Our local history conferences

Memories of Stephens Conference 2023

Saturday 21 October 2023 at Our Lady’s College, 15 Chester Road, Annerley

Talks were given on the history of the Stephens Shire, including local railway and tram history, the Stephens Scout Group, Chinese in Stephens, the South Brisbane Cemetery, Tennyson, Yeronga Aboriginal history, the Congregational church, the Wilderness and Tarragindi, the eminent Dr Winterbottom and WWII war heroes.

Twelve distinguished speakers presented their papers. It was a great day and close to a hundred local history lovers attended.

These papers in addition to others written on the history of the area will be published in 2024 in the upcoming Memories of Stephens book.

The Women of Stephens Conference 2021

Saturday 16 October 2021 at Mary Mac Community Centre 616 Ipswich Road, Annerley

Women have long been underrepresented in the recording of history globally and locally. This conference will feature stories of women from all walks of life and background who lived and worked in the Stephens area of the Southside of Brisbane. You will hear about our First Nations women, convict women, women who lived through world wars, women who have written about the area, women who have broken new territory in their chosen professions and generations of women who have lived, worked, and raised children in the area.

Speakers and topics include (in alphabetic order of speaker’s first name)

Georgina Dove: Women of 4 generations in the community – Canning, Dove, Hawke, Perrins families
Jan Richardson: From Kangaroo Point to Ipswich: Tracing female convict lives
Jeanette Wiley: Annie Anderson MacKenzie from along the Boggo Track
Judy Powell: The Brisbane Line – a fictional walk through war time Brisbane
Kate Dyson: Lightning talks – short pop-up talks
Katharine Wiltshire: “The headwomen of the Chépara People”
Kathryn Watters: Mabel Alice Love
Kerry Forsythe: Calling Paula Gubar a dressmaker is like calling a Ferrari just a mode of transport
Kristina Olsson: Walking in two worlds, two Women of the Southside.
Professor Linda Shields: The Nurses of WW1 – “Why have we Forgotten Them?”
Liza Neil: Two maiden Neil Aunts of Annerley and their multi-generational legacies.
Dr Michael Macklin: Gwyneth Richardson: First Woman Pharmacist in the Australian Defence Force
Natasha Heap: One of the forgotten – Ivy May Hassard
Rose Broe: “We Just Called Her “Toodie”: Dr Muriel Rose (nee Broe) Pawlik
Dr Ruth Blair and Dr Ashley Hay: Jessica Anderson’s Yeronga: the importance of reading and imagining place
Stephen Sheaffe AM: Lady Cilento
Sue Monk and Lachlan Hurse: ‘Keep It Under Your Hat’ – a little known story of the Fairfield Hat Factory.
Tracey Olivieri: Marjorie Grimes

Proudly sponsored by Our Lady’s College Annerley and supported by the Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor’s Fund.

The papers presented at this conference have now been published in the “Women of Stephens” book, which is available for purchase.