Speakers

6 February

Dr Emma Shaw

Dr Shaw is an academic at the Faculty of Education and Arts at the University of Newcastle. Her recent study into the extremely popular pastime of family history research revealed some surprising findings. 1406 people responded to her survey and tonight Emma will share with us some of the conclusions reached

6 March

Dr Lisa Murray - Sydney Cemetery Adventures

Cemeteries are wonderful, quiet places for the living, according to Lisa Murray, author of a new field guide to Sydney's cemeteries. She is passionate about making history accessible to the public. She is an author, professional historian and a regular contributor to debates around public history. Recent publications include the award-winning Sydney Cemeteries: A Field Guide (New South Publishing, 2016) and Our City: 175 Years in 175 Objects (City of Sydney, 2017). Lisa is currently writing a history and graveside companion for Australian cemeteries, to be published by the National Library of Australia.

3 April

Dr Paul Irish - Hidden in Plain View: The Aboriginal People of Coastal Sydney

Paul Irish is a Sydneysider who works as a historian and archaeologist with Coast History & Heritage. For over ten years he has been piecing together the Aboriginal history of coastal Sydney with researchers from the La Perouse Aboriginal community.
In hIs talk Paul will explore the unexpected and rich history of the continuing Aboriginal use of coastal Sydney throughout the nineteenth century. Contrary to what you may think, local Aboriginal people did not lose their culture and die out within decades of Governor Phillip’s arrival in Sydney in 1788. Based on his recent book Hidden In Plain View: the Aboriginal people of Coastal Sydney, Paul will discuss what happened to Sydney’s Aboriginal people between the devastating impact of white settlement and increased government intervention a century later. His book was the winner of the NSW Community & Regional History Prize 2018.