News from Access Services at Public Record Office Victoria
August 2008 - Number 30

rEsearch is a bi-monthly update on public access news at Public Record Office Victoria (PROV). Current and past editions of rEsearch are available online here and are also emailed to subscribers. Email a request to <ask.prov@prov.vic.gov.au> if you want to be included on our subscriber list.

1. PROV to visit East Gippsland
2. Exhibitions and Public Programs News
3. PROV Seminar and Archival Support Programs
4. News from Regional Archives
5. Volunteers at PROV
6. Making Public Histories - Seminar Series
7. History Council of Victoria Annual Lecture
8. Provenance - Issue 7 Out Shortly - Call for Articles for 2009
9. New Series Available on the PROV Online Catalogue
10. Staff Speaking Engagements
11. Feedback
12. About this Publication

1. PROV to visit East Gippsland
Staff of Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) and members of the Public Records Advisory Council (PRAC) will be in East Gippsland on 18 and 19 September for a free special event. Those with an interest in local or family history, or researching and accessing government records in general, are invited to attend.
The session on Thursday 18 September will take place in Bairnsdale and the session on Friday 19 September will take place at Lakes Entrance.
Bookings are essential, please contact Andrea Rae by phone (03) 9348 5607 or email <andrea.rae@prov.vic.gov.au> to reserve your place.
Full details of the program on offer are available for download from the PROV website at <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/PROV_East_Gippsland.pdf>.

2. Exhibitions and Public Programs News
Current PROV exhibition - Currach Folk
CURRACH FOLK, an exhibition of photographs of traditional communities of the Irish west coast by Bill Doyle - the exhibition will be on view at the VAC until 8 November 2008.
A hauntingly beautiful exhibition of black and white photography depicting traditional farming and fishing communities of the Aran Islands and Dingle Peninsula, Ireland. Irish photographer Bill Doyle visited the region in the 1960s when access to some of the islands was by ferry and currach - a traditional local rowing boat made of wooden slats and hide. Doyle's extraordinary images are a record of a now vanished world. The exhibition at the Victorian Archives Centre is supported by some wonderful stories of Irish immigrants to Victoria taken from the original records at PROV.
The Victorian Archives Centre in Melbourne is the only venue other than the Australian Maritime Museum to show this beautiful exhibition. This is an opportunity not to be missed. For viewing times please visit <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/>.

25 August - Great White Fleet display in reading room
A display marking the centenary of the Great White Fleet's week-long stay in Melbourne. Sixteen white-hulled battleships carrying fourteen thousand naval personnel visited the city and regions to a huge civic fanfare of receptions and events. The display of colourful memorabilia will be on view in the VAC reading room from the week beginning 25 August and will be on display for a month.

30 August - Irish Day at PROV
On Saturday 30 August, PROV will be presenting an all-day program of talks, walks, music and screenings of the documentary film Man of Aran in celebration of the Irish experience in Victoria. For bookings, contact PROV Public Programs on (03) 9348 5600 or <ask.prov@prov.vic.gov.au>.

Late August - Art Deco - a new PROV display
A new Art Deco display has been installed in the level 1 corridor gallery at the Victorian Archives Centre (VAC). Further images are displayed within the PROV repository - these can be viewed by booking into a tour of the VAC building (further details on VAC tours can be found at: <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/vactours.asp>). These will be on display for a limited time early between late August - October 2008.

3. PROV Seminar and Archival Support Programs
The June to December 2008 Seminar Series program brochure is available from PROV reading rooms and the 'Events and Programs' pages of the PROV website <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/>. The program features a range of seminars and events for anyone who wants to know more about archives and the type of research subjects that can be undertaken at PROV.

Our August - October public programs highlights include:

Saturday 30 August 2008 - Irish day at VAC: a day of seminars, tours, walks, information, music and film to compliment the exhibition, Currach Folk - Photos by Bill Doyle.
Walking Tour: the Irish of Hotham Hill (departing from Victorian Archives Centre) - cost $10 per person
Saturday 30 August 2008 1.00 to 3.00 pm
Tuesday 23 September 2008 11.00 am to 1.00 pm
Wednesday 29 October 2008 11.00 am to 1.00 pm

Saturday 13 September 2008 9.00 am to 4.00 pm - Next Steps in the Archives, Victorian Archives Centre, Cost $25.00 (incl. morning tea, lunch and GST)

Thursday 25 September 2008 10.00 am to 12.00 pm - Researching properties: Victorian to Art Deco and beyond, Victorian Archives Centre

