Tasmanian Historical Research Association

01/06/2026

Join us in the Legacy Function Room, rear 159 Macquarie Street, Hobart, at 7.30pm on Tuesday 9 June for our next meeting. Former Friends School librarian will speak about Quaker education, particularly in Hobart.

The people who became known as Quakers emerged in Englad in the 1600s.The established church found some of their beliefs challenging and imposed restrictions. Quakers continued living their beliefs and adjusted some of their ways, including the provision of education for their children. Quaker schools in England were established by the time early Quakers settled in Van Diemen's Land. This talk will explore Quaker education from Walsingham to Hobart.

Kathy Rundle is a member of Hobart Meeting and worked at The Friends School for nearly 25 years as a librarian, teacher, historian and archivist. She is proud to have spent many productive years at Friends’ during which she established the School Archives from scatch and was been responsible for several publications , more recently The People of the School published not long before her retirement.

All welcome.

01/06/2026

Join us for our June Lunchtime Talk as we welcome maritime photographer and long-time Museum volunteer, Rex Cox.

30/05/2026

One of THRA’s favourite speakers, Alan Townsend, will be leading a long-form walk in Kempton (about 7km) on 21 June. It ties together three fantastic characters from 19th century Kempton, along with morning tea, lunch and a really nice walk.

Details and bookings here.

30/05/2026

One of THRA’s favourite speakers, Alan Townsend, is leading a long-form walk (about 7km) in Kempton which ties together three fantastic characters from 19th century Kempton, along with morning tea, lunch and a really nice walk l.
Details and bookings here.

Come on a catered walking tour of Kempton exploring the lives of three quite eccentric historical figures from 'Green Ponds' (Kempton).

18/05/2026

Our wonderful 2026 Eldershaw Lecturer, Clare Wright, has just won the Book of the Year and Douglas Stewart award for Non-Fiction at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, for her book Näku Dhäruk The Bark Petitions. Congratulations Clare!

The 1963 Näku Dhäruk or Yirrkala bark petitions led to Australia's first land rights law. A new book about them just won two prizes at the NSW Literary Awards.

17/05/2026

Behind the scenes at the museum: curator Camille is putting together our newest display, exploring Tasmania's trade history with China.

From the earliest days of the colonial settlement, Hobart merchants were already trading directly with China. Tasmanian ships carried wool, timber and whale oil to Asia, returning with tea, silk, spices and porcelain. In 1845 alone, the Hobart-owned schooner Osprey brought back nearly 1,900 chests and boxes of tea from Hong Kong in a single cargo.

The new display includes a stunning 19th century Chinese export plate in the "Rose Medallion" pattern, featuring vivid colours, intricate gilding, and finely painted birds, insects and figures.

We’ve included a leather document box taken from captured pirate junk by Captain Quayle of barquetine Formosa.

The centrepiece is a recently acquired 1830s teapoy made from blackwood, cedar, casuarina, myrtle, Huon Pine, native cherry, eucalypt, pine, ivory and silver.

17/05/2026

14/05/2026

12/05/2026

Last night the well-known former ABC broadcaster and journalist Helene Chung entertained our members in our annual A Tasmanian Life lecture. If you missed the lecture or would like to hear it again, you can listen here. Don't forget to click the link within the podcast link to view Helene's slideshow while listening to her speak.

Helene Chung speaks about her life growing up as a Chinese Australian girl in Hobart and her storied career as an ABC journalist.

05/05/2026

The Royal Society of Tasmania and Arts National Present- A Joint Lecture
Date: Sunday 14 June 2026
Time: 2.00p.m. followed by foyer drinks after the lecture
Venue: Stanley Burbury Theatre, Sandy Bay Campus.
Cost : $25

Speaker: Adjunct Professorial Fellow Greg Lehman
Topic: Visual Rhetoric in Australian Colonial Art: The Preconditions of Prejudice
You are invited to join us on Sunday 14 June 2026 in the Stanley Burbury Theatre for a compelling and thought-provoking lecture, Visual Rhetoric in Australian Colonial Art: The Preconditions of Prejudice.

This engaging presentation explores how early Australian colonial art drew heavily on visual traditions developed in French and British North America a century earlier. These images, often marked by naïveté and contradiction, nonetheless carry enduring influence, shaping perceptions of Aboriginal people and informing how we understand our place within the Australian landscape today.

The lecture will be delivered by Greg Lehman, an internationally respected authority on the history and representation of Tasmanian Aboriginal people. A descendant of the Trawulwuy people of north-east Tasmania, Professor Lehman brings both scholarly depth and personal insight to his work. His distinguished career includes advanced study at Oxford, a PhD from the University of Tasmania, and major curatorial projects such as First Tasmanians at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery and the award-winning touring exhibition The National Picture: The Art of Tasmania’s Black War.

This is a rare opportunity to hear from a leading voice in the field and to gain fresh perspective on the visual narratives that continue to shape Australian cultural understanding. All are warmly encouraged to attend. Following the lecture, please join us in the foyer to continue the conversation with the speaker and enjoy viewing a selection of rare colonial engravings and lithographs.

This engaging presentation explores how early Australian colonial art drew heavily on visual traditions developed in French and British North...