Look History in the Eye, Melbourne

Look History in the Eye, Melbourne

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Look History in the Eye is produced in Melbourne, Australia at the Victorian Archives Centre, where a hundred kilometres of historic records about Victoria’s past are carefully preserved in climate controlled vaults. We meet the people who dig into archival boxes, look history in the eye and then wonder why. You can download copies of original records featured in each episode by going to the Look History in the Eye page on the Public Record Office Victoria website here: https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

Public Record Office Victoria

Melbourne VIC, Australia


    • Jan 7, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 32m AVG DURATION
    • 16 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Look History in the Eye, Melbourne

    The Sandy Point skeleton: Solving a decades-old enigma

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2025 42:30 Transcription Available


    Unravel the enigma of the 'Sandy Point Man'. Discover how advanced forensic techniques combined with historical detective work put a name to a skeleton discovered off the coast of Victoria in 2017. With Victorian forensic experts Dr. Dadna Hartman and Dr. Runa Daniel leading the charge, hear how they applied complex methods like bomb pulse dating and forensic genetic genealogy to give the body a name and reveal what happened the day he disappeared.This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    Travelling to Tomorrow: Australian women of 1920s America

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2024 49:47 Transcription Available


    Join us as we journey into the profound stories of Australian women who ventured to the United States during the 1920s and 1930s, leaving their mark on the art world, sport, politics, and society. With historian Dr. Yves Rees as our guide, we uncover research into pioneering artist Mary Cecil Allen, Judge May Lahey, surfer and teacher Isabel Letham and social economist Persia Campbell, whose remarkable achievements built bridges across the Pacific before the second world war tied the knot. A lecture by Dr Rees following the publication of their book Travelling To Tomorrow.  This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    The Brookside girls

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2024 32:32 Transcription Available


    Interview with award-winning journalist Erica Cervini.  The Brookside girls is episode 14 of Look history in the eye. Erica Cervini is an award-winning education journalist, researcher and family historian. She recently wrote an article for Public Record Office Victoria's Provenance Journal about the Brookside Reformatory for Girls in Cape Clear, ten miles from Scarsdale Victoria. We delve into her research in this episode, including the cruel and unusual treatment, multiple escapes, and what we can learn from its ultimate failure today. Presented by Tara Oldfield and Public Record Office Victoria.The featured song, A bird in a gilded cage, is performed by Tara Oldfield (vocals) and Sarah Harris (piano). Additional voice acting is done by Natasha Cantwell, Asa Letourneau and Sebastian Gurciullo.Please note that this episode contains details of child abuse in institutional care and may be upsetting for some listeners.Visit the episode page to see original records related to the Brookside girls, and for a link to Erica's Provenance article: https://prov.vic.gov.au/podcast-episode-14-brookside-girlsThis podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    Unravelling phrenology: a dive into a controversial past and its modern implications

    Play Episode Play 28 sec Highlight Listen Later Feb 6, 2024 39:01


    Prepare to journey back in time to the captivating, yet controversial world of phrenology, with our guest Dr. Alexandra Roginski. This episode takes you from the hustle and bustle of public readings and fortune-tellers in Melbourne's Eastern Arcade to the somber tale of the Gunn-Alley Murder. We shed light on the rise and fall of phrenology, and delve into the intriguing parallels between phrenology and modern facial analysis technology and artificial intelligence. With Australian technology researchers Chris O'Neil and Edward Santow we explore some of the ethical concerns surrounding this technology, including its potential for discrimination and false assumptions. SPEAKERSPodcast Presenter Kate Follington, Dr Alexandra Roginski, Christopher O'Neil,  Professor Edward Santow. This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    Unearthed: The audacious story of Fanny Finch, pioneer and rule-breaker

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2023 50:17 Transcription Available


