The Victorian Government recognises that local and community history is an important part of Victoria’s memory.
The Public Record Office Victoria’s Local History Grants Program encourages and fosters community activities that preserve, record and share the local, social and community history of Victoria and Victorians. The 2015-2016 (also known at Round 14) grant recipients have been announced, and I’m excited to say that 71 community groups across Victoria are now undertaking projects to preserve and share Victoria’s history thanks to receiving grant funding through the Local History Grants Program.
This year, groups ranging from historical societies, museums, schools, RSLs and other community organisations have shared in $350,000 for projects including historical displays, oral histories, and publications.
Well done to all the recipients. It’s very exciting to know that more of Victoria’s history will be preserved as a result of the grants, and of course a huge thankyou nees to go to Public Record Office Victoria for making the funds available.
| FUNDED ORGANISATION | PROJECT | FUNDING |
| 1st Beechworth Scout Group | Compilation of the history of the 1st Beechworth Scout Group | $1,619 |
| 458 RAAF Squadron Association | Special Squadron 75th Anniversary Publication | $2,341 |
| Arapiles Historical Society | Establishment of permanent archive facility | $4,998 |
| Bass Valley Historical Society Incorporated | Bass Valley History Conservation, Preservation and Digitisation Project | $4,794.88 |
| Bengworden Hall and Recreation Reserve Incorporated | Bengworden’s Story and Spirit Captured in its Community Hall | $2,869 |
| Bendigo Cemeteries Trust t/a Remembrance Parks – Central Victoria | Remembrance Parks: Central Victoria Notable Graves Walking Tour | $9,773.08 |
| Bendigo Historical Society Incorporated | Bendigo Historical Society Clothing Collection Conservation | $9,252 |
| Birchip Historical Society Inc. | Purchase shopfront showcases to show-off Birchip’s culture | $8,450 |
| Brighton Historical Society Inc. | A snapshot of Brighton: our pictorial history | $2,795 |
| Camberwell South Primary School | C.S.P.S. P.O.S.T: Camberwell South Primary School – Piecing Our Stories Together | $2,500 |
| Campbell’s Creek Community Inc. | Campbell’s Creek History and Heritage Walk – Information Board Installation | $6,490 |
| Camperdown & District Historical Society | Camperdown’s Notable Scots | $6,292 |
| Catholic Diocese of Ballarat | Assessment of Significance: Archives Historical Collection Diocese of Ballarat | $4,000 |
| The Chaffey Trail Reference Group | Chaffey Trail Vision | $9,800 |
| Charlton Golden Grains Museum | Purchase of display cases to enable the museum to utilise two newly created displays | $7,640 |
| Connewirricoo Community Centre | Walkway signage and historical photograph preservation and display | $2,250 |
| Cornish Hill Committee of Management | Cornish Hill Reserve Heritage Trail | $5,040 |
| Disability Sport & Recreation | Disabled Sport in Victoria – A digital History | $9,860 |
| Dookie & District Historical Society | Dookie & Katamatite Recorder Newspaper Digitisation Project | $6,551 |
| Flinders District Historical Society Inc. | Flinders Pier Precinct Museum | $7,000 |
| The Foundling Archive Victoria Inc. | From This Place: an Oral History of Ballarat Orphanage | $9,033 |
| Friends of Hanging Rock | Book Publication – “Hanging Rock – An environmental history.” | $12,270 |
| Friends of Hawthorn Tram Depot | Centenary of the Hawthorn Tramways Trust | $7,095 |
| Geelong Regional Library Corporation | Digitising and indexing the South Barwon Town Council Rate Book Records 1857-1960 | $3,840 |
| Giffard West Hall Reserve Committee of Management Incorporated | Giffard Darriman: A Community History | $4,000 |
| Gippstown Reserve Board of Management | Production of interpretative historical signs for original buildings at Old Gippsland | $4,860 |
| Gold Museum, Sovereign Hill | Lucas Girls Oral History Project | $5,744 |
| Gould Group Ltd (trading as Gould League) | Gould Archive Conservation, Preservation & Cataloguing Project | $5,000 |
| Horsham Historical Society | Digitise old films stage two | $1,000 |
| Indented Head Community Association Inc. | Rediscovering Indented Head’s History | $3,500 |
| Inverloch Historical Society | Digital recording & cataloguing of photos, documents & other historical items | $7,245 |
| Jeparit Heritage Walk Committee | Jeparit Heritage Historical Walk | $3,334 |
