Meetings

General meetings, which feature an address from a guest speaker, are free and are held at the Burnside Community Centre at 7.30pm on the third Monday of each month. Members of the public are welcome to attend any of the general meetings.

View the full record of past meetings, including details of the talk and how to access recordings.

Upcoming Meetings

7:30 pm Monday 15 July 2019

Presented by Michael Donoghue

Abergeldie House in Glen Osmond was once the home of Max Weidenbach – an Egyptologist who was a member of the very significant Lepsius Expedition to Egypt in the 19th Century and who subsequently migrated to South Australia. Adelaide has been enriched by the gift of his Egyptology collection to the South Australian Museum. Among the collection was his previously unknown diary of the expedition which is soon to be published to an expectant international Egyptological community. What was his role during the expedition? Why did he come to Adelaide? What was his life like here? The talk will be richly illustrated with images.

Michael O’Donoghue has retired from lecturing in Religion Studies at the University of South Australia. As well as offering courses at the University in ancient Egyptian religion he had led ten study tours to Egypt, Syria and Jordan. He has been appointed an Honorary Research Associate in Egyptology by the South Australian Museum where he is involved in researching the Museum’s Egyptian collection. It is this that led him to spend twenty years searching for the Weidenbach diary.

All welcome. No charge. Refreshments provided.

Location

Coralie Soward Hall, Burnside Community Centre (adjacent Burnside Library)

401 Greenhill Road, Tusmore SA 5065

Enter car park from Fisher Street, off Portrush Road

7:30 pm Monday 19 August 2019

Presented by Margaret Ford

The olive has been an essential commodity for centuries, a source of oil for medicine, food, and even waterproofing boots! Several olive plants came out on HMS Buffalo in 1836. One of those trees is said to survive in North Adelaide. There have been olive oil scandals, including SA oil sold as pure, but contaminated with cotton seed. Names such as Stevenson, Bailey and Davenport are part of the South Australian story. A tiny piece of paper, probably a label from an olive oil bottle of about 1890, claiming purity, no contaminants, was the impetus for this talk.

Margaret Ford trained as a primary school teacher in 1964-65 and has been learning ever since. She has been principal of 4 primary schools, project manager for state-wide education areas like crime prevention, provided advice to the Minister for Education and written replies for Hansard. Her passion has always been history, especially the social history of South Australia. She has presented papers to state history conferences and associations on topics ranging from Spitfires to Crossley cars. Her passion for the study of olive oil began at Beaumont House, working as a volunteer with the National Trust.

All welcome. No charge. Refreshments provided.

Location

Coralie Soward Hall, Burnside Community Centre (adjacent Burnside Library)

401 Greenhill Road, Tusmore SA 5065

Enter car park from Fisher Street, off Portrush Road

7:30 pm Monday 16 September 2019

Presented by Howard Speed

South Australia has a rich colonial photographic history, including Australia’s first landscapes, first Art society and first Royal photographer, all of which will be outlined. The works of Townsend Duryea, Robert Tennent, “Professor” Robert Hall, and the Nixon family will also be illustrated. We are fortunate that today’s photography has been based on such a sound footing from our early colonists.

Howard Speed joined his first camera club in 1956, and over the years has used the moving image and still images in both black and white and colour. Twenty years ago, the South Australian Photographic Federation appointed Howard as its historian. He has organised two retrospective exhibitions, interviewed and been interviewed about photography and written four photographic histories.

All welcome. No charge. Refreshments provided.

Location

Coralie Soward Hall, Burnside Community Centre (adjacent Burnside Library)

401 Greenhill Road, Tusmore SA 5065

Enter car park from Fisher Street, off Portrush Road