HISTORY NEWS ISSUE.353 APRIL 2021 Purse presented to Florrie Hodges by INSIDE THIS ISSUE Jane Duff in 1926 The Theatre with the VALE Joyce Woodroff e grand-sounding name VALE Margery Missen The Italian Ossario Murchison A Reminder of what it was like The Royal Exhibition Building: 100 years ago celebrating 140 years of a Trove ePetition Melbourne icon When heroines gather: how Florrie Hodges met Jane Duff All events are held at the RHSV unless otherwise noted. Bookings are recommended for all events and can be made What’s on AT RHSV through the RHSV website: historyvictoria.org.au/rhsv-events/ RHSV NEWS RHSV VICTORIAN COMMUNITY HISTORY when the inventive locals of Albury locals Senior Counsel with a top 500 insurance AWARDS – NOW OPEN used their towns lights to fl ash A L B U R company and a curator of a nationally Closing date: 5pm, Wednesday 7th Y in morse, then turned their race-track signifi cant insurance archive. July, 2021 into a make-shift airstrip using their car headlights to allow the lost Dutch entry, Digital entry available on the RHSV HISTORY WRITERS’ GROUP the Uiver, to land. The next morning the Tuesday 27 April. website. The 2021 awards cover project same locals hauled the bogged plane out which will come to fruition between 1 July of a quagmire so that it could continue to Tuesday 25 May. 2020 and 30 June 2021 (inclusive). Melbourne to claim 2nd place. Every entry FREE The awards are not just for publications but in that race had an amazing story to tell. The History Writers’ Group is for RHSV cover collaborative community projects, Visit the exhibition and be immersed in the members only. It is led by Dr Cheryl Griffi n oral history, multimedia, podcasts, romance and drama of early fl ight. and meets monthly on the 4th Tuesday of apps, maps, walking tours, virtual tours, each month from 11:30am – 1pm. These exhibitions, musical interpretation, journal AGL SHAW LECTURE: LAW, events are hybrid – some people choose articles, videos, projects which cover LAWYERS & LA TROBE to meet at the RHSV and others choose cultural diversity and activities which to Zoom. This is a very interactive group enhance awareness of local community Tuesday 20th April 6:30pm / $35 which shares information and assists records including digitising, indexing, and each other with problems they have original research. Co-presented with the C.J. encountered in their history writing. Cheryl La Trobe Society, the AGL is not only a respected historian but also HOLSWORTH GRANTS – NOW OPEN Shaw Lecture, is part of our Distinguished a splendid teacher. Closing date: 31 July 2021 Lecture series The RHSV administers the Holsworth Dr Simon Smith AM FRHSV is a leading CATALOGUING CLINICS Grants each year which were established legal history scholar. His work has included Thursday 22 April overseeing the research and publication to aid the publication of rural and regional Thursday 27 May history by not-for-profi t organisations such of an authorised history of the Supreme as historical societies, clubs, schools and Court to mark the 175th anniversary of that 11am by ZOOM / FREE museums. Grants of up to $2,000 are court in Victoria. He is a regular contributor Jillian Hiscock, the RHSV Collections awarded. to scholarship in that area and also a Manager, hosts these clinics an hour leading insurance historian. His most More information: historyvictoria.org. from 11am on the 4th Thursday of each recent book is on the history of Solicitors month. It is a relaxed gathering of people au/programs/holsworth-local-heritage- and the Law Institute in Victoria. grants/ who are fi nding their way through the As a Monash law undergraduate in the intricacies of cataloguing material in THE MACROBERTSON 1970s, he helped found Australia’s fi rst historical collections which, as we all know, INTERNATIONAL AIR community legal centre, the Springvale fall between a library and a museum with RACES EXHIBITION Legal Service. With that venture, he sometimes a bit of art gallery thrown in. became the fi rst clinical legal education Jillian always prepares some material on Mondays – Fridays academic in Australia. He is also a some specifi c queries but questions are 9am–5pm / FREE founding editor of a leading practice text, encouraged and, remember, a problem MacRobertson’s International the Lawyers Practice Manual. shared is a problem halved. The clinics Air Races of 1934 produced feats of In the 1980s, Simon was a pioneer in are conversational in format rather than a great courage and derring-do. There alternative dispute resolution and was seminar. If you are new to cataloguing or was tragedy and triumph. A tragedy was the first ombudsman in the Australian an old hand you will fi nd plenty to interest averted in the middle of a stormy night fi nancial services sector. Later he was you in these