Heidelberg Historical Society Explained

Heidelberg Historical Society
Established:1967
Location:Jika St & Park Ln, Heidelberg VIC 3084, Australia
Type:History museum
Website:http://www.heidelberghistoricalsociety.com.au

Heidelberg Historical Society is a museum and research organisation devoted to the local and community history of Heidelberg and surrounding areas in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The Society is a membership organisation that was founded in 1967.[1] It opened its museum and research centre in the former Heidelberg Courthouse in 1979 and continues to operate these facilities with support from volunteer members.[2] The Society became incorporated as an association in 2002[3] and is an affiliated society of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.[4] The Society is located in the City of Banyule, a local government municipality.

Building

The Society's headquarters and museum is the Old Heidelberg Courthouse,[5] formerly part of the Magistrate's Court of Victoria. The red brick building was designed by J B Cohen (an architect in the Public Works Department) and built by Swanson Bros.[6] The foundation stone was laid on 4 October 1899 and work continued throughout the Australian summer, in time for the opening and first court on 2 April 1900.[7]

The Courthouse continued in use until 1979 when a more modern courthouse was built nearby in Jika Street.[8]

The building is owned by the State Government of Victoria and is managed by a committee of the Society.

The Old Heidelberg Courthouse was listed on the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) register in 1982 as it is 'an unusual example of Edwardian period architecture'. The statement of significance draws attention to the 'high octagonal Court Room which has clerestory windows and a steeply pitched hipped roof (formerly slate), is surrounded by ancillary offices with a prominent entrance porch and door with a leadlight over'.[9]

In 2018, the Society joined the Open House Melbourne program, making the building available for public viewing on Saturday 28 July.[10]

Collection

The Society collects and preserves historically significant records and items from the Heidelberg district from its early beginnings in 1838 and the subsequent Shire of Heidelberg (1871-1934), City of Heidelberg (1934-1994) and City of Banyule (from 1994), as established within their boundaries from time to time. The Heidelberg District encompassed a large area to the north-east of the Melbourne stretching from the Merri Creek along the Yarra River and Plenty River through the Diamond Valley to the Kinglake Ranges.

The Society collects objects, photographs, maps, business & community archives, audio-visual media, local newspapers, and electronic databases. It also has a reference library and a number of other information resources to support research.[11]

Exhibitions

The Society develops exhibitions that display items from its own collections, often augmented by loans from members. Recent exhibitions include:

Activities

The Society is an advocate for heritage preservation in its locality[20] [21] [22] and works to acknowledge major civic and community milestones.[23]

It hosts public meetings at which guest speakers present information and ideas that are relevant to the history of the Heidelberg district. Tours to sites of local historic interest are organised from time to time. Volunteers at the museum can assist researchers with enquiries.

The Society publishes The Heidelberg Historian, a regular bimonthly newsletter.[24]

The Society is a not-for-profit organisation that is funded by its members and donors, with additional support for specific projects from a range of institutions.[25] [26] [27] [28]

Awards and recognition

The Society is recognised as a Place of Deposit by the Public Record Office of Victoria (PROV) and is approved to hold original public records that are of local interest and significance.[29]

The exhibition 'An Invitation to the Ball' won 'Best Exhibit/Display' category[30] in the Victorian Community History Awards[31] that were presented in October 2010.

The exhibition 'A Brush with Heidelberg' was commended in the Historical Interpretation category of the Victorian Community History Awards that were presented in October 2016[32] and the exhibition was listed as "one of the six reasons to visit Heidelberg" in the Age newspaper[33] in August 2016.

The Society's 50th anniversary in 2017 was acknowledged by the Parliament of Victoria.[34]

In 2018 the Society was recognised as a significant part of the Ivanhoe district by member for Ivanhoe Mr Anthony Carbines MP in his speech on the "Planning and Environment Amendment (Distinctive Areas and Landscapes) Bill 2017" for the Parliament of Victoria.[35]

An item from the Society's collection, Heidelberg's Busy Bee Signature Quilt (1895–96), was listed on the National Quilt Register in May 2019.[36]

Also in May 2019, the Weekday Volunteers won the Community Group Award in Banyule City Council's annual volunteer awards.[37]

