PHA (Vic & Tas) member's Trove petition tabled in the Senate

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Professional Historians Association (Vic & Tas) member Peter Symons's petition to save Trove was tabled in the Senate by Senator Hanson Young on 8 February 2023.

Peter set up the Change.org petition requesting the Government to Fully Fund Trove one month ago and it has amassed nearly 30,000 signatures.

You can read about the campaign and sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/fully-fund-trove

Additionally, Peter also set up an official parliamentary e-petition closing on 22 February 2023, which you should also sign, be sure to confirm the verification email to make your signature count.

Professional Historians Australia supported by PHA (Vic & Tas) Advocacy Subcommittee is preparing a call to action for members to save Trove, stay tuned for further information in your inbox.

Vale Professor Stuart Macintyre AO

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Professor Stuart Macintyre AO Photo courtesy of MUP

Vale Professor Stuart Macintyre AO (1947-2021)

The Professional Historians Association (Vic & Tas) was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Professor Stuart Macintyre AO.

Many of our members are graduates of the University of Melbourne and had the good fortune to study history there under Stuart Macintyre. His enthusiasm, encouragement, and generosity as a tutor, lecturer, and supervisor fostered the careers of many professional historians.

Stuart’s connection with PHA (Vic & Tas) remained a strong one over many years. When the PHA was established in Victoria in the early 1990s, he was often called on, as a highly-respected historian, to check the credentials of prospective members. In later years Stuart was a popular speaker at our annual dinners and other events. One member recalls his participation on a steering committee for a commissioned history and his dogged support for independent scholarship (against the political forces of the time).

Professor Stuart Macintyre AO is a great loss to the wider history community. We acknowledge his work outside the academy, not only with the Heritage Council of Victoria, but also through his engagement with many history organisations and public history projects.

PHA (Vic & Tas) sends heartfelt condolences to the family and many friends of Stuart Macintyre, a great historian of our time.

 

 

 

COVID-19 and PHA (Vic & Tas)

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Dear Members,
 
We certainly are living through some challenging times. I’m sure that for all of us COVID-19 is affecting the way we work, live and care for others.
 
We here at PHA (Vic & Tas) are adding our voice to the chorus by postponing our next event: the Members’ Meet and Greet (March 26). All members who booked for this have already received an email to this effect and will receive a full refund. We are exploring ways to run this event online using Zoom, which we already use for our committee meetings and will be for the foreseeable future. Stay tuned for more information about online events!
 
As the situation is changing so rapidly, if further events must be postponed we will let you know as soon as we can. At the moment we are saying ‘wait and see’ for our Podcasting Masterclass with 3CR (18 April and 2 May) and the Regional Forum in Beechworth (23 May). I am in touch with our Queensland colleagues who are organising the PHA National Conference (28-19 August) and will support them when they come to a decision about whether it will go ahead and in what format.
 
That said, you will still hear from us via Pharos, our EPD notices and social media. Now more than ever is a great time to connect with us in that way. We will of course keep processing membership applications and the rest of our behind the scenes tasks.
 
We would like to offer you use of our Zoom videoconferencing facilities for meet ups such as our Professional Reading Groups. This enables you to have an extended meeting from the comfort of your own home. Simply email mail@phavic.org.au with your date and time to book.
 
If you are looking for online resources to help you work, we can help. If you are transitioning to teaching online, member Jo Clyne has started the hashtag on Twitter: #teachinghistoryfromhome with lots of good tips. For historical context to our current reality, member Mary Sheehan reflects on the 1919 Spanish Flu in light of coronavirus http://livinghistories.net.au/2020/03/12/were-these-the-good-old-days/. If you like to listen to podcasts, check out the great recommendations in our summer series on our Facebook page. You can also access our own podcasts from past events on the members section of our website.
 
If you need it, information on COVID-19 can be found here:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019?fbclid=IwAR03Qc1IsPGz3TQ06jIUo8clev4uvoR9n4EfAkliYxsIJZm-h1FneIl_ACE
 
My final message to you all is to wish you the best of health and to take care of yourselves as we face uncertainty as we carry out our ordinary lives. Please be in touch if we can support your work.
 
Yours in history
 
Alicia Cerreto
President, PHA (Vic & Tas)