HISTORY NEWS ISSUE.351 DECEMBER 2020 INSIDE THIS ISSUE WWI: The Missing Obituaries: Mick Woiwod and Rex Harcourt Anglican Historical Society Wodonga through and beyond the Second World War Carlo Catani’s vision Victorian Community History Awards Tower showcases more Sale history Melbourne Cup winner in stained-glass What’s on AT RHSV RHSV NEWS RHSV EXHIBITIONS pre-European history as well as its early year the bar is raised and we can see this Our glorious exhibition The Swamp roles as a burial ground, fl agstaff signalling in the fl ow-on to the Victorian Community Vanishes, curated by Lenore Frost, has station and magnetic and meteorological History Awards. We are deeply grateful been extended until Friday 5 February so observatory. to Carol Holsworth for her vision and that everyone will have the opportunity inspiration in establishing these grants to see it. which champion regional and rural history. Before European settlers arrived in Congratulations to the successful grant the Port Phillip District, a large wetland recipients in 2020: that lay between the Yarra River and • Charlton Croquet Club the Moonee Ponds Creek sustained • Chiltern Athenaeum Inc the Indigenous people and the cultural • East Gippsland Family History traditions of the Kulin nation. It was Group Inc LECTURES known to the new settlers as Batman’s • Gippsland Association of Affi liated Swamp, later West Melbourne Swamp. We are lining up lots of talks with authors Historical Societies In less than 20 years that important from the 2020 Victorian Community • Heytesbury District Historical wetland had been despoiled by European History Awards for early next year: these Society settlers, who turned it into a receptacle will be hybrid events that you can attend • Romsey Lancefi eld & Districts for sewage and rubbish. By the end of in person or by Zoom. Historical Society Inc the century signifi cant engineering works • Mortlake & District Historical had changed the very shape of the land. BOOK FAIR Society Inc This exhibition traces how a signifi cant Throughout lockdown everyone had • Stanley Athenaeum wetland vanished from sight. spring-cleaning mania and we’ve • Warragul & District Historical benefited by accumulating a vast Society Inc Our next exhibition is due to open at 5pm, mountain of books for our world-famous Applications for the Holsworth Heritage Thursday 4 March 2021 so pencil that second-hand history Book Fair. Trust Grants close on the 31 July each year. date in your diary. Members evening will be Thursday 18 FLAGSTAFF GARDEN GUIDED February before we open to the public WALKING TOURS so pencil that date in too. Gift Membership Chris Manchee is taking his very entertaining Give RHSV Membership to someone you HOLSWORTH LOCAL HERITAGE GRANTS guided walking tours of Flagstaff Gardens care about. The RHSV is an active history again. The tours are at 11am or 2pm every This year was a boom year for the hub enjoyed by some 900 individual Monday and cost $10. Bookings on 03 9326 Holsworth Local Heritage Grants and we history lovers from around the world and 350 other historical societies from across 9288. Chris can often accommodate larger were able to fund more projects, more fully than we have in the past. These Australia. Members enjoy a subscription groups on other days too. to the Victorian Historical Journal and grants have now enabled well over 100 Visitors will climb Flagstaff Hill to consider History News and a full program of publishing projects, focussing on regional its place in Melbourne’s topography and events in a friendly environment. There Victorian history, to come to fruition. Every are also member-exclusive events, tours and viewings. Members use the library and collection free-of-charge, they also get discounts on room hire and image History News purchases and our Collections Manager, History News is the bi-monthly newsletter of the RHSV Jillian Hiscock, is there to help them with ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA INC. any research projects. During lock-down we continued to off er our members digital EDITOR Sharon Betridge PRESIDENT Richard Broome events and in future our members will DESIGN & ARTWORK Centreforce Pty Ltd 5975 8600 EXECUTIVE OFFICER Rosemary Cameron have the choice of hybrid events: zoom PRINTED BY First Class Mailing 9555 9997 ADMINISTRATION OFFICER Rebecca Toohey and attendance. Items for publication should be sent to the Editor COLLECTIONS MANAGER & VOLUNTEER EMAIL [email protected] COORDINATOR Jillian Hiscock Use our website’s membership form for History News copy closes 8th of the month: January, March, May, MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR Jessica Scott Gift Membership or phone Rebecca July, September, November, unless in consultation with the editor. History House (03 9326 9288). We can send the RHSV welcomes submission of articles for inclusion in History 239 A’Beckett Street Melbourne 3000 membership to you or directly to the News. Publication and editing will be at the discretion of the Offi ce & Library Hours: Monday to Friday editor and the Publications Committee as directed by our Terms recipient. 