February 8, 2013
Only two major breweries now exist in South Australia both with histories of 150 years or more. However did you know that there were numerous small breweries operating throughout the State from settlement in 1836 to the mid-1950s? A new book has recently been published which tells the fascinating story of these early brewers, explaining […]
Keep readingFebruary 6, 2013
The National Railway Museum in Port Adelaide recently launched an exciting program of events to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. A launch party was held at the museum on Friday 25 January which was attended by many long-time supporters, members, volunteers and previous staff from the museum as well as several distinguished guests. Museum […]
Keep readingFebruary 1, 2013
I’m always on the lookout for anniversaries and national observances to help get the conversation going in our social media networks. There seems to be something for everything – even Bubble Wrap! Apparently the last Monday of January is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, originally the brainchild of an FM radio station in Indiana dating back […]
Keep readingDecember 3, 2012
Last Friday I returned to Stirling’s Coventry Library in the Adelaide Hills where I’d set up the travelling display Bravest of the Brave in November to attend the Mount Lofty Districts Historical Society’s Christmas gathering. It was a great blend of my two favourite subjects – food and women’s history. Culinary historian Allie Reynolds gave […]
Keep readingNovember 29, 2012
History SA’s annual Community Museums Program grant fund has been decided! This year 23 museums from around the state will benefit from grants of up to $13,250 each. Funding has been allocated to a diverse range of projects including historical interpretation using digital technologies, provision of storage facilities, and development of curriculum resources for schools. All […]
Keep readingNovember 21, 2012
A workshop for potential About Time event organisers was held at the City of Charles Sturt Civic Centre in Woodville on Tuesday 20 November. History SA’s About Time team, Mandy Paul and Karen Blackwood assisted by volunteer John Connolly put together a very useful and inspiring program in readiness for next year’s history festival in May. […]
Keep readingNovember 13, 2012
Like many others, I attended a Remembrance Day service last Sunday. I could have attended any number of services around Adelaide on 11 November, the day we remember on the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month, those members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty. For example, […]
Keep readingNovember 12, 2012
Bravest of the Brave, a joint history SA/Veterans SA touring exhibition telling the stories of the eight South Australian men who were awarded the Victoria Cross during the First World War is now at Stirling’s Coventry Library in the Adelaide Hills until 9 December under the auspices of the Mount Lofty Districts Historical Society. This […]
Keep readingNovember 6, 2012
Old Highercombe Hotel Museum officially received their Accreditation certificate last week at a morning tea celebrating their achievement. History SA’s Community History Officer, Pauline Cockrill presented Gill Starks from the management committee with their long awaited certificate before a gathering of volunteers, long-time supporters and representatives from the local council and State government. Old Highercombe […]
Keep readingNovember 1, 2012
There was an historic event for South Australia on Kangaroo Island recently when a reunion of the descendants of the families that arrived there 175 years ago on the sailing ship Solway took place. The Solway, a 3-masted, wooden sailing ship of 337 imperial tons, left the German port of Hamburg, on 3 June 1837 […]
Keep readingOctober 23, 2012
A biography of William Cade (1883-1957), the founding conductor of Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was launched last week at the Grainger Studio in Hindley Street, the home of the ASO. The new book, called The Flying Conductor was written by his granddaughter Avril Dalby, and part-funded by a History SA 2011-12 South Australian History Fund. As […]
Keep readingOctober 19, 2012
Today I went along to support volunteers Di and Marg from the Embroiderers’ Guild of SA Museum who were taking part in the Open Day at Resthaven Aged Facility in Malvern. Their newly created ‘Memory Box’ was having its first public airing. Their box contained a variety of embroidered items mainly from the first half […]
Keep readingOctober 17, 2012
The St John Ambulance Museum has moved from its old building, a 1969 ambulance depot when St John ran the ambulance service in South Australia, to a new address. Located in a charming cottage quite close to the St John State Office headquarters, the museum is now at 72 Edmund Avenue, Unley. The interior of […]
Keep readingOctober 16, 2012
History SA/Veterans SA’s travelling exhibition Bravest of the Brave, which tells the moving stories of the 8 South Australians awarded the Victoria Cross in the First World War, has now arrived at its third venue. State Member for Schubert, Ivan Venning kindly transported the touring display to Two Wells RSL this week from Crystal Brook […]
Keep readingSeptember 30, 2012
Almost 1300 entries in the 32nd Bay to Birdwood Run gathered at Barratt Reserve on Adelaide Shores along with around 5000 spectators in the early morning of Sunday 30 September for the start of what is described as the world’s largest most continually held historic motoring event. Before the official start the spectators joined the […]
Keep readingJuly 23, 2012
Nominations have opened for the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register. The Australian Register, founded in 2000, is part of the international Memory of the World, a UNESCO program aimed at preserving and providing access to valuable archival holdings and library collections around the world. There are currently 37 collections inscribed on the Australian […]