sessions. PLAN FOR HISTORY History News MONTH NOW October is History Month. History News is the bi-monthly newsletter of the RHSV We encourage all historical ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA INC. societies to hold an event during history month – there EDITOR Sharon Betridge PRESIDENT Richard Broome is a great suggested list of events on our DESIGN & ARTWORK Centreforce Pty Ltd 5975 8600 EXECUTIVE OFFICER Rosemary Cameron PRINTED BY First Class Mailing 9555 9997 ADMINISTRATION OFFICER Rebecca Toohey website which is a great place to start Items for publication should be sent to the Editor COLLECTIONS MANAGER & VOLUNTEER your brainstorming. We encourage you EMAIL [email protected] COORDINATOR Jillian Hiscock to think about collaborations with local History News copy closes 2nd of the month: May, July, September, MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR Jessica Scott schools, libraries and other community November, January, March unless in consultation with the editor. organisations – spread the joy! RHSV welcomes submission of articles for inclusion in History History House News. Publication and editing will be at the discretion of the 239 A’Beckett Street Melbourne 3000 History Month overlaps with the Seniors editor and the Publications Committee as directed by our Terms Offi ce & Library Hours: Monday to Friday Festival and Children’s Week so why not of Reference. 9am to 5pm Phone: 9326 9288 devise and event or two which can be COVER IMAGE: Purse presented to Florrie Hodges by Jane Duff in Website: www.historyvictoria.org.au 1926. ‘Museums Victoria’. See page 17 featured in more than one program? Email: offi [email protected] PRINT POST APPROVED PP336663/00011 ISSN 1326-269 ABN 36 520 675 471 Registration No. A2529 historyvictoria.org.au/brainstorm-history- month-event-ideas/ 2 RHSV NEWS APRIL 2021 RHSV NEWS RHSV Table of President’s contents report News and articles The Theatre with the grand-sounding name . 8-9 The Italian Ossario Murchison . .14-15 By the time this edition of History News dominant fi gures in our local area? What is out, I will have travelled to Ouyen to was the First Nation’s history of our The Royal Exhibition Building: present Merle Pole, from one of our region? Our personal wellbeing is clearly celebrating 140 years of far fl ung 330 affi liated societies across enhanced by volunteering in the history a Melbourne icon . 16 Victoria, with an RHSV Award of Merit for movement. But there is no doubt that When heroines gather: how Florrie 2020. Her contributions to the History there is also a social good emanating from Hodges met Jane Duff . 17 Centre at Ouyen have been sustained for our eff orts. Local communities and their over three decades and have resulted in a identities are enhanced by knowledge of VALE Joyce Woodroff e . 18 truly magnifi cent resource for researchers their origins. We study history to know our VALE Margery Missen. 18 into the future as well as Merle’s own book past and to know ourselves in the present. A Reminder of what it was like on Ouyen’s place names. She has also Therefore, before the 2021 award 100 years ago . 18 been president for over twenty years. nominations close in just a few weeks Trove ePetition . .9 The following week the RHSV hosted a consider nominating someone from your delayed 2020 award’s ceremony for other society; see the information on page two Regular features recipients. of this edition. It requires a page to set What’s on. 2 In a few weeks, after this History News out their achievements. The criteria are is broadcast, I will also journey to the that their work for an affi liated society President’s report . 3 Croydon Historical Society to present of the RHSV must have been sustained, Message from the editor . 3 an award to Les Hutchinson, aged 88, normally, over ten years and must be Heritage report: Australia’s World who was also unable to receive his exceptional. The person being nominated Heritage in the spotlight . .4-5 award due to the pandemic. Les has does not need to have written a notable for over forty years contributed to the publication or publications, but must A Hall of fame: preservation of Croydon’s history by have done something exceptional to The Bundy is reborn . 5-6 writing several books, mentoring several advance their society’s eff orts to protect History Victoria Support Group other publications, leading a huge oral or disseminate the local history of the area, (HVSG) . 7 history project on Croydon, speaking beyond the routine holding of offi ce. Around the societies . 10-11 on the area’s history countless times to This is not to say that offi ce bearers do schools and community groups and by routine work, they do not! Their eff orts are Windows on history: The Beaney promoting Croydon’s history on Radio invaluable.