Coburg Historical Society

28/08/2026

How did I miss “ International Dog Day” ?
Fabulous photos of some family dogs from the State Library collection.

21/08/2026

Thank you to all the CHS members who attended to AGM on Wednesday night; welcome also to the visitors - and new members - who joined us for the meeting.

The AGM provided a terrific opportunity to use the MerriBek library’s new Soundfield system - I had to turn the volume up during the meeting due to the noise of the heavy rain outside!

If you were at the AGM - did you find the sound system, and the live captions helpful? Please let me know in the comments.

03/08/2026

Calling all amateur historians and community minded people! The Coburg Historical Society’s Annual General Meeting will be held at the Coburg Library meeting room at 7:30pm, on Wednesday 19th August.
Current CHS members and interested members of the general public are welcome to attend the AGM. We have a big couple of years ahead of us, with the plans for the new building well underway - featuring an exhibition space, storage, office and collection preparation area, research space, and walkway through to the restored Bluestone Cottage! Restoration of the cottage is also part of the project.

There is a LOT of work to be done - cataloging and packing the entire collection to go into storage; planning for the new displays; planning for some outreach events; revising policy and planning for the future.

Committee of Management meetings are held once a month, on a Thursday night at the Coburg Library. We have a very small band of dedicated volunteers, but would very gladly welcome more members on the committee. More people means more input and ideas, as well as opening up the possibility of setting up special interest sub committees for specific tasks.

Our wonderful volunteer secretary Tim will be stepping down from the role, so we are putting the call out for a new secretary.All committee positions will be declared vacant at the AGM, so why not come along to the AGM and nominate for one of the positions!

Hope to see you there,
regards,
CHS Committee of Management .

26/07/2026

Interested in collecting your family’s oral history? Learn more at this upcoming symposium.

The OHV Annual Symposium is fast approaching and this year will focus on precarious oral histories. Last year, the Identifying Victorian Precarious Oral History Collections project was hugely successful in identifying close to 10,000 oral history recordings in the Victorian community at risk of being lost without support for their sustainable preservation.

Join us for a conversation with our fantastic panellists (see details in the tickets link) as we reflect on the state of precariousness of oral history collections and what we can do to move from a phase of identification to preservation for more of these critical historical and cultural materials.

Date: Friday Aug 21st, 20206

Time: 9:30am – 12:30pm

Location: Royal Historical Society of Victoria, 239 A’Beckett St, Melbourne, 3000, and online on zoom.

Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/victoria-s-precarious-oral-history-collections-from-identification-to-preservation

Make a day of it and join the afternoon training session 'Oral History for the Future: Preservation and Accessibility.' Detail here: https://events.humanitix.com/oral-history-for-the-future-preservation-and-accessibility

13/07/2026

Please note - the presentation this Wednesday has unfortunately been cancelled. We will keep you posted when a new date is scheduled.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, our event on Wednesday 15 July, Billibellary's different courage with Professor Richard Broome has been postponed. Registered attendees will be emailed shortly.

Subscribe to our newsletter or keep an eye on this page to learn when the event will be rescheduled.

📧Subscribe today: https://bit.ly/44m7nIR

09/07/2026

Presentation next Wednesday 15 July at the Coburg library, 7:30pm.

Presented by the Coburg Historical Society. This lecture will explore Aboriginal responses to European colonisation.

06/07/2026

A snippet of history to think about next time you are brushing your teeth!

What was inside someone’s bathroom cabinet in the 1930s? 🪥

This prophylactic dental powder might give us an idea, recalling a time when hygiene products were packaged in metal and glass.

Plastic packaging became more commonplace after WWII, gaining widespread popularity in the 1950s and ‘60s.

In the '30s, this retro Colgate dental powder was touted in advertisements as delivering 'a healthy mouth, lustrous stain-free teeth, and pleasant breath'.

05/07/2026

Great news - if you missed the fabulous live projection event last weekend, several of the projections will be shown over the next few weeks, in the Victoria Street Mall, Coburg Library and Coburg Station. Brave the cold in the evening and head into central Coburg for a look.

29/06/2026

The panopticon layout of the State Library was inspired by the panopticons used in prisons - including Pentridge.

26/06/2026

Thank you to all those involved in the fabulous projection and storytelling event in central Coburg tonight - “Coburg Close Up”! The weather was chilly, but we were warmed by the wonderful stories of marvellous, multicultural Merri-bek, projected onto buildings around the centre of Coburg.
For those who couldn’t make it, or were unable to get a ticket, here is a collection of photos, presented in the order of the walk from the starting point at the Coburg Library, to Sydney Road, Russel St, the Greek Orthodox Church on Victoria Street, and the Coburg Station. The walk officially finished back at the Coburg library, with a mini coffee cart offering a hot cuppa.
Here’s hoping for another night of good ( albeit cold!) weather for the repeat event tomorrow night!