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History Council SA
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our History
    • Advocacy
      • Juukan caves enquiry: submission from History Councils Australia
      • Protest against hike in student fees
    • National History Statement
    • Constitution
  • Awards
    • HCSA Fellowship
    • HCSA Historian Awards
      • HCSA Historian Awards 2026
      • HCSA Historian Awards 2025
    • Wakefield Press Essay Prize
  • Events
    • Annual Regional Lecture
      • 2025 Annual Regional Lecture
      • 2024 Regional Event Summary
    • HCSA 2025 Fellows Lecture
    • AGM
  • Our Members
    • Overview
    • Executive Committee
    • General Committee
    • Governance
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eNewsletter

Newsletter 3 April 2024

News

The History Council of South Australia Historian Awards and Wakefield Press Essay Prize
Both awards will be open for submissions from the new year until 5 April 2024.

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.
Further information about the Historian Awards

The Wakefield Press Essay Prize is awarded for the best essay on a topic relating to the history of South Australia.
Further information about the Wakefield Press Essay Prize

SASSI: South Australian Stories Survey
SASSi seeks to survey the diverse forms of research being undertaken across the state regarding South Australia’s past, so we can ‘join the dots’ between organisations and individuals and further the depth and breadth of research and storytelling state-wide.

SASSi will be open from Monday 4 March until Sunday 7 April 2024 and depending on how much detail you share, should take about 20 minutes. For more information, please visit the History Trust website here.

Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act review final report and Government response released
Following an extensive review by an expert panel, the Government is adopting over 100 recommendations to make the planning system more efficient and user-friendly.
More information on the Review's March newsletter here.

Indian Diaspora in Australia collecting project
The National Library of Australia is actively looking for stories from Australians with Indian heritage to add to the national collection.
Further information on the NLA website

Make your local community collections part of Trove
Australia’s digital library Trove is inviting community-led, volunteer-run and rural and regional collecting organisations across Australia to showcase their digital content for free. These digital collections and data will become available and findable in Trove.
Find out more about how to become a part of Trove on their website

Get your book published into the National Library of Australia collection
For anyone considering self-publishing, whether your book is printed or electronic, free or for sale, you need to deposit a copy with the National Library of Australia, and with your state or territory library.

If you deposit electronically, information about your book will be available in Trove and the National Library’s catalogue within a day of deposit. For print deposits, a record will be available within 3 months of your publication being received.

For information about legal deposit, visit the NLA’s website here.

You can also read the fact sheet (pdf)

The NLA has also recently published a blog on their website which provides more general information about independent and self-publishing. You can read it here.

Encounter Celebration Organisation: sculpture fundraising drive
The Encounter Celebration Organisation Victor Harbor Inc. (ECOVHI) is a non-profit organisation, committed to fostering knowledge and understanding of the role that the navigators and explorers Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin played in our maritime history. Captain Matthew Flinders, commander of the Investigator and Captain Nicolas Baudin, commander of Le Géographe, met near Victor Harbor on 8th and 9th April, 1802, in Ramindjeri Ngarrindjeri Waters subsequently named Encounter Bay, by Matthew Flinders.

It is our intention to erect an interpretive sculpture in Victor Harbor which will tell the story of Flinders and Baudin and their part in the mapping of Australia. It will also provide an opportunity for the Ngarrindjerri people to have a platform to tell their history.

In an effort to raise the funds needed to complete this project we have been accepted by the Australian Cultural Foundation for them to receive donations on our behalf. Each donation will receive a taxation receipt. We have in principle approval to build the interpretive sculpture from The City of Victor Harbor and letters of support from, among others, History S.A., the French and British S.A. Consulates, Monument Australia, the Ngarrindjerri Aboriginal Commission.

We have received promises of in excess of $70,000 so far to complete our project, but need a roughly that amount again before we can start to build the sculpture.
To donate please visit the Australian Cultural Fund Website.

Adelaide Museum of South Australian History
The History Trust are inviting responses to a survey about a proposed new museum: the Adelaide Museum of South Australia's History.
Find out more and have your say on the proposed museum here.

Around the Country

Rameses and the Gold of the Pharaohs
This exhibition, exclusive to the Australian Museum in Sydney, features 181 priceless artefacts and relics, many of which have never left Egypt before. This wonderfully preserved collection includes sarcophagi, animal mummies, jewellery, royal masks, and ornate tomb treasures which showcase the workmanship of Egyptian artisans. Open in Sydney until May 19 2024.
Further information and ticket purchase through the museum website

Lectures, exhibitions, and events

The Battle of Milne Bay
Join the National Archives of Australia to learn how the Allied forces brought about the decisive defeat of the Japanese forces on September 1942 at Milne Bay, against all odds.

