Birchip, Nullawil and Donald will host the first Royal Historical Society Victoria  (RHSV) seminar held in rural Victoria in 2023, between Friday, May 19, and Sunday, May 21, incorporating visiting presenters, local speakers from the different societies telling their experiences, and lots of opportunities to enjoy the Wimmera-Mallee.

The all day Saturday seminar, “Strengthen your society through history”, is being held at the Birchip Senior Citizens’ rooms in Sherwood Street. The optional add-on events include a pre-seminar Friday afternoon tour of the distinctive Nullawil Historical Society Heritage Museum and a two-course country hospitality dinner, a post-seminar tour of the Birchip Historical Society, and a Sunday morning post-seminar morning tea and tour of the Donald Historical Society collection. 

Showcasing

The local Historical Societies have shaped the program, which includes show- casing the best of the local historical societies’ and individual members’ existing work, a diverse range of visiting guest speakers and time to share ideas and inspire fresh approaches. 

Capacity-building sessions range from:

• Leading and retaining volunteers, and attracting new visitors and members through to archives and research.
• Managing and maintaining an archive, and creating fascinating stories.
• Writing to be read – writing for publications, exhibitions and on-site tours.

Speakers

The distinguished speakers include Paul Fearon, Dr. Rosalie Triolo, Helen Laffin and Emeritus Professor Richard Broome. All the speakers have an extensive amount of experience in the industry and will provide insightful knowledge for our rural historians.  Participants will also have lots of time throughout the sessions to ask questions and learn from each other’s achievements and challenges. 

Mulga Fred

A highlight of the program will be Richard telling the story of one man who lived in different towns in the area: In search of Mulga Fred Wilson: Aboriginal rodeo rider, horse trainer and Pelaco icon. The three day program has a diverse range of options for participants to pick and choose what suits them and interested community members can view go to the seminar link, https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/event for a full outline of the program and to register. 

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 16 May 2023.