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Newsletter 109

Published on: Tuesday, 4 August 2020

In this edition of our newsletter, you van find out about our lectures and excursions planned for the remainder of 2020. There is also information about the Lilian Watson Family History Award and the Van Diemen History Prize.

Calendar of lectures September to December 2020

Here is a list of lectures we have coming up until the end of 2020. Please note that the September talk will be at the Town Hall. The October and December talks will be at Legacy House unless otherwise advised. Details about the November talk are yet to be determined. All talks will begin at our usual time of 8PM.

8 September
Tasmanian Life
Professor Kate Warner, Governor of Tasmania

13 October
Jacqueline Fox
Thomas Wells, emancipist entrepreneur

10 November
Eldershaw Lecture
Details to be confirmed

8 December
Hamish Maxwell-Stewart
The impact of solitary confinement on convict health

New members

The THRA Committee would like to welcome the following new members:

  • Carol Bracken, Glengarry
  • Margaret Roberts, Oakdowns
  • Robert Stevens, Templestowe, Vic
  • Pamela Stott, Kenmore, Qld
  • Tony Sweeney, Lauderdale Francine Targett, Swansea

Walking Tour Queens Domain

The Queens Domain has been a treasured area of public open space in Hobart since the 1810s. This walk will visit some of the less well known sites in the southern part of the Domain, revealing some of the hidden stories behind the park’s long history.

In these covid-19 times, your guides Ian Terry and Stefan Petrow are playing it safe and limiting the walk to twenty participants. We expect the walk to last no more than two hours. The details are:

Meet at the Hobart Cenotaph at 2.00 on Sunday 27 September

Soundcloud Recordings

If you are having trouble with low volume on our SoundCloud recordings, and turning up your normal computer volume doesn’t help, we suggest you try the following steps:

  • If you are using external speakers, make sure they are turned up (there is usually a volume knob on one of the speakers).
  • When you press ‘play’ in SoundCloud, at the very bottom of the screen you can see a bar with the controls to play, fast forward/back, a progress strip, and a volume button next to that – check that this is turned up.
  • Try playing it in another browser (Chrome, Safari Firefox etc).
  • Test it through some headphones (most computers have a standard audio port that can take the same headphones as your phone or iPod).

If it is still too quiet, it is probably related to your computer and there isn’t anything we can do. There is a SoundCloud app for Android and Apple phones, which is worth trying if you are able to access it.

Lilian Watson Family History Award 2020

Entry for the Lilian Watson Family History Award 2020 is now open. This award is for a Book, however produced or published on paper, dealing with a family or biographical history topic and having significant Tasmanian content. Historical fiction is not eligible.

The prize is currently $200 plus one year’s membership of TFHS Inc.
Entries close 1 December 2020. Further information and entry forms are available from TFHS Inc. Branch

Libraries or www.tasfhs.org or:

The Secretary TFHA Inc.
PO Box 326, Rosney Park TAS 7018

The Van Dieman History Prize 2020

Forty South Publishing has opened up entries for The Van Diemen History Prize 2020. Open to citizens or Australian permanent residents, the prize is for articles up to 3,000 words on any aspect of Tasmanian history prior to the 21st century. The winner receives a cash prize of $500 and publication in Forty South magazine. A selection of the best entries will be published in The Van Diemen Anthology 2021.

Entries close on 21 September 2020. For further details see the Forty South website.

Hobart Synagogue Descendant Stories

As part of its 175th anniversary celebrations, the Hobart Synagogue invites descendants of past members to share some of their stories. If you would like to contribute a story, please send them to the Hobart Synagogue.

The Hobart Synagogue also has a fascinating digital archives with some 1300 items on many subjects about the history of Judaism in Tasmania on the Hobart Synagogue website.

Download a copy

You can download a copy of this newsletter from the publications section of our website.