Saturday 11 October 2008 11.00 am to 1.00 pm - Where There's a Will There's a Way, Victorian Archives Centre, presented by Adrian Green, Kennedy Strang Legal Group

4. News from Regional Archives
Family History Competition Winners
To celebrate the Ballarat Heritage Weekend the Public Record Office Victoria launched a Family History Competition to find Victoria's most interesting family history story.
The judge's unanimous decision was to choose Brenda Ryan's delightful account of 'A childhood at Nazareth House Ballarat' the reminiscences of Grace Ryan, nee Charlton. Brenda visited the Victorian Archives Centre to accept her prizes which included 2 hours of research with Regional Archivist Lauren Bourke and copies of PROV publications.
'The brick wall comes down' the unravelling of an intriguing family history puzzle by Val Weber was a very close second. Val won $20 worth of photocopying at PROV and a copy of Private Lives Public Records.
Third place went to Fiona Lane and her interesting tale about the life of 'Annie Convary'. Fiona's prize is a copy of Private Lives Public Records.
Congratulations to the winners and a big thank-you to all those that entered.
Remember to keep our competition in mind when digging into your ancestors past, there may be the makings of an interesting story for next year's 'Tell us your family history'.

Property Research at the Ballarat Archives Centre - a new display
This display will give you an insight into the research possibilities at the Ballarat Archives Centre. The display highlights many of the key records that can be used to research property in the Ballarat region. Some of these include rate books, township and parish maps and mining surveys. The display is on until September 2008.

Six New PODs Appointed
PROV's Places of Deposit Program continues to grow with the appointment of six new PODs on the 15 July by Minister for the Arts, Lynne Kosky.
The appointed PODs are;
Boort Historical Society Inc - Godfrey Street, Boort 3537
East Gippsland Historical Society Inc - 40 Macarthur Street, Bairnsdale 3875
Euroa Historical and Genealogical Society Inc - Kirkland Avenue, Euroa 3666
Lakes Entrance Regional Historical Society Inc - 2 Marine Parade, Lakes Entrance 3909
Pyramid Hill and District Historical Society - McKay Street, Pyramid Hill 3575
Wangaratta High School - Phillipson Street, Wangaratta 3677
There are now a total of 117 community facilities appointed as Places of Deposit across Victoria.

5. Volunteers at PROV
PROV volunteers have recently indexed two voyages of interest of the 'Pateena'. This 550-ton vessel was a very regular ferry from Melbourne to Launceston. On 25 January 1895 the Pateena carried a boatload of politicians including Mr Reid, Mr A Deakin, Sirs Lee-Steere, John Forrest and L Patterson as well as political representatives of all Australian colonies. They attended the 1895 Premiers Conference in Hobart, and had extensive pre-Australian Federation discussions.
On 22 February 1895, the Pateena carried a great number of Reverends from Port Melbourne, no doubt for a Eucharistic congress.
If you are interested in joining PROV's volunteers in deciphering names and unlocking Victoria's history, please contact Susie Leehane, <susie.leehane@prov.vic.gov.au>.

6. Making Public Histories - Seminar Series
A new free seminar series exploring issues and approaches in making public histories is being offered jointly by the Monash University Institute for Public History, History Council of Victoria and the State Library of Victoria.
The seminars aim to be engaging and audio-visual, with expert presentations and lively participation from historians working in museums, heritage, professional history, the media, universities, archives and libraries, community history - and anyone interested in historical representation in contemporary society.
When: Bi-monthly, Thursdays, 5.30pm-7.00pm
Where: State Library of Victoria, seminar room 1.
Come to Entry 3, La Trobe St at 5.25pm.
Coming up:
4 September 2008 - Shane Carmody, 'Unlocking the Medieval Imagination: Living history and public culture'
16 October 2008 - Amanda Bacon, 'Creating Victoria's Framework of Historical Themes'
Further details are at <http://arts.monash.edu.au/public-history-institute/public-lectures/index.php>

7. History Council of Victoria Annual Lecture
Barry Jones will give the History Council of Victoria Annual Lecture on Monday 13 October at State Library of Victoria, 6.00 pm for 6.30 pm start. Venue: Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library of Victoria (entry from La Trobe Street). Cost entry $10.00, concession $5.00. Bookings are essential - (03) 8664 7261 or <revans@vicnet.net.au>.