Hear individual stories of the young South Australian servicemen who took part in the conflict through records held in the national archival collection. 23 April 2024, 12pm-1pm, State Library of South Australia.
Further information and registration through Eventbrite

The Chios Massacre and Chiot Emigration
This lecture by Yianni Cartledge will delve into the Chios Massacre that occurred in 1822 during the Greek War of Independence. 15 April 2024, 7.30pm - 8.30pm, Ikaros Hall, 24 Arthur St, Unley SA.
Further information and registration through the Festival Hellenika website.

Lighthouse Lore & Portside Tour: a journey through Port Adelaide's past
Join the History Trust of SA for a tour, talk, and a drink at two of Port Adelaide's iconic landmarks: the Port Admiral Hotel, and the Port Adelaide Lighthouse. 11 May 2024, 6pm - 8pm, $45 per person (includes meal and drink).
Further information and registration through Trybooking

Author talk: Anything but Parochial: the triumphs and tribulations of contemporary art in Adelaide 1939-2000, with Margot Osborne

Hear Margot Osborne talk on her new book The Adelaide Art Scene: Becoming contemporary 1939-2000, published in late 2023 by Wakefield Press. As editor and principal author Dr Margot Osborne set out to uncover the previously untold narrative of the art, the artists and the arts institutions in Adelaide across six decades from the outbreak of the Second World War to the final decade of the 20th century. The purpose of the research behind the book was to investigate and make apparent the cultural context in which art was made, reviewed, exhibited and purchased across those six decades in Adelaide. A recurring theme is the challenge for progressive artists in finding support for their art, making a living and establishing a national reputation in a small, geographically isolated city.
8 April, 6.30-7.30pm, Barr Smith Library, Ira Raymond Room, University of Adelaide.
Further information and registration through Humanitix

University of Adelaide Historical and Classical Studies Research Seminar Series 2024
The schedule for semester one is now available. View the schedule here (pdf).

The next seminar will feature Dr. Gary Lit Ling Loong on 'If the sky were to fall: an intergenerational journey of trials and tribulations in Malaya during and after the wars' on 8 April.

Held in-person on Mondays at Napier 420, 12pm. Zoom links TBA.

2024 HCSA Fellows lecture
This year's lecture will be held in the Hetzel Lecture Theatre, Institute Building, North Terrace at 5.30pm on Tuesday, 23 April.

This year's speakers will be the 2023 Fellow Maggi Boult, 2024 Fellow Dr Alice Neikirk, and recipient of the 2024 Highly Recommended Prize Dr Angela Gurr.
Tickets and information about the event are available at Eventbrite

Historical True Crime Podcast “Secrets We Keep: Nest of Traitors”
A seven episode series that follows investigative journalist Joey Watson and his search to uncover the story of an ASIO spy who was recruited by the Soviet Union. Watson’s journey through Cold War history takes him to the town of Woomera where he learns why Australia was a KGB target.

The podcast is available on LiSTNR and other streaming services.

One Day Conference: South Australian 2024 History Festival

Saturday 4th May

The recently formed South Australian Church History Network (SACHN) invites you to register for the one-day conference as part of this year’s History Festival. The theme of the day is "Paradise of Dissent Revisited." Papers of 20 minutes will be presented which open up and examine areas in which churches and Christians influenced social and public life.

Early responses indicate that the event will be full of variety and interest and draw on most SA church traditions. Papers will explore the notion of SA as a ‘Paradise of Dissent’ and encourage further research and publication.

The SACHN involves historians from several Christian denominations (currently Anglican, Baptist, Salvation Army, Uniting Church) who are concerned with the recognition of SA religious history within the broader history of SA and within the religious history of Australia as a whole. Its aims are to increase awareness of the Christian presence in and contribution to SA life and history from 1836.

Those registering for the day will receive a detailed program including timetable and topics of papers. To find out more and register contact the convenor of SACHN, Rev. Dr Dean Eland at [email protected]

Conference fee is $30 and last date for registration is Monday 29 April. The conference will be held at The Church of the Trinity, (UCA) 318 Goodwood Rd, Clarence Park 5034. Generous onsite parking is available on the northern side of the church site.
Further information and registration form (pdf).

Historical Society of South Australia 2024 program
The HSSA has announced its program for 2024 as follows:

5 April: Corinne Ball: Three-Ring Circus: The dramatic, mysterious and tragic life of Mabel Worley, a Destitute Asylum Girl.
3 May: Patricia Sumerling: A City Pub Crawl: an illustrated history. 
7 June: Skye Krichauff: The South Australian Frontier and Its Legacies: A Truth-Telling project. 
5 July: Benjamin Nicholls: "There are pianos everywhere": Oscar Comettant and other travel writers on South Australian music. 
2 August: Robert Foster: The role of environmental factors in shaping Aboriginal/settler relations in colonial South Australia. 
6 September: Elizabeth Bor: Responses to Bushfires in South Australia from the 1820s to Federation. 
4 October: Martin Hamilton-Smith: Western Democracy Under Challenge: The interesting case study of South Australia. 
1 November: Erin Reardon: RA&HS Archives – Walking into 185 Years of History (and Wondering What to do With It). 