    Hold on to your hats as we unearth the audacious story of Fanny Finch, an English emigrant who journeyed to Australia in the 1830s. Finch, a woman of colour, dodged open mine shafts and drunken men to succeed as a businesswoman and a trailblazer for women's rights in her efforts to survive as a single mother.  We also bring to light how her life inspired an award-winning stage play, which clinched the Victorian Community History Award for innovative historical interpretation in 2021.Our special guests, historian Kasey Sinclair from La Trobe University and Fanny Finch's descendants, Bill and Alice Garner, offer their unique perspectives in tracing the life of this tenacious woman. Note: In this episode the host describes Finding Fanny Finch as a 2022 Victorian Community History Award-winning project. Finding Fanny Finch actually won in 2021 and performed at the 2022 award ceremony. See photos of their 2022 performance here. This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    The Boy in the Dress

    Play Episode Play 30 sec Highlight Listen Later Jun 27, 2023 51:20 Transcription Available


    Author, Jonathan Butler shares insight into his book The Boy in the Dress. This gripping family memoir shares Butler's archival research journey investigating the unsolved murder of his serviceman relative. It shines fresh light on Australia's queer military history. Today's episode is a recording of our Melbourne Writers Festival event from 2022 with author Jonathan Butler in conversation with Dr Yves Rees. Dr Rees is an historian at La Trobe University and co-host of the Archive Fever podcast.  This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    Activism on the goldfields: Victorian Chinese petitions

    Play Episode Play 33 sec Highlight Listen Later Jun 13, 2023 22:47 Transcription Available


    The Australian gold rush years saw a boom in immigration and prosperity, but it wasn't always a harmonious time. Racist attitudes towards Chinese people in Victoria led to discriminatory legislation. Standing up against this oppression, thousands of Chinese people presented petitions to government. These petitions are some of Victoria's earliest examples of activism and they provide a rare opportunity to capture Chinese perspectives and their experiences in the young colony. This is a recording of a guest lecture by Anna Kyi for History Month 2022. This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    Queer stories from the archives

    Play Episode Play 33 sec Highlight Listen Later May 16, 2023 25:50 Transcription Available


    Talk by Angela Bailey, Vice-President of the Australian Queer Archives.Queer stories from the archives, episode 9 of the podcast series Look history in the eye discusses the Australian Queer Archives and the records in PROV's collection that have a unique meaning to Victoria's contemporary queer communities. This talk was originally given at the Victorian Archives Centre for International Archives Day 2022.Presented by Public Record Office Victoria.This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    The Kamarooka panther

    Play Episode Play 30 sec Highlight Listen Later Jan 24, 2023 17:00 Transcription Available


    Interview with Desiree Pettit-Keating from the Bendigo Regional Archives Centre.We're venturing out of Melbourne forThe Kamarooka panther, episode 8 of the podcast series Look History in the Eye. This episode is about the 1907 sighting of a creature known as the 'Kamarooka Panther'. The big cat was first spotted by sisters Alheith and Trine Christensen and made headlines from Bendigo to Melbourne, and right across the State.In this episode, Bendigo Regional Archives Centre's Desiree Pettit-Keating delves into Public Record Office Victoria and Bendigo Regional Archives records to tell the story of the Christensen family, their life just outside of Bendigo, and their strange encounter with this mysterious creature. Presented by Tara Oldfield and Public Record Office Victoria.Visit the episode page here: https://prov.vic.gov.au/podcast-episode-8-kamarooka-panther This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    Charles Troedel Archive

    Play Episode Play 22 sec Highlight Listen Later Jun 28, 2022 36:57 Transcription Available


    Talk by Amanda Scardamaglia, Associate Professor and Department Chair of the Swinburne Law School and author of Printed on Stone: The Lithographs of Charles Troedel.Charles Troedel Archive, episode 7 of the podcast series Look history in the eye explores nineteenth century Melbourne through the lens of advertising. This talk was originally given at the Victorian Archives Centre for Melbourne Design Week 2022.Presented by Public Record Office Victoria.This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    Pioneer girls and flappers

    Play Episode Play 34 sec Highlight Listen Later Apr 26, 2022 17:54 Transcription Available


