Royal Australian Historical Society

22/09/2026

RAHS Day Lecture – The Olympia Speedway at Maroubra

We are pleased to welcome Ashley Kingston to History House for the RAHS Day Lecture on 7 October 2026 at 1 pm.

Ashley will speak about the little-known history of the Olympia Motor Speedway, which operated at Maroubra in the 1920s.

The Olympia Speedway at Maroubra was a grand, ambitious motor racing venue built on untouched swampland in the 1920s. Featuring steep banks and a mile-long track, it hosted speed records, endurance races, and notable fatalities, leading to its closure amid safety concerns and debts. The site was later repurposed as a major Housing Commission development called Coral Sea Estate.

Ashley Kingston is Vice President of the Randwick Historical Society and Editor of its newsletter. A version of this paper appears in the September 2026 RAHS History magazine.

📅 Wednesday, 7 October 2026, at 1 pm.
📍 History House, 133 Macquarie St, Sydney, and online for remote viewers.
🎟 Free. All welcome! Booking recommended.
👉 https://www.rahs.org.au/shop/tickets-olympia-speedway-maroubra/

📷 Olympia Speedway Official Programme, 1926 (Randwick District Historical Society)

20/09/2026

Applications open for the 2026 Veteran Community Grants Program

The 2026/27 Veteran Community Grants Program is now open, with funding increased to $205,000 and a new Infrastructure and Equipment category offering grants of up to $10,000.

Funding is available for projects that:

👉 Preserve military history and educate the community
👉 Deliver commemorative activities
👉 Support veteran wellbeing
👉 Improve facilities and services for the veteran community

Individuals, councils, schools, community groups and Ex-Service Organisations are encouraged to apply.

📅 Applications close 11 November 2026 at 5:00 pm.

🔗 For further info and to apply: www.veterans.nsw.gov.au/vcgp

18/09/2026

The September issue of the RAHS History Magazine is out now.

Members should have their copies shortly, if they haven't already arrived in your mailbox!

Featuring the latest Australian history news and articles from historians, researchers, writers and more.

Guest Editor:
Christine Yeats FRAHS

Contents:
Ashley Kingston – Tracks of the Past: The Olympia Speedway

Bronwyn Hanna – Eva Buhrich: Refugee Architect and Writer (1913–1976)

Richard Waterhouse – Why (Australian) Family History Matters

Roslyn Russell – When the Royals Came to Bathurst

Jacqui Kennedy – Captain Thomas Fenwick and the ‘Battle of the Bar’

📖 https://www.rahs.org.au/history-magazine/

17/09/2026

Lives at Work: Discovering NSW History Through Archives

Discover how NSW State Archives reveal the working lives of past generations. Explore professions, trades, apprenticeships and occupations to enrich your family or local history research.

This course is held in partnership with WEA Sydney.

Course Outline:
- Unlocking occupation records in the NSW State Archives.
- Following career paths: public servants, professions, occupations and apprenticeships.
- Investigating employment, business and working life.
- Bringing working lives to life through research.

📅 Tuesday, 10 November, 11 am to 1 pm
🖥 Online
🎟 RAHS members $35 | Non-members $39
👉 https://www.rahs.org.au/nsw-lives-at-work-workshop/

📷 Offices at Housing Commission, 1951 (Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection)

17/09/2026

Congratulations to the winners of the History Council NSW Annual History Awards, and to Emeritus Professor Peter Read AM FASSA for receiving the Annual History Citation!

16/09/2026

Congratulations to the winners and shortlisted entries for the 2026 Prime Minister's Literary Awards.

The Australian History prize was awarded to The Southern Frontier by Rohan Howitt (Melbourne University Publishing).

📖 We’re thrilled to congratulate Rohan Howitt, author of ‘The Southern Frontier’, published by Melbourne University Publishing, for taking home the 2026 for Australian History.

‘The Southern Frontier’ traces Australia's Antarctic obsession from its origins in the nineteenth century to the creation of the Australian Antarctic Territory and a permanent national Antarctic program in the 1930s and 1940s.

Rohan Howitt is a lecturer in environmental history at Monash University. His research focuses on the interconnected histories of Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. ‘The Southern Frontier’ is his first book.

Learn more 👉🏽 https://brnw.ch/21x5Bnp



📸Image credit + creative direction:

16/09/2026

Congratulations to the winners, shortlisted and highly commended entries of the 2026 NSW History Awards!

15/09/2026

2026 Western Sydney Seminar

Exploring Land Records and Local Government

The RAHS, in partnership with Museums of History NSW, presents a research seminar on exploring place and local history using land and local government records in the NSW State Archives Collection.

Participants will learn about:
- Local Government Records
- Valuation Records
- Maps and Crown Plans
- Land Tenure Records

The seminar includes a guided tour of the Western Sydney Records Centre, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the State Archives Collection.

📅 Friday, 9 October 2026 @ 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
📍 Western Sydney Records Centre, 161 O’Connell Street, Kingswood NSW 2747
🎫 Tickets: $30 RAHS and Affiliated Society members | $35 non-members (includes a morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea)
🎟 Bookings MUST close by 2nd October.

For more information and bookings 👉 https://www.rahs.org.au/shop/tickets-western-sydney-seminar-2026/

📷 Lands Department Building, Bridge Street, Sydney, c. 1870–1920 (Museums of History NSW)

10/09/2026

Successful Grants and Sharing Your Collection

Join us at History House or online for a day of practical insights into grant applications and sharing your historical collections.

Are you planning a grant application, developing a community history project, or looking for better ways to share your society’s collection? The morning is all about grants.

Get an overview of the Create NSW Museums and History Grants, hear what experienced assessors look for in a strong application, and pick up practical tips for developing project plans and realistic budgets. Our grants panel will tackle common mistakes and answer your questions, before we announce the 2026 Create NSW Local History Grant recipients.

After lunch, we’ll celebrate the volunteers who make local and community history possible with the RAHS Certificates of Achievement and Appreciation. Then we turn to sharing your collections, with practical sessions on copyright and permissions, using eHive to make collections discoverable online, and AI-assisted transcription of handwritten records.

We’ll finish with refreshments and networking in the Reception Rooms, marking our final in-person seminar at History House for 2026 before work begins on the new internal lift.

For more details and the full program: https://www.rahs.org.au/affiliated-societies-seminar-2026/

08/09/2026

Join the Kogarah Historical Society for the book launch of the Second Edition of 'Carss Park, 1770-2026'.

The book will be launched by Elise Borg, Georges River Council Mayor. Come and enjoy a pictorial presentation of Carss Park with afternoon tea. All welcome and free entry.

📅 Saturday, 12 September at 2:00 pm.
📍 Kogarah School of Arts, Cnr Bowns Rd & Queens Ave, Kogarah.

For inquiries: Phill Scott - Ph: 0400 964 253