal has revealed a hidden story of the underbelly of early Adelaide. This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Mandy Paul presented June's Talking History Lecture in 2017, speaking about the Centre of Democracy which opened in late May that year. The Centre is a collaboration between the History Trust of South Australia and the State Library of South Australia which celebrates South Australia’s history of democracy and challenges visitors to consider contemporary issues. Mandy highlighted some of the lesser-known stories relating to our political past and discussed the complexities and opportunities of presenting history in the digital age. Mandy Paul is the Director of the Migration Museum and was project manager of the Centre of Democracy. She has postgraduate qualifications in history and museum studies, and has curated exhibitions on a wide range of subjects, from John McDouall Stuart to internment during the First World War. She has published widely in Australian and South Australian history. This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
To celebrate International Museums Day, a panel of guests from four very different Adelaide museums shared some of their most intriguing objects. Recorded in May 2017 this discussion features: Tony Kanellos, Santos Museum of Economic Botany; Helen Trepa, Performing Arts Collection, Adelaide Festival Centre; Major Chris Roe, Army Museum of South Australia; Nic Brown, Flinders University Art Museum. The panel was chaired by Mandy Paul from the History Trust of South Australia. This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Greg Drew presented on 20 March 2018 'Reinterpretation of the discovery of Captain Bagot’s Mine, Kapunda'
The Kapunda Mine, about 80 km north of Adelaide, commenced operations in January 1844, just seven years after the British colony of South Australia was proclaimed. It was to be the first successful mine in Australia, predating the much larger Burra Mine by almost two years. Its principal owner was Captain Charles Bagot, formerly of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, who had immigrated to South Australia, due to social unrest in Ireland in the 1830s. His aim was to become a sheep farmer, but within three years of arrival he was a well-known mine owner and manager.
Bagot took possession of his survey in 1841 and began establishing a pastoral property, but in in late 1842, his youngest son made a chance discovery nearby of brightly coloured copper carbonate mineralisation. He had the land surveyed and subsequently purchased the property at auction, which gave him the mineral rights. The mine was rich from the outset, and was the first copper ore from Australia to be seen on the ore floors at Swansea, along with similar ores from Chile and Cuba.
The talk drew on the research from Greg's book 'Captain Bagot’s Mine: Kapunda Mine 1844-1916'
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Dr Adam Paterson presented on 13 February 2018 'Leviathan: An Astonishing History of Whales' at the South Australian Maritime Museum.
Around the globe and across centuries, whales have inspired awe. They exemplify nature’s grandeur and they have been linked to gods and monsters. But such enormous creatures hold a bounty unlike any other. They have been hunted by subsistence fishers hungry for food. And they have been driven to the cusp of extinction by industrial whalers. Now gaining strength, whale numbers may continue to grow or their recovery may be undermined as human actions degrade their habitats.
In this talk curator Dr Adam Paterson unpacked the history of South Australia’s whaling industry against the back drop of the SA Maritime Museums exhibition 'Leviathan: An astonishing history of whales'. The exhibition challenged audiences to look beyond the biological importance of whales and consider cultural questions by exploring different viewpoints – unpacking the history of the relationship between humans and whales across time and cultures.
Leviathan was on display at the South Australian Maritime Museum in 2018.
This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
The Event, the Building, the Legacy The Jubilee Exhibition took place at a time when South Australia was experiencing the effects of the economic depression that would take hold internationally from about 1890. The Exhibition was 'a brave attempt' to pull the colony out of a depression by harnessing the power of positive thinking. Talking History presented, in April 2017, a panel inviting speakers to discuss Adelaide's Jubilee International Exhibition 1887-1888. The panel included: Assoc. Prof Christine Garnaut, Dr Julie Collins, Tom Gara, & Richard Venus. Each explored the topic from a different angle and area of expertise. This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Professor Philip Payton presented on 21 March 2017 'John Verran: How a Cornish copper miner from Moonta, became Premier of South Australia and thus leader of the State’s first majority Labor government.' In 1910 John Verran, a Cornish copper miner from Moonta, became Premier of South Australia and thus leader of the State’s first majority Labor government. It was also the first Labor government in the world. This talk examines Verran's rise from humble background to high office, taking in along the way the importance of his Cornish mining background, the significance of his Methodist faith, and his early involvement with trade unionism and the Labor movement on northern Yorke Peninsula. It also discusses the mixed fortunes of the 1910-1911 Labor government, and John Verran’s subsequent fall from grace. Philip Payton is Professor of History at Flinders University, as well as Adjunct Professor in the National Centre for Australian Studies at Monash University and Emeritus Professor of Cornish and Australian Studies at the University of Exeter, where he was Director of the Institute of Cornish Studies from 1991 to 2013. He is an Hon. Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. Recent books include The Maritime History of Cornwall (ed. with Alston Kennerley & Helen Doe; University of Exeter Press, 2014), Australia in the Great War (Robert Hale, London, 2015), and One and All: Labor and the Radical Tradition in South Australia (Wakefield Press, Adelaide, 2016). This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Dr Kristy Kokegei presented June's Talking History Lecture in 2016 'The Good Neighbour Council and Australia’s postwar immigration program: a nuanced social experiment'. Between 1947 and 1950 Australia received and settled over 180,000 displaced persons from across Europe. Five years later Australia welcomed its one millionth post-war migrant. The Australian Government’s policy of migrant assimilation, implemented during this period of mass-immigration, is often referred to as a dogmatic and unsympathetic attempt to force new arrivals to cast off their language, customs and national sentiments. Recent research debunks this reading of post-war assimilation, instead revealing the subtle efforts of average Australians and organisations, such as the Good Neighbour Council, in facilitating public debate and providing settlement services to post-war migrants. Over the course of the next decade what actually transpired was a large-scale social experiment in peacefully settling European migrants into an overwhelmingly Anglo-Celtic British society. Dr Kristy Kokegei explored the local activities of the Good Neighbour Council of South Australia within the context of this broader social experiment. This free public lecture was part of the History Trust of South Australia's Talking History series. For upcoming events visit: history.sa.gov.au/whats-on/events/
Dr Jeff Nicholas KJSJ presented November's Talking History lecture: 'Behind The Streets of Adelaide: A Catalogue of Reform'. Jeff will outlined how a committee of 12 sat to deliberate on the first set of names for the streets and squares in Adelaide on May 23rd 1837. Who are these people whose names we pass on a daily basis and why does he believe that they constitute a 'Pantheon of Dissent'?
Historians Dr Nick Brodie and Dr Kiera Lindsey found popular success with their publications. Discover their secrets in a special Talking History recording. Nick’s publication '1787: the lost chapters of Australia's beginnings' challenging our national understanding of the ‘discovery’ of the continent. His previous book, 'Kin: a real people's history of our nation', used his own family tree to explore varied threads of Australian history. Kiera’s compelling tale, 'The Convict’s Daughter: the scandal that shocked a colony', also recounts a meticulously researched story from the author’s own family. Hear these two rising stars of Australian history share something of their approach to writing.
Jenny Scott from the State Library of South Australia presents a Talking History Lecture on her research into two Adelaide women. In the early 1920s two women were photographed at Martindale Hall, the home of Rosina Forsyth Tennant and her husband, William Tennant Mortlock. The grainy little snapshot found its way into the collection of the State Library of South Australia and was simply described as “Mabel Doswell and her friend Rita at Martindale Hall”. The simplest descriptions can hide a story and the often euphemistically used term ‘friend’ piqued Jenny’s interest leading her on a quest to learn who were Mabel and Rita and what was their connection with Martindale Hall and the Mortlock family. In the stories of these two little known women she has begun to piece together a story of friendships between women in South Australia during the first half of the 20th Century. This is an extended and updated version of a paper presented at the Australian Homosexual Histories conference in Adelaide in November 2015. Recorded 11 October 2016
George Wauchope Cameron arrived in the Wirrabara district in the 1850s. For over fifty years Aboriginal people – the Nukunu – regularly camped on ‘Doughboy Creek’, the land purchased by Cameron in the 1870s. In this paper Dr Krichauff draws on stories of Aboriginal-settler interaction told to her by six of Cameron’s descendants during site visits and interviews. Dr Krichauff shows, by recognising the importance of place – and continuity of people in place – and the degree to which lived experiences (of past and present generations) determine what is remembered, we are better able to analyse and, ultimately, understand, the absence of Aboriginal people in the historical consciousness of mid-northern South Australian settler descendants. Skye Krichauff is a historian and anthropologist who is interested in historical cross-cultural relations and understanding the enduring legacies of colonialism. Her doctoral thesis (conferred in 2015) was a place-centred ethnography which investigated the absence of Aboriginal people in the historical consciousness of settler descendants. Skye has previously worked on an international project 'Social Memory, Historical Injustice', as a history researcher for an Aboriginal community organisation and on various research projects including the compilation of a register of SA and NT Aboriginal‒settler conflict. Nharangga wargunni buggi-buggilu, a rewritten version of Skye’s Masters thesis, was published by Wakefield Press in 2011. Her rewritten doctoral thesis will be published by Anthem Press in early 2017. Recorded on 13 September 2016
Lindl Lawton, Senior Curator of the South Australian Maritime Museum, talks about the development of the exhibition 'Art of Science: Baudin's voyagers 1800-1804'. Come on a journey with Lindl as she chases the trail of Baudin through French museums and provides some tantalising ‘behind the scenes’ glimpses. The exhibition brought a fabulous collection of original paintings and drawings from the Museum of Natural History in Le Havre, France to South Australian audiences for the first time. Baudin’s ships, Géographe and Naturaliste embarked from Le Havre in October 1800 for the southern continent carrying an impressive contingent of scientists and scientific assistants. Lavishly funded by Napoleon Bonaparte, the expedition’s agenda was the discovery and study of natural sciences, underpinned by the emergence of new ideas and philosophies of reason. Recorded on 9 August 2016
Information about the history of the Union Church building in Peterborough, South Australia. Recorded with Judy Evens as part of 'Making History: The Peterborough Project' October 2016.
