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Local History Projects Honoured At Annual Awards

19 October 2015

A book about the life of one of Australia’s most loved gardeners and writers has been announced as the 2015 Victorian Community History Award winner at a ceremony held at the Arts Centre earlier today.

Jean Galbraith: Writer in a Valley by Gippsland historian Dr Meredith Fletcher was recognised as this year’s most outstanding community history project in Victoria. Jean Galbraith was a respected Gippsland botanist who developed new forms of garden writing in Australia.

Graeme Davison’s new book Lost Relations won the judges special prize for a narrative that takes the reader on a journey to discover his family’s past, while Lucy Sussex’s book about Fergus Hume and his famous Melbourne crime novel ‘Mystery of a Hansom Cab’ took out the 2015 History Publication Award.

Other winning entries featured suburban Melbourne, Ned Kelly and the ANZACs.

The Victorian Community History Awards are presented by Public Record Office Victoria in partnership with the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, and funded by the Victorian Government.

A major event of History Week, the annual Victorian Community History Awards recognise the work of individuals and organisations committed to telling stories of local history.

List of the 2015 Victorian Community History Award winners:

Victorian Community History Award
Jean Galbraith: Writer in a Valley by Meredith Fletcher
Monash University Publishing in association with State Library of Victoria

Judges Special Prize
Lost Relations: Fortunes of My Family in Australia’s Golden Age by Graeme Davison
Allen & Unwin

Collaborative Community Award
Ned Kelly Under the Microscope; Solving the Forensic Mystery of Ned Kelly’s Remains edited by Craig Cormick
CSIRO Publishing

Local History Project Award
Strewth! An Insight into Local Involvement in World War One edited by Gillian and John Francis
Horsham Historical Society

History Publication Award
Block Buster! Fergus Hume and the Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Lucy Sussex
Text Publishing

Local History – Small Publication Award
Boroondara Remembers: Stories of World War 1 by Fiona Poulton and Katherin Sheedy
City of Boroondara

Multimedia History Award
Postcards from Port: An Audiovisual Retrospective of Port Melbourne DVD
Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society

Historical Interpretation Award
Melbourne Dreaming: A Guide to Important Places of the Past and Present by Meyer Eidelson
Aboriginal Studies Press

Centenary of World War One Award
Suburbs at War: The Cities of Malvern and Prahran during the Great War by Helen Doyle
City of Stonnington

History Article (Peer Reviewed) Award
Anzac Memories Revisited: Trauma, Memory and Oral History by Alistair Thomson
Oral History Review, Oxford University Press

To view commendations and for more information visit prov.vic.gov.auExternal Link or historyvictoria.org.auExternal Link .

Quotes attributable to Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings

“Projects that preserve and share all sides of Victoria’s rich history are so important.”

“We can find meaning and belonging in knowing more about our past - whether it be the history of our family, of our local community or of the people who helped form the environment we now live in.”

“I congratulate all winners on their contribution to Victorian history.”

Quotes attributable to Public Record Office Director and Keeper of Public Records Justine Heazlewood

“From books about Victorians who’ve had a major impact on their communities, to historical exhibitions, events, walks and tours all the way through to the Victorian histories of World War One - each and every project honoured at this year’s Awards has significant local, state and national value.”

“As the Director of the state’s archives I’m thrilled to recognise authors, historians, community groups and councils that promote our state’s history. It’s important to keep telling these stories, shedding new light on the past and honouring those who came before us.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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