The Royal Australian Historical Society offers members a calendar of activities.
These include:
This page was last updated on 120 January 2010.
Tuesday 26 January 2010
Australia Day - Pot Luck with History
Call in to History House, 133 Macquarie Street, Sydney, the home of the Royal Australian Historical Society between 10.00am and 4.00pm on Australia Day and grab a chance to hear one of our historians speak about events, people and places that contributed to Australia's history. There will be talks of ten minute duration every half hour between noon and 3.00pm. Entry to History House and lectures are free but you might spend some money at our book sale.
Tuesday 2 February 2010
New Members Soiree
History House is not only an important heritage building and our home, it is the home of the RAHS research collections which are accessed through our library. This is a wonderful chance for new members to visit History House, meet the staff and other members, and to view the library. RAHS Librarian Donna Newton will lead two library tours [4.30pm and 5.30pm]. RAHS President Ian Jack will give a piano recital.
Time: 4pm for 6.30pm
Venue: Reception Rooms, History House
Friday 19 February 2010
Tour
Luna Park history, fun and behind the scenes tour!
How many years has it been since you kicked up your heels and had fun at Luna Park? Join a group of RAHS Members and friends as we explore past attractions at the park including the rides and nostalgic charm of Coney Island. Discover the fascinating story of the transport hub and the Sydney Harbour Bridge construction workshops that once existed on site. Admire the artwork of Arthur Barton and the many artists who have worked at the park, including the current artist-in-residence, Ashley Taylor. The tour will include a classic ride on the Carousel or the Ferris Wheel.
Time: Meet at the entry gate at 9.45am for a 10.00am tour of about 2 hours.
Cost: $25 includes tour, ride, morning tea and a history booklet,
Getting there: Luna Park is easily accessible by train, bus, or ferry. For timetables call 131 500 or look at www.131500.com.au Bookings are absolutely essential. Limited number
Tuesday 23 February 2010
Lecture
Early to Mid 20th Century Garden Designers in NSW
Stuart Read will present an overview of eight key garden designers whose work was influential in NSW between 1900 and the 1960s. The talk will range from the Burley-/Mahony Griffins to Bruce McKenzie, and include the perhaps less-known Kath Carr, Betty Maloney & Jean Walker's bush gardens of the 1960s & 1970s and the early garden historian Beatrice Bligh. He will also look at the challenges associated with the appreciation and protection of their legacies. Stuart Read fortunately won an overseas fellowship from the Pratt Foundation to travel through Spain in 2005 studying change management in old and new parks and gardens. He is trained in science, horticulture and landscape architecture and has specialised in working on world, national and now NSW heritage areas. His passions include learning lessons from historic gardens, finding old trees and the lost diversity of plants from the 19th century and seeking more holistic management of historic landscapes as part of our future identity and economy. A joint RAHS and ASHET activity.
Time: 5.30 for 6pm
Cost: $8 includes light refreshments on arrival
Venue: Reception Rooms, History House
Wednesday 24 February 2010
Workshop
'Grant us this day....'
How do you fill in a grant application form? What other material do you send with your application? How do you put together a project budget? How do you convince the assessors that your project needs funding more than others? How do you find out about the various grant programs? This workshop, led by Mari Metzke, is for all those who plan to apply for grant funding in the coming year.
Time: 10.00am to 3.00pm
Cost: $7 Members & Affiliates $11 Non-members
Venue: Reception Rooms, History House
Morning tea will provided, however please organise your own lunch
Wednesday 3 March 2010
Lecture
Tempe House and Arncliffe
Tempe House is an iconic house which still stand on the banks of Cooks River at Arncliffe. Designed by John Verge and built in 1836, it was the home of early Sydney merchant, Alexander Brodie Spark. Over the years the people who occupied Tempe House were as varied as its uses. Bob and Laurel Horton, members of the St Peters Cooks River History Group, will speak of its various uses and look how the house contributes to the history of the surrounding area.
Time: 1pm
Cost: $5 Members $7 Non-members
Venue: History House, 133 Macquarie St, Sydney
Saturday 6 March 2010
Regional Meeting
Hunter and Coastal Region Historical Conference
This 38th Annual Convention, hosted by Newcastle & District Historical Society, will be held in Newcastle. For information, contact the RAHS.
Saturday 13 March 2010
Fork & Talk
The Mitchell Library is 100!