    Talk by Katie Wood, PhD Candidate in history at La Trobe University and Senior Archivist at the University of Melbourne Archives.Pioneer girls and flappers, episode 6 of the podcast series Look history in the eye looks at the women who worked in Footscray's munitions factory during World War One, and earlier. This talk was originally given as an online presentation for International Women's Day 2022. Presented by Public Record Office Victoria.This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    Pentridge prison escape

    Play Episode Play 32 sec Highlight Listen Later Apr 19, 2022 30:24 Transcription Available


    Interview with crime writer Susanna LobezPentridge Prison Escape, Episode 5 of the podcast series Look History in the Eye is about the 1955 escape of five prisoners. Yet this was not to be the first escape from Pentridge and it would not be the last.As guest crime writer Susanna Lobez puts it: "There are three ways to undergo a prison sentence. The soft way. Which is where the prisoner obeys all the rules and works off their time as quickly as they can. The hard way. In which case they cause the authorities as much grief and aggravation as they possibly can and become known as a troublesome prisoner. And, of course, the third way is to escape." Presented by Tara Oldfield and Public Record Office Victoria. This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    Deadtown to musictown

    Play Episode Play 31 sec Highlight Listen Later Apr 12, 2022 23:38 Transcription Available


    Interviews with food writer Michael Harden, restaurateur Tiberio Donnini, and economist John NieuwenhuysenBefore the pandemic Melbourne was considered the music and food capital of Australia, and it all happened in just two decades. This episode Deadtown to Musictown for Look History in the Eye, explores the backstory behind how food and music culture became the lifeblood of the City. Some claim it's all thanks to a person called John. The story begins with the discovery of a protest poster held at Public Record Office Victoria criticising the person brave enough to make drinking alcohol after 6 ... normal. Presented by Kate Follington and Public Record Office Victoria View the original archival record on the episode page This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    They called her Madame B

    Play Episode Play 30 sec Highlight Listen Later Apr 5, 2022 26:07 Transcription Available


    Interview with archival historian and writer Barbara Minchinton. They called her Madame B is the third episode of the podcast from Public Record Office Victoria, Look History in the Eye. Little was known of famous 19th Century Melbourne businesswoman Madame Brussels, that is until Barbara Minchinton researched her family tree and discovered in 2018 an old photo album which belonged to her family was still in the hands of an ancestor Dennis James. It finally put a face to the rumours which had dominated her legacy in Melbourne for over a century.   Presented by Kate Follington and Public Record Office Victoria. View the original archival record on the episode page.This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    Monuments for the masses

    Play Episode Play 30 sec Highlight Listen Later Mar 29, 2022 25:33 Transcription Available


    Interviews with architectural historians Derham Groves and Seamus O'Hanlon. Monuments for the masses, episode 2 of the podcast series Look history in the eye explores the reasons why Melbourne was desperate for a landmark in the 1970s and where it all went wrong. Melbourne loves to look back and laugh at the kitschy ideas that were submitted in the Landmark Competition. But the archives tell a different story, one where world-famous architects and artists were let down by a process too idealistic to ever succeed.Presented by Natasha Cantwell and Public Record Office Victoria.This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

    The silent prison: Pentridge and the panopticon

    Play Episode Play 33 sec Highlight Listen Later Mar 29, 2022 21:56 Transcription Available


    Interviews with Melbourne archaeologists Adam Ford and Geoff Hewitt.  The Silent Prison, Episode 1 of the podcast Look History in the Eye is about the convergence of ideology and design. Pentridge Prison, in Melbourne and its on-site panopticons were the physical manifestation of criminal reform ideas in the 1800s. Radical concepts of that time were designed into the architectural vision for the prison and introduced a method we now know as one of mankind's most brutal forms of punishment. Presented by Kate Follington and Public Record Office Victoria This podcast is produced by Public Record Office Victoria the archive of the state government of Victoria. To view the podcast homepage and all episodes, and to view records related to this episode go to https://prov.vic.gov.au/look-history-eye-podcast

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