HCSA 2024 Historian Awards Winners &
History Festival Finale
31 May 2024
About the event
The 2024 South Australian Historian of the Year Awards and 2024 History Festival Finale were jointly held at the Piccadilly Cinema, North Adelaide, on Friday 31 May.
Many thanks to the History Trust of South Australia, Wakefield Press, our speakers, judges, nominators and awardees, and everyone involved in making the night a success!
Read the History Council's media release.
All images supplied by Dylan Sanders - Frankie the Creative
Wakefield Press Essay Prize
Winner
Amanda Wells
'Halting Chowilla Dam: Salt, Science, and River Murray Politics in the 1960s'
Judges' comment: This original research examines the significance of an often overlooked part of the state. The judges found the essay deftly weaves together environmental history and political history to tell the compelling story of an ecological near miss in South Australia. It draws on a rich source base to investigate the interplay of responsible water resource management and politics. In doing so it admirably illustrates how environmental issues like salinity intersected with horticultural interests, plans for regional development and interstate rivalries, while spelling out clearly how lucky South Australia was not to have built the Chowilla Dam.
Historian Awards
Historian of the Year
Dr Julie Collins
The 2024 Historian of the Year has established a national profile as an authority on South Australian architecture, architectural collections and the history of therapeutic places. She has contributed new knowledge to the field, not only in Australia, but increasingly on an international level. Her expertise is evident through numerous authored and co-authored publications, and she is highly regarded by her peers and history organisations. Her community engagement has strengthened the profile of South Australia’s architectural history and is building public knowledge that will influence the heritage preservation of these places. Dr Julie Collins is a respected, active and engaging historian of South Australia’s designed environment, architecture, and its architects, both through her work as Curator of the University of South Australia’s Architecture Museum, but also through her research, raising awareness of history and bringing it to new audiences.
Emerging Historian
Samuel Doering
This award recognises those who have more recently engaged with history research and activities. This year’s winner, Samuel Doering, has compiled an outstanding body of work in a few short years. It has included Vietnam military history, his love and passion in writing history, the complex and detailed work of German and Lutheran migration into the Barossa Valley, and learning German for translation of historic documents. Samuel also enthrals others with engaging presentations and tours on local history.
Lifelong Historians
Meredith Satchell and Martin Walker
Meredith Satchell has been integral to the development of Burra’s popular history precincts over many years. This includes working closely with the community and council in preparing a World Heritage nomination of the Australian Cornish Mining Sites, Burra and Moonta, and the interesting and informative ‘heritage plaque’ project which began in 2011. Meredith has researched and published numerous fascinating records of the Burra region and created a range of self-guided history walks. Her passion and knowledge, together with her detailed research into local history, makes her a worthy recipient of the Life-long Historian Award.
Martin Walker has dedicated more than 50 years to researching and collecting the postal and telecommunications history of South Australia. He curated an exhibition of South Australian philatelic and post office history for the joint Texas/South Australian sesquicentennial. In addition to supporting numerous local exhibitions, Martin has contributed material to a display of Gawler’s role in WW1 for an exhibition in Cannakale, Turkey for the ANZAC centenary, as well as an exhibition in South Africa for the centenary of the Anglo-Boer War. Martin understands the value and importance of reaching new generations and new audiences to instil a love of history. Importantly, he also recognises that people have different ways of engaging with knowledge and digesting information.
Digital Technologies
Dan Schmidt
This is a relatively new category, recognising how technology can invigorate history. This year’s recipient has created an innovative approach to making history interesting to a wide audience through marrying of podcasting, interviews and story-telling with the medium of radio through the ABC and FIVE AA. Dan Schmidt impressed the judges with his meticulous research, his ability to discover the quirkiness in our history and present it in an engaging manner.
Regional or Community
Tailem Bend Historians Association
This award is one of our most heavily-contested, which is testament to the excellent activities being undertaken by passionate individuals and history groups in our regions. This year's winner, the Tailem Bend Historians Association, is a small but dedicated community history group with a staggering array of history-orientated activities, productions and publications. They have renovated the town’s disused railway station and made it their home and venue for a variety of projects. They have integrated Aboriginal history with colonial interactions. They have commemorated the tragic death of Mounted Police Constable Charles B. McCullaugh, created local Cemetery Story Boards and developed a continuing exhibition of the town and local community.
Excellence in Oral History
Christeen Schoepf
The 2024 awardee has contributed to oral history in South Australia over many years. Her work has resulted in the publication of books for local historical groups, peer-reviewed journal articles, oral history discovery interviews, media interviews and content for ‘Story Towns’ podcasts. Her events and exhibitions include the curation of the ‘Community Zone’ at the acclaimed Spirit of Anzac events held in South Australia during the Armistice celebrations, over a dozen ‘Cheer-Up Hut’ recreations and associated events, and SA History Festival exhibits. With a dedicated team, Christeen Schoepf has been a driving force behind the establishment of the ‘Story-Lab’ recording studio in the Pt Pirie Museum Complex to capture and save local oral histories.
