What we do
The Society provides a wide range of services and activities for members and the general public. These include:
- Operating our Resource centre and research service at the Curtin Shopping Centre. Resources include books, periodicals, maps, photographs and extensive and unique files of newspaper cuttings and ephemera. For more information see the next section 'Guide to the CDHS Collection'.
- Scheduling regular talks at our monthly meetings (on the second Tuesday of each month from February to November).
- Publishing our highly regarded journal (Canberra Historical Journal) and newsletter (Canberra History News).
- Selling a range of items including new and second hand history books, photographs and back copies of our Journal and Newsletter.
- Holding the Canberra Day Oration to celebrate Canberra's birthday on 12 March each year.
- Hosting the Canberra & District Facebook page.
- Partnering with like-minded groups to hold events such as the ACT and Region Heritage Symposium and the 'Fooling Around in Flannels: Cricket on the Limestone Plains' exhibition at the Hall School Museum and Heritage Centre during 2021.
- Advocating for the preservation of significant cultural heritage such as the Kingston Hotel.
Significant projects rely on receiving one-off government grants. We are grateful for project funding received through ACT government Heritage Grants and Commonwealth government Community Heritage Grants. Membership subscriptions, book sales and member donations go towards covering our ongoing operational costs of which office rent is by far the largest component.
A number of our current and former members have been recognised for their work through awards by the Federation of Australian Historical Societies. In recent years they have included:
Fellowships
- 1999 Lyall Gillespie (deceased)
- 1999 Alan Roberts
- 2001 Patricia Clarke
- 2008 Don Garden
- 2012 Michael Pearson
- 2017 Richard Reid
Merit Awards
- 2010 Alan Foskett
- 2011 David Meyers (deceased)
- 2017 Father Brian Maher (deceased)
- 2020 Allen Mawer
- 2020 Julia Ryan
Many of our members have been recognised by the award of Australia Honours or inclusion in the Canberra Honour Walk.
