HCSA Fellowship Free Lecture Night, 30 March, 5.30-7.30pm, at the Hetzel Lecture Theatre
About this event
Come and join us for a free lecture night on Wednesday 30 March from 5:30pm-7:00pm, delivered by our two Fellows, Dr Rebecca Jones (2021 Fellow) and Dr Heidi Ing (2022 Fellow). The two presentations will explore their research projects, which both focus on key aspects of South Australian history and heritage.
Dr Rebecca Jones (2021 Fellow)
Dr Jones is based in rural Victoria and was not able to travel to Adelaide during 2021 to consult the sources at the State Library. We are very pleased to be able to welcome her in March 2022 and to hear of the progress of her research.
Rebecca is investigating how people in settler societies have learnt from the emotional and physical challenges of weather extremes in the past and how this information can contribute to our responses to climate change in the present, using diaries and letters written by nurses working for the Australian Inland Mission in Oodnadatta, Innamincka and Beltana 1900-1920. These sources, held in the State Library of South Australia, provide rich insights into the experiences of people living and working in remote arid areas in the early twentieth century and the many ways that they adapted (or didn’t adapt) to drought, dust, heat and flood.
Dr Heidi Ing (2022 Fellow)
Title: Settler-Colonial Land Speculation: Investors in South Australia’s ‘Town Acres’
As the 2022 Fellow, Heidi Ing’s presentation will focus on aims and ambitions rather than already achieved outcomes. The planned project will involve Kaurna land in Tarntanya, which was divided in early 1837 into 1042 ‘town acres’. In March 1837, through either preliminary land-order or purchase at auction, just over 200 individuals were allocated this appropriated land. This prosopographical project will aim to produce short biographical sketches for these men and women, and to collect microdata into a useful format for future social network analysis. It is expected that connections may be uncovered to link South Australian investors to other settler-colonial endeavours. This presentation will provide an overview of the questions which may be answered through this fellowship project, as well as the potential for geospatial visualisation of the data.