South Australia's History Festival 2024: Power
The program for South Australia's History Festival is now available. The festival will be running throughout May.
View the online program on the official website

Australian Heritage Festival 2024: Connections
Australia's largest annual community-driven celebration of heritage will take place in South Australia from 18 April to 19 May 2024.
Event registrations are now open on their website.

Flinders University History Research Seminars semester 1 2024
The schedule for the semester one seminars is now available.

The next seminar will feature Dr Lee Rippon (Flinders University) on ‘Britain, Australia, the Empire and Prisoner of War Diplomacy, 1939–1943’  on 5 April.

Held in-person at Humanities North Theatre 2 (Bedford Park, SA) or through Microsoft Teams, Fridays, 11.15am - 12.30pm.
See the flyer for the full schedule and Teams details here (pdf).

Book releases

Those dry stone walls revisited by Bruce and Kristin Munday
Back by popular demand with thirty pages of DIY instructions and illustrations. Far from being a dying craft, dry stone walling is enjoying a renaissance, continuing to make a statement across the South Australian landscape. Inspired by the success of his first book, Bruce Munday travelled further afield unearthing stories behind dry stone walls old and new. In this enlarged edition of Those Dry Stone Walls Revisited, rich with beautiful imagery of walls and the stories behind them, he shares his knowledge and experience, with step-by-step instructions, to inspire you to follow in the footsteps of our early settlers and today's artisans to start building your own.
Read more and purchase through Wakefield Press

Matthew Flinders: The man behind the map, by Gillian Dooley
In Matthew Flinders: The Man behind the Map Gillian Dooley looks to the primary sources to discover Flinders as a friend; a son, a brother, a father and a husband; as a writer, a researcher, a reader, and a musician - and above all as a romantic scientist.
Further information and ordering through Wakefield Press

Gillian has written a guest blog post about retracting Matthew Flinders through a visit to Mauritius

Calls for papers

Call for Submissions: New Thinking About Old Histories
Later this year HTAV’s journal Agora will explore the theme ‘New Thinking about Old Histories’. The Editor is seeking contributors who can discuss recent evidence or academic debates that History teachers should know about to update their knowledge and inform their teaching. Referenced articles of up to 2000 words in plain language, aligned with the History curriculum, are due in July. 

Prospective contributors should contact the Editor ([email protected]) with a brief outline of their topic and how it would describe ‘new thinking’.

Extended call for contributions: Fighting Cancer and preventing smoking in the UK, its Colonies and Commonwealth, 1920s-1970s
Abstracts due April 26 2024.
Further information through H-Net

Opportunities

NLA Fellowships and Grants program
Applications are now open for the National Library of Australia's Community Heritage Grants program (applications closing 9 May) and 2025 Fellowships (applications closing 6 May).
Read more about the Community Heritage Grants Program here
Read more about the Fellowships here

Oral History Australia National Conference bursary
Oral History SA/NT is offering a conference bursary for a member of theirs to cover the cost of the conference. Applicants must be current financial members of Oral History SA/NT and be full financial members at the time of the conference. Applications close 30 June, 2024.
Further information through their website

Ann Curthoys Prize 2024
Applications are now OPEN for the Ann Curthoys Prize 2024. This prize is awarded for the best unpublished article-length work by an Early Career Researcher in any one or combination of the following fields in which Ann has published: Australian history; feminist history; Indigenous history; transnational/comparative/colonial history; and history and theory. The Prize is generously funded by Ann and the Australian Catholic University, the institution of the current History Australia editors. The winner will receive a cash prize, a citation in History Australia, and will be considered for publication in the journal. Applicants must be a financial member of the AHA at time of submission. Applications close 1 May 2024. For any queries concerning this prize, get in touch with History Australia Editorial Assistant Karen Downing.([email protected]).
Further information on the AHA website

The Journal of the Historical Society of South Australia is focused on promoting South Australian historical research. The journal has been published annually since 1975 and showcases high quality, peer reviewed historical research papers, as well as reviews of books, media, and exhibitions relating to the history of South Australia across all time frames.

The next issue is scheduled to be published in November 2024 and we invite scholars from all disciplines who are researching South Australian history to submit papers, or proposals for papers, for inclusion in this, and subsequent editions. We would particularly like to encourage post-graduate student and early career researcher contributions.

For more information, visit their website here or contact the editor [email protected]

HCSA eNewsletter Submissions

Dear HCSA members,
We are always looking for new items for our newsletter. To guarantee your submissions make the eNewsletter on time, please forward them at least one week before the next edition. The eNewsletter comes out bimonthly, often in the first and third weeks of the month.
Email the editor directly: [email protected]
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Editor: Jessica Fairey

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About Us

The History Council of South Australia (HCSA) speaks for history in this state.  We are the peak body in South Australia, providing a representative voice on historical issues, celebrating and raising the profile of history in South Australia.

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