Keep readingJuly 9, 2012
Last week I caught up with Peter, Roger, Colin and Lindsay at the Southern Fleurieu Historical Museum, to have a chat about some collection management issues. The museum is fairly new and while much of the existing collection comes from a few local sources, since opening their premises on the Port Elliot showgrounds they are […]
Keep readingJune 19, 2012
The Australian Historical Association Conference will be held on the North Terrace campus of the University of Adelaide from 9 to 13 July 2012. This is Australia’s premier history conference and comes to Adelaide only once every decade or so and features many of the country’s leading historians. The full program for the conference is now available […]
Keep readingJune 14, 2012
Yesterday I was involved in a Working Bee at History SA’s store at Hindmarsh along with the Community History Unit curators Mandy and Jude as well as the Migration Museum curators Catherine and Vedrana. It offered a good opportunity to share here some basic collection management issues that might be of help to those working […]
Keep readingJune 13, 2012
The Loxton Historical Village Alive Day was held on the Sunday 10th June 2012 and we had a hugely successful, fun filled day. The atmosphere was great and we had hundreds of happy, smiling faces wandering through the displays! The warmer weather had people out in their droves and when you combine great weather with […]
Keep readingMay 23, 2012
On 4 May The Sheep’s Back Museum celebrated several major achievements with the official opening of their new exhibition gallery, collection store and workroom and their re-accreditation in the Community Museums Program. John Hill, Minister for the Arts, officiated at the event, which was very well attended by locals and representatives from other local museums. […]
Keep readingMay 14, 2012
On Sunday 6 May I attended the opening of the Old Highercombe Hotel Museum’s new exhibition “Slab Hut to Dining Room”. The opening was held as part of the museum’s Gala Day in conjunction with the About Time History Festival and drew quite a crowd from the local area and beyond. History SA Chief Executive, […]
Keep readingMay 2, 2012
On 12 April, members of the Naracoorte Branch of the National Trust who run The Sheep’s Back Museum undertook a one day Disaster Preparedness & Response workshop. It was an opportunity for the group to learn what to do if disaster struck and their museum was flooded or underwent water damage after a fire. And […]
Keep readingMay 1, 2012
With much sadness we report the death of City of Mitcham Council’s Community Historian Maggy Ragless, who passed away unexpectedly in her sleep in March, just a few weeks off from her 60th birthday. Maggy had been Mitcham’s local history officer since 1986 as well as devoting many hours of voluntary service to promoting the […]
Keep readingApril 30, 2012
Had I stepped into an episode of ‘Cranford’? No, I was attending a very special historic birthday party. We were celebrating Charles Sturt’s 217th birthday on Saturday at his former home in Grange, now the Charles Sturt Memorial Museum, where members of the Victoriana Society certainly brought this early colonial style house in Adelaide’s western […]
Keep readingApril 26, 2012
Last Sunday I was involved with helping to send off a large number of classic fifties, sixties and seventies vehicles from the Torrens Parade Ground to the annual Rock and Roll Rendezvous up in the hills at the National Motor Museum. After an early start, the vehicles began to arrive on the expanse of grey […]
Keep readingApril 23, 2012
The Robe Branch of the National Trust of South Australia held its opening of the Customs House Museum DVD Project on Sunday, 1st April, 2012 in conjunction with a commemoration of the Baudin and Flinders meeting at Encounter Bay in 1802. The realisation of this project enables us to show historic photos of Robe dating […]
Keep readingApril 17, 2012
On a warm sunny day this week I got to work outside at Luhr’s Cottage Museum in the Barossa Valley. The Cottage houses a large number of books, framed prints and photos, textiles and a variety of other objects and the management group asked for a hand in working out how best to look after the […]
Keep readingApril 10, 2012
The Sunday before Easter I was invited to a picnic in the Adelaide Botanical Gardens; but not just the usual Aussie BBQ. This was the annual picnic of the Adelaider Liedertafel 1858, the longest continuing male choir in Australia. Amounting to 44 members, at full strength, it is also probably the second oldest choir of […]
Keep readingApril 4, 2012
At last, it’s time for About Time, South Australia’s History Festival. The program is out, the website is live. An amazing 513 events will be happening during the month of May ranging from walks to websites, talks to tours, and exhibitions to special events. In addition, the festival has a new element this year: Open […]
Keep readingApril 2, 2012
A bronze plaque honouring South Australia’s pioneer winemaker Thomas Hardy was unveiled on Monday 26 March by his great great grandson Thomas K. Hardy, at the former Adelaide Wine Cellars, now Temple Christian College, in Mile End. This public recognition of both the founder of Thomas Hardy & Sons and the State Heritage listed building […]
Keep readingApril 2, 2012
Last week I attended the inaugural conference of the Australasian Association for Digital Humanities “Building, Mapping, Connecting” at the Australian National University in Canberra. The conference ran over 3 days and was largely attended by almost 250 academics largely from worldwide universities. However History SA was well represented. I gave a paper on our Community […]
Keep reading