| Johnny Mullagh Interpretive Centre Inc. | Crime through Time: A Glimpse of Harrow’s Criminal History | $968 |
| Katandra & District History Group Inc. | From Adversity to Prosperity – History of Katandra and District 1930-1960 | $6,205 |
| Kiewa Valley Historical Society Inc. | Purchase of storage products from Archival Survival for conservation of collection | $645.15 |
| Kilmore Historical Society | Purchase of Equipment for WWI soldier Project | $429 |
| Kuo Min Tang Society of Melbourne | Translate and republish Australia’s first Chinese-Australian novel: The Poison of Polygamy’ | $15,000 |
| Lancefield Branch, Country Women’s Association | The Lancefield Country Women’s Association Community History 1936–2016 | $1,803 |
| Lancefield Branch, Country Women’s Association | The Lancefield Country Women’s Association Community History 1936–2016 | $1,803 |
| Learmonth & District Historical Society Inc. | Restoration and Preservation of photograph collection | $4,110.88 |
| Maryborough Midlands Historical Society | Shoulders to the Wheel: Maryborough’s 20th Century Industrial Revolution | $1,716 |
| Melbourne Health | Medical Voices: Oral histories of the Royal Melbourne Hospital senior medical staff | $14,700 |
| Miners Rest RFB | Miners have a rest: First 75 years | $2,500 |
| Mirboo and District Historical Society Incorporated | Conversion of local newspaper “The Gippslander” already on CD to searchable DVD | $475.50 |
| Moora Racecourse Recreation Reserve | Moora Racecourse Recreation Reserve Moments In Time | $6,862 |
| Murchison & District Historical Society Inc. | Display of establishment and development of agriculture at Murchison | $2,215 |
| Nillumbik Historical Society Inc. | Local History in Print | $2,500 |
| Open Channel Co-operative Ltd | Open Channel’s video collection on Victoria’s History: ‘Open for Access’ | $2,480 |
| Port Melbourne Neighbourhood Centre | Echoes of Layfield Court – where the past merges with the present | $9,500 |
| Quarry Hill Primary School | The History of Quarry Hill Primary School No.1165 1857–2015 | $815 |
| Queenscliffe Maritime Museum Inc. | The Journal of John Clarke Jr. | $2,236.30 |
| Romsey & Lancefield Districts Historical Society Inc | Local history of our outlying settlements | $1,200 |
| Royal Geelong Agricultural and Pastoral Society – Vintage Machinery Section | Interpretative signage for the Vintage Machinery display | $1,190 |
| Rupanyup RSL | Rupanyup RSL World War One History | $2,743.63 |
| St Arnaud & District Historical Society Inc. | Purchase of two lockable, glass display cabinets for safe display of historical records | $2,390 |
| St Paul’s Cathedral | Digitisation for conservation of Cathedral Chapter Minute Books 1878–1940 | $2,394 |
| Tablelands Community Centre | Ruffy Recollects – Historic Life and Learning in the Tablelands | $4,762 |
| Taggerty Fire Brigade (CFA) | Taggerty Fire Brigade History | $250 |
| Tatura Museum | Modernise Technology for better conservation of and access to our Local History | $2,604 |
| Terang & District Historical Society Inc. | “They served with Courage” – history of Terang WW1 service personnel | $5,800 |
| Thornbury Primary School | Thornbury Primary School Centenary Archives Project | $3,480 |
| Thornbury Women’s Neighbourhood House Inc. | Recording and Acknowledging the 30 year history of Thornbury Women’s Neighbourhood | $4,000 |
| Thorpdale Mechanics Institute Reserve Incorporated | Thorpdale Pioneers Stories | $2,383.75 |
| Trust for Nature | Long Swamp: Whispers of the Past | $12,340 |
| Victorian Jazz Archive trading as Australian Jazz Museum | Digital Transcription of Historical Interviews | $10,800 |
| Victorian Labour History Foundation | The Draft Resister ‘Safe House’ | $7,000 |
| Volleyball Horsham | Volleyball Horsham 40 Year Anniversary History Book | $1,450 |
| Wandong History Group Inc. | Australian Seasoned Timber Company: Never before seen photograph exhibition | $3000 |
| Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation | Budj Bim Guidebook: Stories from the Elders | $15,000 |
| Wycheproof & District Historical Society Inc. | Mount Wycheproof Ensign – for All Time | $4,975 |
| Yarrambat Heritage Museum | Yarrambat Heritage Museum Technology | $2,590 |
| TOTAL FUNDED | $348,249.79 |
If you are a community group in Victoria, Australia that is undertaking a preservation or historical project, be sure to keep an eye out for the rext round of grants in 2017.
