eNewsletter
Newsletter 12 April 2023
News
The HCSA Historian Awards and Wakefield Press Essay Prize: deadlines have been extended
The HCSA Historian Awards seek to recognise the outstanding achievements of an individual or group who have made a major contribution in the field of history in South Australia. Submissions due 17 April 2023.
Further information here.
The Wakefield Press Essay Prize is awarded for the best essay on a topic relating to the history of South Australia. Submissions due 17 April 2023.
Further information here.
Funding for Trove secured in 2023-24 Federal Budget
The Federal government has made a commitment to provide $33m over the next four years to maintain Trove, with 9.2m in indexed ongoing annual funding beyond that time period.
Read the announcement on Trove here.
Read Minister for the Arts Tony Burke MP's media release here.
National Standards for Australian Museums and Galleries 2.0
The National Standards Taskforce launched the latest version of the National Standards on 22 March, 2023.
This update has involved creating new content in response to major changes in ideology and museum practice since the original version in 2008. The National Standards for Australian Museums and Galleries is focused on key areas of activity common to organisations that care for collections and provide collection, exhibition, and program-based services to the community.
The National Standards aim to support Australian museums, galleries and collecting organisations achieve their objectives, from high-level policy, planning and stakeholder liaison, to practical everyday activities. They provide a guideline for current best practices.
The National Standards can be viewed and downloaded here (pdf).
Word of Mouth Autumn 2023
The latest edition of Oral History SA/NT's newsletter is now available.
Read it here
History Teacher's Association of South Australia Newsletter
The first 2023 edition of the HTASA newsletter Kooringa is now available.
Read it here (pdf)
WEA is seeking History Project Volunteers
WEA Adult learning has been providing adult South Australians with affordable and accessible learning opportunities since 1913. For their 110th anniversary, WEA are planning a volunteer-led project to ensure their rich history is properly recorded and preserved for future generations. They are seeking volunteers to help with research, cataloguing, digitising, and storage of documents, objects, and photographs.
Further information and application through Seek Volunteer
The new WEA course guide for April is now out, including walks, tours, and history events.
View the course guide here.
Port Gawler, a plan of unbridled puffery.
By way of commemorating their most significant benefactor, the late Deane Miller, the Friends of the State Library of South Australia have funded the State Library’s acquisition of a large (1220 mm X 975 MM) and attractive hand-drawn, hand-coloured plan of ‘Port Gawler’.
The handiwork of surveyor Philip Lamothe Snell Chauncy, the plan was commissioned in 1840 by Captain William Allen and Captain John Ellis with a view to selling off allotments in a proposed township of squares, including a church square, Prince Albert Circus, and park lands a la Colonel Light, in spite of their land deal having been tainted by scandal.
The land in question had been sold to the two sea dogs by George Milner Stephen, the Colonial Secretary, who had acquired a special survey of 4,000 acres on the Gawler River in 1839. As a marketing ploy, Stephen had set about publicising his sales of sections and allotments in numbers and at prices which bore no relation to reality, making false claims of advantages offered by the proposed town. Accused of fraud, Stephen successfully sued the Southern Australian for libel, in turn beat a charge of ‘wilful and corrupt perjury’, but lost an action for libel against the South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register. Thus exposed, Stephen resigned from all his public offices.
While an actual town of Port Gawler, long defunct, was declared downstream nearly 30 years later, the ‘Port Gawler’ of the Chauncy plan was entirely fanciful, the site on an unnavigable stretch of the Gawler River prone to heavy flooding.
Rare accounts of the Stephen scandal have also been acquired by the State Library and complement the Port Gawler plan. Illustrative of reckless colonial land speculation, the plan will be exhibited briefly following treatment by the State Library’s conservators.
Background information from Michael Treloar Antiquarian Booksellers has been much appreciated.
Roger Andre
Significant collection sees the light of day
The State Library of South Australia recently acquired a collection of photographs by famed SA commercial photographer, Douglas Darian Smith. Thsi collection features extensive aerial photographs of Adelaide and regional South Australia. The library recently welcomed Ron Kandelaars from Channel 7 to do a story on the recent acquisition.
You can view the story here (facebook).
The ruined medieval manuscript - and its digital rebirth
Four rarely-shown original medieval manuscript fragments from the State Library's collection are now on display for a short time only.