Dr Don Longo presents a rural South Australian perspective on the First World War through the experiences of a young soldier from Koolywurtie, Yorke Peninsula. Australian iconography of the 'Great War' privileges the volunteer from rural communities, the ordinary boy from the farm caught up in extraordinary, and frequently violent and tragic, events. The official historian of the War, CEW Bean, puts ‘rural values’ at the heart of the Australian digger. Yet until recently historians have rarely explored the war experience of rural communities, at home or at the front. Was it for them really ‘a different war’, as historian Michael McKernan has claimed? If so, how was it ‘different’? And were there variations in this experience among members of the one regional community? These issues are explored through the example of South Australia’s’s Yorke Peninsula using the battlefront experience recorded in the diary, letters and other memorabilia of Pte Sidney King, a young soldier from Koolywurtie (near Minlaton) who was a stretcher bearer on the Western Front; and the patriotic response at home reflected in the Peninsula’s newspapers. Both sources provide unique, sometimes dissonant, but always interesting insights into the question. Dr Don Longo is a graduate in History from the University of Adelaide (1980) and the Université de Paris VIII (1985). Don worked at Adelaide University from 1985 until his retirement in 2009, working mostly in management, but also in developing languages and multicultural policy for tertiary education. He has written on twentieth century French history, Australian immigration since the 1920s and the First World War. He is currently researching the history of rural South Australia through the settlement and growth of Yorke Peninsula as ‘the granary of South Australia’, and has concurrently begun a biography of Raffaello Carboni (of the Eureka Stockade). He also does part-time teaching in History at Adelaide University. In 2015, in collaboration with the Ardrossan RSL and with support from Federal and State Anzac grants, he published ‘The Ties that Bind: Southern Yorke Peninsula and the Great War 1914-1919', the War Diary and Letters of Sidney P King, of Koolywurtie. Don’s wife Lyn (née Klopp) is from Maitland and is related to King’s descendants. The latter, Sandra and Robert Klopp, are active members of the Ardrossan RSL and have lovingly preserved the King family’s documents and memorabilia from the Great War which form the basis of the book.
This lecture was supported by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Canberra. Martin Bayer, an in international guest speaker and historian from Germany explored commemoration in this one off public lecture. In Germany, a common narrative of the First World War could never be established. In recent years, the federal government remained hesitant about embracing the centenary, but focussed projects brought this aspect of history back to public attention.
Tom Gara presents his research on the impact the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1919 had on Aboriginal people in South Australia.
On October 25 Dr Geoff Wells presented to the State History Conference 2015 at Robe SA, on the Robe Conservation Study 1979. Visit his blog to find out more: http://www.ruralaus.com/2015/10/25/state-history-conference-presentation-robe-conservation-study-1979/
Amy Dale speaks at the State History Conference 2015, about augmenting the museum visitor experience with digital experience.
Louise Bird: Food gardening in South Australia: Snippets from Losing the Plot by History Trust of South Australia
Dr Nigel Starck: Anthony Trollope’s Australian Adventures – and what he thought of Adelaide
Jude Elton explores the very different approaches taken by trade unions in the South Australian and Northern Territory pastoral industries to the union membership, workforce participation and wages of Aboriginal workers. The Australian Workers Union included Aboriginal workers as members and in award claims, while the North Australian Workers Union excluded most Aboriginal workers and actively supported discrimination in employment. Clues to their differences are found in the contrasting workforce characteristics and profitability of the wool and cattle sectors of the industry; geographical location; competition between workers for jobs; and legislation specific to Aboriginal peoples. Trade union leadership and politics also play a part. Jude’s talk will conclude with a reflection on current trade union responses to the Temporary Work (Skilled) 457 Visa Program given her findings in relation to Aboriginal workers. Jude Elton is a curator with History SA and President of the Association for the Study of Labour History (SA Branch). She was awarded a PhD in 2007 for her thesis on factors affecting union relations with Aboriginal workers in the South Australian and Northern Territory pastoral industries. As a professional historian Jude has worked on Native Title claims and undertaken research for a film an Aboriginal war veterans. Work at the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia has included teaching in Labour Studies and gender analyses of industrial legislation. Jude has also been an elected Assistant Secretary of the United Trades & Labor Council (now SA Unions) and Director of the Working Women’s Centre.