The exhibition 'Heidelberg's Busy Bee Signature Quilt 1895–96' was commended in the Collaborative Community Award category of the Victorian Community History Awards that were presented in October 2019.[38]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Cummins, Cyril. Heidelberg since 1936: A Pictorial History. Williams. Peter J.. Bailey. Christopher. Heidelberg Historical Society. 1982. 2nd. Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia. 110.
  2. Web site: Heidelberg Historical Society - About Us. www.heidelberghistoricalsociety.com.au. 2018-05-18.
  3. Web site: Incorporation data for Heidelberg Historical Society. Community Affairs Victoria. 2018-05-18.
  4. Web site: Search membersocieties. collections.historyvictoria.com.au. 2018-05-20.
  5. Web site: Heidelberg Historical Society, Friends of Banyule hope Banyule Homestead buyer deserving of historic mansion. The Herald Sun. 2018-05-21.
  6. Web site: VHD. vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au. en-AU. 2018-05-18.
  7. Web site: Heidelberg Historical Society - Our Museum. www.heidelberghistoricalsociety.com.au. 2018-05-18.
  8. Web site: Heidelberg Historical Society - Our Museum. www.heidelberghistoricalsociety.com.au. 2018-05-18.
  9. Web site: VHD. vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au. en-AU. 2018-05-18.
  10. Web site: Old Heidelberg Courthouse. 2018. Open House Melbourne. 2018-06-22.
  11. Web site: Heidelberg Historical Society - Collections. www.heidelberghistoricalsociety.com.au. 2018-05-18.
  12. April 2010. President's Report. Heidelberg Historian. 257. 5.
  13. Web site: An invitation to the ball : an exhibition from the Heidelberg Historical Society... on eHive. eHive. en. 2018-05-20.
  14. April 2013. Against the Forces. Heidelberg Historian. 275. 4.
  15. April 2016. Society News. Heidelberg Historian. 293. 3.
  16. April 2017. Society News. Heidelberg Historian. 299. 3.
  17. "President's Report", Heidelberg Historian. 306: 3. June 2018.
  18. "A special donation from Heidelberg Scots Uniting Church...", Heidelberg Historian. 307: 6. August 2018.
  19. August 2021. President's Report. Heidelberg Historian. 325. 3.
  20. News: Heidelberg Historical Society, Friends of Banyule hope Banyule Homestead buyer deserving of historic mansion. Armitage. Laura. 15 April 2014. Heidelberg Leader. 2018-05-22.
  21. News: Caerleon homestead in Eaglemont demolished to make way for multistorey townhouses. Wray-McCann. Jesse. 19 April 2017. Heidelberg Leader. 2018-05-22. Withiel. Cathy.
  22. News: Airlie Aged Care in Ivanhoe under threat from developer. Koenig. Rick. 8 May 2017. Heidelberg Leader. 2018-05-22.
  23. News: Heidelberg History Society collates memorabilia to celebrate 80 years since the City of Heidelberg was gazetted. Armitage. Laura. 2 August 2014. Heidelberg Leader. 2018-05-22.
  24. Web site: The Heidelberg historian : newsletter of the Heidelberg and District Historical Society. - Version details. Trove. en. 2018-05-20.
  25. Web site: Successful Organisations - Victoria Department of Social Services, Australian Government. 2018-05-21. www.dss.gov.au. en.
  26. Web site: 19 December 2019. Local History Grants Program - Round 16 Recipients 2017-2018. 8 June 2020. Public Record Office Victoria.
  27. October 2013. Invested back in the East Ivanhoe and Heidelberg community. Community Snapshot - Bendigo Bank. 2.
  28. Web site: Grant recipients. 8 June 2020. Banyule City Council.
  29. Web site: Public Records in Victorian Communities - Google My Maps. Google My Maps. 2018-05-18.
  30. Take me to the Ball. Heidelberg Historian. October 2010. 260. 6.
  31. Web site: Community History Awards PROV. www.prov.vic.gov.au. en. 2018-05-18.
  32. Web site: Victorian Community History Awards 2016. Public Record Office Victoria. 10. 2018-05-18.
  33. News: 6 reasons to visit Heidelberg.(Spectrum). The Age (Melbourne, Australia). Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited. 2016. 6. 0312-6307.
  34. Web site: Carbines. Anthony. 10 May 2017. Members' statements. 2018-05-22. Parliament of Victoria.
  35. Web site: Carbines. Anthony. 20 February 2018. Hansard. 8 June 2020. Parliament of Victoria. en-AU.
  36. https://www.nationalquiltregister.org.au/quilts/heidelberg-busy-bee-signature-quilt/ National Quilt Register
  37. https://www.banyule.vic.gov.au/Council/News-and-Public-Notices/Volunteers-celebrated-at-Banyule%E2%80%99s-2019-Volunteer-Awards Banyule City Council website news, 20 May 2019
  38. Web site: 14 October 2019. Victorian Community History Awards - Winners 2019. 8 June 2020. Public Record Office Victoria.

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