8. Provenance - Issue 7 Out Shortly - Call for Articles for 2009
Are you researching PROV records and interested in writing an article about what you have discovered? Then consider submitting an article to Provenance. We are now calling for articles for the 2009 issue of Provenance. The submission deadline for the upcoming issue is 31 March 2009.
Provenance is the free online scholarly journal of Public Record Office Victoria (PROV). Provenance features peer-reviewed articles, and other contributions, that present research drawing upon records in PROV custody.
To subscribe to Provenance send an email to <provenance@dvc.vic.gov.au>.
Issue no 7 is now nearing completion and will be published online in September. The contents of this year's issue again reflect the extraordinary range of research that is facilitated by PROV's (and other) archives:

Articles
Anna Davine, 'Italian Speakers on the Walhalla Goldfield: A study of a small place and ordinary lives', examines the lives of Italians on the Walhalla goldfields through goldmining, Crown lands, and probate files regarding Vittorio Campagnolo as a case study challenging prior analyses of migration patterns in Australia.
Belinda Robson, 'From mental hygiene to community mental health: psychiatrists and Victorian public administration from the 1940s to 1990s', analyses government records about official policy on mental health and developments in this field during the later twentieth century.
Robyn Ballinger, 'Landscapes of abundance and scarcity on the northern plains of Victoria', employs a range of records relating to land use in the semi-arid northern plains of Victoria to argue that settlement visions in the period 1836-1930 were shaped not only by political and economic imperatives but also by the climatic changes of a semi-arid country.
Lyn Payne, 'The Curious Case of the Wollaston Affair', presents a portrait of school teacher Edward George Wollaston and his protracted battle with the Victorian education authorities in relation to using departmental premises for religious purposes.
Victoria Haskins, '"Give to us the People we would Love to be amongst us": The Aboriginal Campaign against Caroline Bulmer's eviction from Lake Tyers Aboriginal Station, 1913-14', revisits the political campaign of residents at Lake Tyers Aboriginal Station who between 1913 and 1914 petitioned the Victorian Government to allow Caroline Bulmer, the widow of their late missionary, to remain on the station with them.

Forum
Brienne Callahan, 'The "Monster" Petition and the Women of Davis Street', takes us back to a street in North Carlton and the working-class women who signed the women's suffrage petition 100 years ago.
Peter Davies, '"A lonely, narrow valley": Teaching at an Otways outpost', presents the story of an isolated milling community through records about its public school, one of many such remote schools that opened following the Victorian government's introduction of free, secular and compulsory education in 1872.
Jenny Carter, 'Wanted! Honourable Gentlemen: Select applicants for the positions of Deputy Registrar for Collingwood in 1864', explores the wealth of detail revealed through the Victorian Chief Secretary's Correspondence relating to applicants for a routine job vacancy.
Dawn Peel, 'Colac 1857: snapshot of a colonial settlement', presents us with a glimpse of Colac in 1856-57 as revealed through a range of government records.
Ruth Dwyer, 'A Jewellery Manufactory in Melbourne: Rosenthal, Aronson & Company', looks at records from both Public Record Office Victoria and the National Archives of Australia to create a detailed account of a Melbourne jewellery firm in the later half of the nineteenth century.
Karin Derkley, '"The present depression has brought me down to zero": Northcote High School during the 1930s', focuses on the struggles of parents to keep their children in education during the difficult years of the Great Depression.
Read issue no. 6 (September 2007) and ALL previous issues of the journal (free of charge) at the following web address:
<http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/provenance/>
If you would like to receive an email reminder when the issue is published online, please contact the Editor, Dr Sebastian Gurciullo by phone on (03) 9348 5600; or email <provenance@dvc.vic.gov.au>.

9. New Series Available on the PROV Online Catalogue
Visit <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/main/newrecords.asp> to view new series that have been added to the online catalogue 'Access the Collection'. The list is updated every two months to coincide with the publication of rEsearch.

10. Staff Speaking Engagements
Visit our events calendar at <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/events/calendar/default.asp> for a list of upcoming PROV speaking engagements. Book now!

PROV welcomes suggestions for future seminars. Send your suggestions by email to <james.mckinnon@prov.vic.gov.au> or telephone 03 9348 5600.

11. Feedback
If you would like to send feedback and suggestions on the content of this newsletter or if you know someone who would be interested in receiving rEsearch, please email <ask.prov@prov.vic.gov.au>.>

12. About this Publication
We have included you on our mailing list because you have indicated interest in receiving PROV information. However, if you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please email <ask.prov@prov.vic.gov.au> or phone PROV Reception (03) 9348 5600 and we will remove you from our list.

You can access the web page version of this newsletter at <http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/publications>. Back issues are also available on the website.

ISSN 1449-0323 Copyright © 2008 Public Record Office Victoria

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