Whether it be the Historical Society, the Aviation Museum, the Family Research Group, the Migrant Camp Exhibition or the RSL — we have a number of people doing amazing work to protect our history.
And you can recognise one or more of them thanks to the Victorian Community History Awards.
These are held annually to recognise the contributions made by Victorians in the preservation of the state’s fascinating past.
Presented by Public Record Office Victoria and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, the awards celebrate the people involved in community history projects who are dedicated to telling their local stories and helping Victorians to better understand their past.
Entries are now open for 2019 across the following categories:
●Victorian Premier’s History Award — $5000;
●Collaborative Community History Project — $2000;
●Local History Project — $2000;
●History Publication — $2000;
●Local History — Small Publication — $1500;
●Cultural Diversity Project — $1500;
●Multimedia History Project — $1500;
●Historical Interpretation — $1500;
●Oral History — $1500; and
●History Article (Peer-Reviewed) — $500.
Past award-winning and commended projects have included local history publications and exhibitions by history groups and museums, sports histories by local clubs and fans, honour boards and displays by RSLs and schools, and individual documentary projects, publications, apps and websites by people seeking to share the stories of their towns, businesses, and local people.
The 2017 Victorian Premier’s History Award winner, John Burch, put it well.
‘‘Community History is a precious commodity,’’ Mr Burch said.
‘‘Across Victoria community organisations are rediscovering and preserving our history, often without any outside assistance.
‘‘The Victorian Community History Awards offer these organisations two things — recognition of the importance of what they do and inspiring models of what can be done.’’
●To enter, visit www.historyvictoria.org.au/programs/victorian-community-history-awards
All entries must be received by 2pm, Friday, July 19.