Activities

A display of photographs at Clarendon Terrace, East Melbourne coinciding with Heritage Week. The images showcase the rich variety of styles that make up East Melbourne's architectural heritage.

Dr Merrilyn Murnane AM, a long-time East Melbourne resident, has published a book about the first women doctors in the USA, UK and Australia: Honourable Healers: Pioneering Women Doctors: Elizabeth Blackwell, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Constance Stone.

Our speaker, Dr Liz Rushen, currently has an exhibition showing at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria entitled, Hoddle Grid: the great land grab. The exhibition features 29 first purchasers of land from the Crown, one from each block.

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Janet, Lady Clarke and Women's Philanthropy in Australia

Janet Lady Clarke’s efforts set the benchmark for a culture of philanthropy which continues today. Her public contribution draws natural comparison with the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, born in the year of her death. Janet Clarke successfully mixed traditional approaches to phila...

Dr Sue Barker is a descendant of early colonial artist, John Glover. She is a local resident and well known to many of us.

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John James Clark - Life and Architecture

John James Clark (1838-1915) designed many famous public buildings in Australia including, in Melbourne, the Treasury Building and Government House. He lived at 104 Gipps Street from 1869-1871. Our speaker, Dr. Andrew Dodd, completed his PhD thesis on J.J. Clark at Melbourne Univ...

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King of the Air: the Turbulent Life of Charles Kingsford Smith

Open full image ↗Ann Blainey will talk about her new book and its star, Charles Kingsford Smith, flyer extraordinaire. It was he who made the first continuous flight across Australia, the first trans-Pacific flight, and the first flight across the Atlantic from east to west. He a...

Author, Ross McMullin will talk to us about his latest book, Life So Full of Promise: Further Biographies of Australia’s Lost Generation, which follows his earlier book, Farewell, Dear People.

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Life at Bishopscourt

BishopscourtFollowing our AGM, Rev. Clemence Taplin, daughter of Frank Woods, Archbishop of Melbourne 1957–1977, and Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia 1970–77, will talk of her memories of growing up at Bishopscourt.

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Lowe Kong Meng of Valetta

Lowe Kong Meng was born in Penang and spoke English and French fluently. He arrived in Australia with the gold rush in 1853 and a year later had established an importing business in Little Bourke Street.

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Margaret McLean: the first signatory on the 1891 Petition for Women's Suffrage

Margaret McLean circa 1902In celebration of the centenary of women's suffrage in Victoria Dr. Liz Rushen will talk on Margaret McLean and her contribution to the cause. Mrs. McLean lived at 'Torloisk', on the corner of Vale Street and Wellington Parade South. She was the first si...

Dr. Ann Blainey, author of I am Melba, spoke about the life of the opera singer. Dame Nellie Melba's main connection with East Melbourne is as a school girl at Presbyterian Ladies College, which was built by her father, David Mitchell.

This year our annual Christmas function will be held at Braemar, one of East Melbourne's most notable houses. Architect, Geoffrey Borrack, will tell us a little of the house's history and his own involvement in saving it from the wreckers. We are asking visitors to wear flat shoe...

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Menzies Foundation AGM

Open full image ↗Mr Chaney has continued to take a keen interest in the difficulties that governments face in implementing policies effectively and efficiently. His address will reflect upon failures of delivery of government policy in remote Australia, and draw upon lessons from...

Presenter(s) Prof. David de Kretser A.C. Start Friday 11 May 2012 - 12:00pm Finish Friday, 11 May 2012 - 1:30pm Location 210 Clarendon Street, East Melbourne Entry fee Free

Join us on a walk (approx. 2.5km) featuring some of the darker apsects of East Melbourne's history, and afterwards have coffee and cake at GG, 150 Clarendon Street, East Melbourne.

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Moments Musical

Presenter(s) Monica Edwards: cello Mary Knights-Rutten: piano Laurence Moore: baritone Sabine Watkins: recorder Veronica Westcott-Kirsch: piano Start Sunday 18 Nov 2012 - 2:00pm Finish Sunday, 18 November 2012 - 4:00pm Location Holy Trinity Anglican Church Entry fee $15 adults, $...

Ola Cohn was the sculptor best known as the creator of the Fairies’ Tree in the Fitzroy Gardens but was more important as a pioneer of modernist sculpture in Australia. Her studio was in East Melbourne. Dr Barbara Lemon’s book, A Way with the Fairies: the lost story of sculptor O...

Ian is a former senior executive in the coal mining and gas industries, but after 27 years he switched his focus to the natural environment.

Following our AGM at 7.30 Fay Woodhouse, professional historian and editor of the book, Robert Russell: Artist of Early Melbourne will take us through the life and work of the man who laid the foundations of our city but about whom relatively little is known.

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Piano Recital

Phillip Gelbach, pianist and composer, and fresh from the Julliard School in New York will present an afternoon of virtuosic piano music. This will be followed by afternoon tea.