ISAA Victoria Newsletter
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all members a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. In the last newsletter for the year are details of two upcoming events and an annual report is attached. Let me know if you would be interested in making a presentation in 2012 so we can start preparing our program.
Coming event: Thursday 8 December
Professor John Ramsland, an: ISAA member from Newcastle, will be launching his latest book: From Antarctica to the Gold Rushes: In the wake of the Erebus.
Level 1, Trades Hall Cnr Victoria & Lygon Streets, Carlton 6-8 PM
RSVP: admin@brolgapublishing.com.au
For more details: http://www.bellaunion.com.au/program_guide/show_516/
For your diary:
Thursday 9 February 2011; Melbourne City Library 5:00 pm
Robert Stoves talk on the composer Cesar Franck.
See publisher's report at https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810882072
ISAA Victorian Group Annual Report
Since November 2010 regular contact with ISAA members has been made through newsletters that appear every two or three months. These publicise our meetings as well as letting members know of other events in which ISAA members have been involved.
We also work with other scholarly organizations in monitoring how well the State Library of Victoria serves the needs of researchers like ourselves. This is done through the State Library Users' Organisation Council (SLUOC). Ian represents ISAA on this council and in October this year was elected President of this group.
Our meetings have been held in a meeting room at the Melbourne City Library. This is centrally located in the heart of Melbourne, and they only charge us the community rate of $5:00 per hour for its use. We began with 11:00 am meetings but then moved to late afternoon meetings as these were felt to be more convenient, and could also be followed by a dinner.
Meetings for 2011
- Thursday 24 February: Ian Keese on "Australian democracy today: a diagnosis"
- Thursday 19 May. Ross Gayler on "Recognising unicorns: an introduction to Cognitive Science"
- Thursday 18 August Sheridan Palmer on "Hegel's owl - the biography of Bernard Smith and the importance of distance"
Other events by ISAA members publicised
- Wednesday, 16 February: From Moree to Mabo: The Mary Gaudron Story'
- A biography of former High Court Justice Mary Gaudron by ACT ISAA member Pamela Burton.
- Wednesday, 16 February An exhibition, curated by Sheridan Palmer of prints, photographs and paintings called the Lake Hindmarsh project, and which was opened by the ABC Michael Cathcart on 16th February
- August: ISAA member and historian Stella Barber was involved in a two part series shown on SBS called "Seduction in the city - the birth of shopping"
Meetings for 2012 proposed so far:
- R. J. (Rob) Stove on the work of the Belgian-born, but French-resident, composer and organist César Franck (1822-1890). Rob's book CÉSAR FRANCK: HIS LIFE AND TIMES (the first biography of this musician in the English language for decades) is due to be published at the end of this year, by Scarecrow Press of Maryland.
- Stella Barber providing a background to "Seduction in the city"
Evaluation
While we have maintained a presence in Melbourne and have had lively discussions attendance at meetings has remained small. Factors responsible include a wide range of similar activities by established groups in Melbourne, some of which, like the Wheeler Centre have strong financial support- and the age and health of some of our regular members. We have had some new members and if these are followed up for 2012 we may be able to support five or six activities for 2012.
We appreciate the council support of a seeding fund of $100.00 for this year, and hope that by 2013 we can become self-supporting.
Ian Keese
Email: iankeese@zeta.org.au
Mail: Box 79 Doncaster
Phone 0423 536 656.