Past Events

Professor Lyndall Ryan AM FAHA is best known as a historian of the Australian colonial frontier. As a new way of making Australia’s frontier history visible she has developed a digital map of massacre sites across the Australian frontier to 1960 underpinned by a rigorous methodology to investigate and verify the evidence. In her talk, Lyndall will draw on examples of frontier massacres in New South Wales to show how the criteria operates for their inclusion on the map.

Join us for an exciting heritage tour of Garden Island. The tour will include areas rarely open to the public, including the Kuttabul Memorial, the Chapel, Indigenous history, the earliest marks made by Europeans in Australia, heritage buildings and the top of the Captain Cook Dock.

Join Oral History NSW and the Royal Australian Historical Society for a practical workshop for all interested in recording the experiences of family, friends, local communities, history of museum items or any other project incorporating memories of the past.

Debbie Rudder, Curator of Power Technologies at the Powerhouse Museum (1990-2014), will talk about the early history of electricity generation in Australia.

The road trip looms large in Australian culture. In this lecture, Rosemary Kerr explores how ‘the road’ has captured the imagination of travellers, writers and filmmakers. Hear stories of the Australian road – from sacred Aboriginal ‘songlines’, the rise of motor touring in the early 20th century, outback odysseys, surf safaris in the 1960s and 70s, to ‘grey nomads’ doing the ‘big lap’ around the continent.

In collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney, join us in November as three graduate students present their research into Australian History. Light refreshments will be served prior to commencement.

Trove is a rich resource for students, academics, writers, genealogists and local historians. Join Christine Yeats archivist, librarian and professional historian and discover how to make the best use of its important resources.

Have you ever wanted to go back in time and find out more about the history of your house and the area where you live? This seminar will discuss how to search for your property’s previous owners, learn about what it might have looked like – inside and outside − 50, 60 or 100 years ago and suggest strategies for discovering more about the history of your locality.

Curled, queued, slicked and over the collar, men's hair has assumed many different styles in Australian history - so much so that it offers rich insights into social and ethnic distinctions, changing consumer practices, intimate moments and shifting approaches to masculinity over time. In this lecture, Melissa Bellanta uses men's hair and grooming customs to explore Australia's social history, drawing on her past research on larrikin street gangs and goldfields dress, and her more recent work on Australian menswear in the twentieth century.

Join us as we celebrate the festive season and look forward to 2020. Our Christmas Party is a wonderful opportunity for members to meet RAHS staff, Councillors and other individuals interested in Australian history.