Paul Brunton, Senior Curator at the Mitchell Library will talk about the exhibition which celebrates the Mitchell Library's centenary in March 2010. "ONE hundred" reaches down into the riches of the Library’s incomparable collection and presents one hundred items, a number on display for the first time, which tell, in their unique way, some aspect of the Australian and Pacific story. Ranging in date from the late 1400s to 2008, the exhibition includes manuscripts, pictures, maps, books and objects representative of a century of collecting.
Time: 5pm to 7.30pm
Cost: $26 Members $30 Non-members. Includes talk and dinner
Venue: Reception Rooms, History House, 133 Macquarie St, Sydney
Wednesday 24 March 2010
Lecture
An Unfinished Journey: Searching for Violet Inglis 1903-1939
The eminent Australian historian Graeme Davison observes that in 'family history, even more than other forms of history, the journey matters as much [as] the arrival'. This history of Emeritus Prof. David Carment's British-Australian grandmother Violet Louise Inglis (later Sulman and Elvy) represents such a journey. Like her short life, it is also unfinished. Killed in 1939 aged just 35 in a horrific motor vehicle accident, she was not a well-known figure. Very few of her personal papers survive. Her story is only partially recorded in accessible historical sources. David's search for her life, in common with the journey Davison discusses, frequently involved learning 'from seemingly irrelevant scraps of information' accumulated along the way
Time: 5.30 for 6.00pm
Cost: $8 includes light refreshments on arrival
Venue: Reception Rooms History House
Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 March 2010
Zone Meeting
Regional Conference - New England and the North West Region
Bingara District Historical Society is hosting the Regional Conference of the Historical Societies in New England and the North West Region. The conference will have an excellent range of speakers and will be held at The Roxy Theatre in Bingara. Situated in the main street of Bingara, it was built in 1936 in the Art Deco style and operated as a cinema until 1958. After forty years of neglect it was restored to its original splendor and re-opened to the public in 2004. For more details contact Peter Jones on 0408 601 425.
Tuesday 30 March 2010
Lecture
Walter Liberty Vernon: NSW Government Architect
Sydney-based heritage consultant will speak of the work of Walter Liberty Vernon who was NSW Government Architect from 1890 to 1911. During this period he was responsible for many of the landmark Sydney buildings including the Mitchell Wing of the State Library, the Art Gallery of NSW and the old Fisher Library at the University of Sydney. Noni will look at the way Vernon's work at the University of Sydney was influenced by both Pugin and Blacket. A joint RAHS and ASHET activity.
Time: 5.30 for 6.00pm
Cost: $8 includes light refreshments on arrival
Venue: Reception Rooms History House
Wednesday 7 April 2010
Lecture
Restoring the James Craig
A task as complex as restoring the James Craig needs passionate people and you can't find a more passionate person than Michael York. A marine engineer by training and a blue-water sailor by inclination, Michael dedicated over 20 years of his life to this restoration project. He has also served as President of SMM and has devoted much of his time and energy to raising funds to preserve and restore historical vessels and maritime sites including The Waratah, John Oxley, Lady Hopetoun and the museum's base, the Heritage Dock, at Rozelle Bay. He continues as an active volunteer at the Sydney Maritime Museum and is ever a roving ambassador for the museum
Time: 1pm
Cost: $5 Members $7 Non-members
Venue: Reception Rooms History House
National Trust Heritage Festival... The Making of our Nation... 9 - 24 April 2010
Monday 12 April 2010
Lecture
The Snowy Mountains Scheme: Where men and mouintains meet
The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme is one of the most complex integrated water and hydro-electric power schemes in the world. Here water that would normally flow east to the coast, is collected and stored and then used to generate power before it is released into the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers for irrigation. It is also a "scheme" which made our nation attracting migrants and skills from all over the world. To celebrate the Heritage Festival theme "The Making of Our Nation" Fiona Burn of the National Archives of Australia will talk about Australia's largest engineering project and the records which are held by NAA. A joint RAHS and NAA activity.
Time: 5.30 for 6.00pm
Cost: $8 includes light refreshments on arrival
Venue: Reception Rooms History House
Thursday 15 April 2010
Tour
The University of Sydney
Join RAHS members on a guided tour of the Camperdown campus of the University of Sydney, a university with a rich architectural and cultural history. This tour focuses on the 150 year history of the University's Quadrangle Building and surrounding environs.
Meeting place: The eastern entrance to the main quadrangle. [See map http://db.auth.usyd.edu.au/directories/map/largemap00a.html]
Cost: $11 per person, $7 Seniors
Getting there: Sydney University is easily accessible by bus. For timetables call 131 500 or look at www.131500.com.au
Bookings absolutely essential