9am to 5pm of Reference. Phone: 9326 9288 historyvictoria.org.au/membership/ COVER IMAGE: Briseis: 1876 Melbourne Cup winner in Website: www.historyvictoria.org.au become-a-member/ Stained-Glass, photo by Ray Brown. See pages 12-13 Email: offi [email protected] Your gift helps us preserve our unique PRINT POST APPROVED PP336663/00011 ISSN 1326-269 ABN 36 520 675 471 Registration No. A2529 collection of manuscripts and images for future generations to enjoy. 2 RHSV NEWS DECEMBER 2020 RHSV NEWS RHSV Table of President’s contents report News and Articles WWI: The missing . 5 Thank you Jackie Watts . 4-5 Obituaries: Mick Woiwod The Study of Australian History is like a series called ‘Analysing Australian History’. curate’s egg. At tertiary level it is in relatively I am also writing two halves of the four Rex Harcourt . .8-9 good health, although the Humanities in books and other RHSV members: Graeme Anglican Historical Society . 13 general are under attack under the current Davison, Marian Aveling and David Harris Wodonga through and beyond the restructuring of university fees. are writers too, along with a group of Second World War . .14-15 teachers. We are proud to be giving back In Victorian schools to Year 10, History and Carlo Catani’s vision . .15-16 Australian History are covered at each year to Australian History after our years of Victorian Community History Awards . 17 level. However, in 2019 at Years 11 and 12 teaching and researching in this area. it was at a much lower level and has been The four books each follow a theme, or Area Tower showcases more trending down for decades. About 15,000 of Study, and each student chooses two Sale history . .18-19 students do a History 1 and 2 Unit, but not themes for their Year 12 study of Australian History Victoria Bookshop . 20-25 Australian History, at Year 11. In Year 12 history. The themes are vital ones in over 83,000 do an assessable 3-4 unit; of Australia’s past and reveal that our history Regular Features those 5,811 or seven percent do a history. is dynamic and at times revolutionary: What’s on. 2 Of those seven percent of VCE students: as war, power and resistance creates President’s report . 3 4719 do Revolutions; 649 do Australian upheavals that reshape relations between History and 433 do Ancient History. groups enhancing our freedoms: a strong Heritage Report: In Praise of Roadside and venerable democracy is created; and Trees . 4-5 our ancient land is transformed and fought A Hall of Fame: Sunbury . 6-7 7% over. The four themes for investigation are: History Victoria Support Group: 11% • Custodianship to the Anthropocene Resilience and tenacity • Creating a Nation shines through . 9 • Power and Resistance Around the societies . 10-11 Revolutions • War and Upheaval Windows on History: Briseis, 1876 81% Australian Each book is composed of contextual Melbourne Cup winner . .12-13 Ancient narratives, many historical documents, History key illustrations, questions and classroom Books received . .24 learning modules shaped by teachers. A new Australian History Study Design The emphasis is on students learning from begins in 2022 but until recently no investigating documents and evaluating publisher had committed to publishing for themselves contested views about Local historical societies can help by textbooks for this new course due to the episodes in the past. working with local schools that offer economics of publishing for such low Australian History. The Federation of The RHSV is proud to be involved in this numbers. Australian Historical Societies provides series. Indeed, we had contemplated a valuable guidance to historical societies However, Cambridge University Press series of our own before deciding the on how to connect to local schools. has now committed to publishing four massive task and punishing deadlines https://www.history.org.au/wp-content/ textbooks, one for each of the specifi c were prohibitive. We therefore warmly uploads/2018/12/Local-History-and- Areas of Study in the Study Design. They welcome and wholeheartedly support Schools-Curriculum-FAHS.pdf have done so, not in the expectation of the commitment of Cambridge University any profi t, but as a social good as they are Press to Australian History. Once the To understand our past is to comprehend strictly a not-for-profi t publisher. Study Design is live in 2022, all parties our present and future more clearly. If we I am to be the general co-editor with a involved hope