These fragments are single manuscript pages that were removed from the original whole works during a monumental change in the evolution of the book. Digital copies of the fragments now feature in the international online research laboratory Fragmentarium - a project collating digital copies of fragments from medieval manuscripts.
Read more about the project on the SLSA website here.
Read more about the display here.
Wanted: Adelaide Festival and Adelaide Fringe promotional material
The State Library has been collecting ephemera from Adelaide's iconic festivals since the 1960s. If you have acquired a collection of promotional materials from Festival and Fringe events, send them to the State Library.
Find out how on their website here.
State Records SA Strategic Plan 2023-2026
State Records SA has now released their Strategic Plan 2023-2026.
You can view and download a copy of the plan on their website here.
Petition: Save the Historic and Heritage-Listed Thebarton Police Barracks
The State Government of South Australia has announced its intention to build a new Women's and Children's Hospital upon a site belonging to the Heritage-listed Thebarton Mounted Police Barracks - a complex of Historic buildings located alongside the Old Adelaide Gaol.
View and sign the petition here.
Read about the project on InDaily here
Lectures, exhibitions, and events
History and Imagination: Adversaries or Allies?
Join the History Trust and University of South Australia to hear a panel of cutting-edge international, national, and state historians discuss imagination within history practice. 4 May 2023, 5.30 - 7.30pm, Mercury Cinema, Morphett st.
Further information and booking on Eventbrite
Friends of Lutheran Archives Events
The friends of Lutheran Archives have events coming up in the next few months, including:
'Ein Buschmann kann alles': HA Heinrich at Hermannsburg after Horseshoe Bend with speaker David Moore on 13 April.
In the Barossa and Beyond: George French Angas, artist and naturalist with speaker Philip Jones on 25 May.
Missionary Christian Gottlob Teichelmann: a life of patient endurance with speaker Christine Lockwood on 29 June.
Further information on the Lutheran Church of Australia website
Historical Society of South Australia Inc: AGM and Guest Speaker
The HSSA's next AGM will feature Carol Grbich speaking on 'Accidental Heiress: Journey of a Glencoe squatter's daughter' on Friday 14 April, 7.30pm at Burnside City Uniting Church, Tusmore. All welcome, non-members $5 entry. Overflow parking available in Burnside Library carpark.
Labour History Society South Australia
For history month, Professor Henry Reynolds will be speaking on his recent book Truth-Telling: History, Sovereignty and the Uluru Statement. Free Event. 7 May, 2pm, in the Barr Smith Reading Room at the University of Adelaide.
An epic battle: the Rats of Tobruk
Hear stories about the battle itself and the stories of some of the South Australian men who fought in one of the longest sieges in Australian military history. You will also learn about how you can access digitised records connected to the Second World War in the national archival collection. Free event. 24 April 2023, 12 to 1pm, Hetzel Lecture Theatre, Institute Building.
Further information and booking through the SLSA website
Double-cut fritz and sauce roll and a cup of tea please
Join co-curator of the State Library's Sweet & Savory exhibition, Mark Gilbert, to take a look into the history of the wonderful gastronomic world of South Australian restaurant menus. Free event. 18 April 2023, 11am - 12pm, Hetzel Lecture Theatre, Institute Building.
Further information and booking through the SLSA website
Back to Sturt Street School
An exhibition to celebrate the 140th year of Sturt Street School is opening in May
Flinders History Research Seminars
They are back on again for 2023, held Fridays at 11.15 am in Social Sciences South 145 (Bedford Park Campus) and via Microsoft Teams.
The next presentation will be Professor Matt Fitzpatrick (Flinders University) speaking on 'Banking on Empire: Chasing Chinese debt after the 1911 Revolution' on 28 April.
Join on Zoom by entering meeting ID 415 337 727 596 and passcode: Yq7pZe
The Pioneer's Association of South Australia in March
The association has released their calendar of events for 2023.
Book an event by emailing your details to [email protected]. Please include the event code i.e. (E23-02)
For further information, including payment details, view the events page on their website here.
Ahlan wa Sahlan (welcome): Hospitality in Arabic Culture
This new exhibition at the Migration Museum features the inviting and vibrant traditions of Arabic speaking cultures. 4 February - 31 July 2023.
Further information on the Migration Museum website.
