eNewsletter
Newsletter 21 April 2020
News
Twentieth anniversary of the Northern Areas History Group (Greg Slattery, secretary/coordinator. 15 March 2020)
Professional expo organisers would have been surprised to see the transformation of the Gladstone Town Hall which gave the appearance of a mini expo for the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Northern Areas History Group. The group is a consortium of the historical groups of the ten towns of the Northern Areas Council; Caltowie, Georgetown, Gladstone, Gulnare, Jamestown, Laura, Narridy, Spalding, Tarcowie and Yacka. Formed twenty years ago at the instigation of Keith Hope of NAC the group has met twice yearly to network, and has also welcomed various professional guest speakers.
Adding to the expo atmosphere were display banners provided by the History Trust of SA, depicting the Victoria Cross awardees including local boy, Percy Sullivan and of the Barwell Boys; particularly relevant as most towns can claim a Barwell Boy or two. Around the edge of the hall each town had a display table, and other tables held early local newspapers, new and used books for sale and a special collection of all historical books produced about the various towns. Ian Harslett of ABC Regional Radio facilitated the program after a welcome from Thea Smith President of Gladstone History Group. Greg Slattery of Laura, secretary/coordinator of NACHG outlined the development and benefits since its formation.
As well as attendees from the region visitors came from as far as Quorn and Adelaide. Special guests, included Rowan Ramsey, Federal Member for Grey, and Denis Clark, Mayor of Northern Areas Council, both of whom spoke of the significance of local heritage and the value of volunteers. Apologies and good wishes came from local state members of parliament, Dan van Holst Pellekaan and Geoff Brock. Highlights of the afternoon were the presentations by speakers from various towns introduced by Ian Harslett and enhanced with his quirky knowledge of personalities of the region. The short presentations covered a diversity of topics including the inventive Both brothers of Caltowie, Charles Hill painting of 1877 Georgetown, Rural Youth donation of the districts first ambulance based at Gladstone, the three sites of Gulnare, Barbara Parri Collection, industries of Laura, Narridy families, Stagg of Tarcowie, and Yacka the town of two bridges
Members' News
Tea Tree Gully Historical Society Inc. To meet or not to meet that was the question? (Carole Simmons, Caretaker-President)
After our February meeting on the 19th Feb we were getting ready for our AGM which was to be held on March 18th. Most things were in place and as the news of the Coronavirus was not looking good, we began to plan on how we could hold our AGM and keep ourselves and members safe!
We hold our society meetings in the City of Tea Tree Gully Civic Centre, Banksia Room and so we decided to plan as to how we could make our members and ourselves as safe as possible. Chairs would be one and half meters apart, which was a worry as we usually have about 50 members to our meetings! We would bring along the trusty hand sanitiser and make sure it was at the entrance for each member to use and the good old Glen Twenty would be sprayed on chairs and surfaces. The next hurdle was organizing morning tea and to make sure gloves and tongs were used and all surfaces disinfected, running hot water was on tap so that was not a problem. The big thing was to make sure members realized that there was to be no close contact, handshakes, hugs or kisses, as was the ‘norm’ for many of our lovely members! We felt we had done all we could to prepare for the meeting and the safety of our members.
As we work with and through our CTTG Library, I kept in contact with the local history hub to find out what they thought about us going ahead with our AGM and after a conversation on Friday 13th March, I was told it was up to us, but it might be better to cancel, although at this time the Government was saying it was ok for groups up to 100 to carry on with safety measures in place! By Monday 16th I had received quite a few apologies from members who would not be attending as the news on Coronavirus was getting worse. I had also received a phone call from Triple T, a craft group I attended each Tuesday to say they were closing down until further notice, first time in 43 years! I quickly emailed Committee members to ask their thoughts on our meeting and overwhelmingly it was to cancel.
On Tuesday the 17th March a phone call went out to all members who normally attend meetings to advise them that meetings would be cancelled until further notice. I told members that they would get any updates via our Facebook page and also in our newsletter ‘The Gullyian’ as long as I was able to still print it and with thanks to the office of Frances Bedford State MP JP for Florey, I have been able to do, with strict safety measures in place! I also cancelled the guest speakers for March, April and May and they have said they would be happy to come along at another time when this Pandemic is over. I and our committee members are caretakers of our Society until such time as our AGM can go ahead. The Committee is in touch via email and phone calls and also contact members to make sure that our society which will celebrate our twentieth year in November this year, will continue to preserve, protect and promote history for future generations. Carole Simmonds – Caretaker President
COVID-19 News
Australian Historical Association: Emergency Fund for Precarious Historians
A support fund for historians in precarious employment has been established. Please contact Amy Thomas <[email protected]> Andrew Bonnell <[email protected]> or Hannah Forsyth <[email protected]> for more details.
Australian Academy of the Humanities: Call for Humanities Expertise on Covid-19 and pandemics
The AAH is compiling a database of humanities expertise to inform policy advice in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Virtual escapes while social distancing
South Australian Museum Exhibitions
The Museum is a place of discovery for all people. They create diverse home-grown exhibitions and displays to ignite your mind.