Copper Coast Cornish Festival Kernewek Lowender
Being held May 15-21 in Kadina, Moonta, and Wallaroo.
Visit the website here.
Book releases
Book Launch: New Perspectives on the Greek War of Independence: Myths, Realities, Legacies, and Reflections by Yianni Cartledge and Professor Andrekos Varnava
27 April , 6pm, Goodwood Greek Community Hall.
Seven Leaders in Camelot: Thirty turbulent years of politics: an insider's story, by Martin Hamilton-Smith
Martin Hamilton-Smith uses the lens of a life spent as a soldier, businessman and politician to interpret the rise and fall of seven South Australian leaders over thirty turbulent years. It is a history of statesmanship, honour and duty, high ideals, aspiration and outstanding political success. It is also a story of failure, dashed hopes, betrayal, scheming and deception.
Further information and ordering through Wakefield Press
Secrets of Dulwich, by Polly Dundon
The first print run of Secrets of Dulwich, which had sold out, is now back for sale with another 60 copies available.
Because of the support and encouragement of book 1, Polly has now started on 'Secrets of Dulwich, Rose Park, Toorak Gardens, and beyond.' which will be available late 2023.
For further information contact the author at [email protected] or 0432 633 994.
Calls for papers
"Royal Spectacle and Court Performance" Workshop
Hosted by the University of Adelaide and the Society for the History of Emotions, this workshop explores royal spectacles and court performances in the medieval and early modern world. To be held at the University of Adelaide, 21 September 2023. Proposals due 30 April 2023.
Further information here.
Australian and New Zealand Society of the History of Medicine (ANZSHM) Conference 2023: Second Opinions
To be held in Adelaide, 12-15 July 2023. Abstracts on any topic related to the history of health and medicine in any period or region are encouraged.
Further information available on the conference website here.
The Conference is also currently seeking sponsors.
Further information available here (pdf flyer)
Journal of Australasian Mining History CFP
Submissions due 1 July 2023
Further information available here.
Opportunities
Federation of Australian Historical Societies Awards
The FAHS has two annual awards that are currently open for nominations: the Fellowship Award and the Merit Award. Nominations for both close 31 July 2023.
Further information on the FAHS website
National Library of Australia Community Heritage Grants 2023
The program supports community organisations to look after Australian cultural heritage collections. Applications close 8 May 2023.
Further information on the NLA website
Bernadette Bean South Australian Records Management Service Excellence Award
Looking to celebrate current, new, and past outstanding SA practitioners, teams, students, researchers, historians, volunteers, and others in the areas of records management, archives management, and history, cultural heritage, museum or library collections management. Nominations are now open until 8 July 2023.
Further information on the award website.
ANU Senior Lecturer / Associate Professor in Australian History
Applications due 1 May 2023.
Further information on the ANU website
UNSW Level B Position in Middle East / Africa / South Asia History
Applications due 5 May 2023.
Further information on the UNSW website
2023 National Library of Australia Community Heritage Grants
The program supports community organisations to look after Australian cultural heritage collections, with a focus on local groups with limited funding who would benefit from access to professional cultural heritage expertise. Applications due 8 May 2023.
Further information through the NLA website
Friends of Lutheran Archives Annual Research Fellowship
Open to emerging or established researchers, resident in Australia or abroad, and engaged in small or large research projects on any topic utilizing the resources of the Lutheran Archives.
Further information and application form through the Lutheran Church of Australia website
Community Newspaper Digitisation Grants
The State Library of South Australia is calling for applications for the Community Newspaper Digitisation Grant. Grants are available to community organisations, local history groups, and individuals to support community newspaper digitisation and delivery through the National Library's Trove platform.
Applications for the 2023-24 financial year are open now and close at 5m on Friday 28 April 2023.
Further information and application through the SLSA website here.
National Library of Australia Fellowships 2024
Applications for the 2024 National Library of Australia Fellowships are now open. Up to six funded fellowships are available in the 2024 round: three on any subject, two in the field of Japan studies, and one for research on Australian literature. Applications due 26 April 2023.
Further information here.
Lizzie Russel Oral History Grant Scheme
For financial members of Oral History Australia SA/NT, this grant aims to foster small oral history initiatives in South Australia or the Northern Territory. Applications close June 30.
Further information on the Oral History Australia SA/NT website