Have you ever wanted to learn more about dogs? Wondered what it takes to be an opal miner, or a young woman entering into a science-based career? See their Exhibitions page for a specially curated selection of videos on those topics, or dive into some of their fascinating research and collections.
Their Learning and fun page contains many of the museum's timeless displays as well as downloadable resources for all ages.
Content for Connection lets you explore the wonders of the South Australian Museum safely from your home. Come behind the scenes and delve into the exhibitions, collections, research and resources.
The museum's continuous culture page contains curated videos that explore exhibitions created with the Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri, Adnyamathanha, Nukunu, Ngaanyatjarra and Yolngu people.
The Museum also holds an annual series of displays about women in science. Hear the inspiring stories of women who are blazing trails in STEM on our Careers in sciences page.
Follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube and stay in touch.
A Journal of the Plague Year: An Archive of COVID-19
A great initiative which we would encourage you to undertake is to keep' A Journal of the Plague Year: An Archive of COVID-19'. Both family and friends could be involved in the recording of this historical event.
"With the former, it's as simple as uploading an image, text, tweet, Instagram post, story and more to their online collection which aims to document the social, cultural, political and economic impacts of COVID-19 on our society."
It is important to emphasise that this is a significant historical event we all are currently living through and our contributions will help future historians in their research on the matter. So join in and help record history as it happens! "
The Public History Hour (online)
Australian Centre for Public History, UTS
1-2 pm Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Around the country
Congratulations to the winners of the inaugural Oral History Australia Awards
The Oral History Australia Book Award 2019 was awarded to Peg Fraser for Black Saturday: Not the End of the Story.
The Oral History Media Award 2019 was jointly awarded to Anisa Puri and Shirleene Robinson for A City Response to Crisis: Volunteers and the HIV Aids Epidemic in Sydney 1980s-1990s; and Catherine Freyne and Scott McKinnon for The Making of Mardi Gras.
Australian Historical Association Executive Committee: Call for Nominations 2020
A Call for Nominations was emailed to all financial AHA members this week for the following positions:
President
Vice-President
Honorary Secretary
Honorary Treasurer
Five (5) Ordinary Members
Postgraduate Representative
Early Career Researcher Representative
Only currently financial AHA members may nominate or be nominated. Nominations must be in writing, using the nomination form, and must be signed by the nominator and seconder, as well as the nominee.
Nominations must reach the Australian Historical Association by COB Monday 1 June 2020. Please email to the Executive Officer: [email protected].
Calls for Papers
History of Education Review Special Issue: the history of knowledge and the history of education. Abstracts due 1 October 2020.
Reinventing Australia: International Australian Studies Association 2020 Biennial Conference. 30 November - 2 December 2020, Australian Catholic University. Abstracts due 31 May 2020.
‘The Historical Dimension’: Association of Academic Historians in Australian and New Zealand Business Schools Conference. 9-10 November 2020, University of Sydney. Abstracts due 12 June 2020.
Dictionary of Educational History in Australia and New Zealand
International News
Calls for papers
‘In Their Own Words’: 2020 Pacific History Association Biennial Conference. 1-4 December 2020, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji. Abstracts due 31 May 2020.
‘One Empire, Many Colonies, Similar or Different Histories?’: Australian and New Zealand Law and History Society Annual Conference. 9-12 December 2020, Auckland. Abstracts due 15 July 2020.
Opportunities
Australian Research Council Special Research Initiative for Australian History, Culture and Society, to be provided by the Australian Government in support of projects in Australian and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander society, history, and culture. Applications due 6 May 2020.
Australian Women's History Network Mary Bennett Prize for Women’s History is awarded every two years to an early career historian for a piece of work in any field of women's history. Applications due 1 June 2020.
National Library of Australia 2021 Fellowships offer an opportunity for researchers to undertake a 12-week residency at the Library. Applicants may work in any field or discipline where the Library’s collections can support desired outcomes. Applications due 5.00pm, 24 April 2020.
Australian Academy of the Humanities Publication Subsidies support quality scholarly publication in the humanities. Subsidies of up to $3000 are available to help early career researchers with the costs associated with publication. Applications due 5 June 2020.
2020 International Australian Studies Association ECR Publication Subsidy Scheme. Applications are open for the scheme which is designed to assist early career researchers in Australian Studies. Applications due 30 June 2020.
Australian Academy of the Humanities John Mulvaney Fellowship is awarded to early career Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and PhD students working in the humanities. Applications due 5 June 2020.
Australian Historical Studies Editor(s) Expression of Interest for the positions of editors of the journal for a three-year term, 2021–2023. EOIs due 31 July 2020.
EOIs due 31 July 2020
Macquarie University Research Fellowships: 5 full-time Research Fellowship positions in HASS to commence in 2021. The Fellowships support researchers within three years of the award of their PhD who show evidence of excellent research potential.
Faculty of Arts Expressions of Interest due 22 April 2020
