The short answer is talks, walks, opportunities to participate in history projects, and good online resources.
ASHG recently conducted a small survey on what history and heritage activities and topics members and locals were interested in. Surveys were handed out at an ASHG monthly meeting, at the Annerley Festival, and at the Memories of Stephen’s conference.
Survey placesBreak up between members and non-members
The results of the survey will help us hone our aims with the history room, plan our programs and understand how best to engage people in local history and heritage.
This survey is just a starting point – a guide and point for discussion. From time to time we will check in on how we are doing, or conduct quick online polls.
Activities of interest
People rated their interest in each activity as high, medium and low. Responses were scored 3 for high, 3 for medium, 1 for low and zero if not checked.
Scores were averaged, making ‘3’ the highest possible score. Here are the things you are saying to us:
Tell us about the history – Guest speakers at the monthly meetings, and history talks scored the highest for everyone, members and non-members.
Walk us through the streets – Heritage walks rated next. ASHG’s first self-guided walk is being published next week.
Let us help tell the stories – people are keen to participate in heritage projects. There are many ways people can participate, through activities like:
researching on Trove, and other online archives
visiting archives – city, state and national archives, state library and specialty archives
taking oral histories, telling oral histories,
exploring family histories
writing about our heritage
digital story-telling -sharing stories through video clips, podcasts and posts
creating tiny exhibitions in our history room’s storefront ‘curiosity cabinet’.
Make our history easily accessible to us through online publications and websites
Teach us skills to uncover our history through skills focused workshops
Keep up conferences and books
Full survey results for activities – highest possible score is 3.
Topics of interest
The second part of the survey was topics of interest. These were grouped into categories of history approaches, history areas, periods, places and things and social history.
Topics of high ranking are early 20th century, women, oral history, heritage places and First Nations heritage.
Below the topics are ranked in order based on percentages of those taking the survey. Some of the rankings changed to the above as a few topics were introduced after the test survey.
That’s a quick snapshot of what people want. Our new history room at Yeronga will help us to deliver these things – ASHG just received the key!
ASHG were delighted to be invited to the 50th birthday celebration of the All Gauge Model Railway Club.
It’s quite a story of a tenacious group of people keeping the club together through many changes of clubhouse. Their history dates back to 1973. The club are publishing their history in instalments – see Part 1 AGMRC.
From the left: Cr. Johnston (Tennyson Ward), Dennis Remmer (All Gauge),Denis Peel (Secretary, ASHG), Bec Langdon (President Community Plus+), Janis Hanley (ASHG), Jeff Brunne (President, ASHG), Kragg Dixon, President All Gauge
The evening of course was a Christmas celebration as well, and was generously catered for with roast dinner – and of course the delicious birthday cake after. The champagne flowed.
A lovely connection has developed between All Gauge, ASHC and Community Plus over the years. It seems an odd coupling, but the three are about to share the new premises at the Yeronga Community Centre.
ASHG, Community Plus and All Gauge Model Railway together were the Colocators group, providing input to the needs of the three groups which will inhabit the centre.
Community Plus is the primary tenant.
The Yeronga Community Centre will be handed over to these very happy new tenants in the following week.
Very exciting times, May these connections continue to deepen and new ones be forged.
All aboard every one (I know – corny – I want to say ‘Mind the gap’ but it would be odd). All the best!
The lighting of the sparkler on the birthday cake – love the little face intently watching.
This walks begins in Annerley Junction, at the corner of Ipswich Road and Fanny Street – just across from pub where Annerley Road intersects.
As you go you’ll learn about Fanny Street’s history, the people, who they were and what they did.
It is a relatively short walk of about 800 metres but you may find yourself lingering for up to 30 – 45 minutes to absorb the stories and history.
Please bring a hat and water and look out for the shady areas outside the places you stop. Not a walk for the heat of the day.
The walk is fairly easy, but involves a short incline, but may be difficult for those with walking aids.
Fanny Street Self-guided Walk
Start at 99 Bikes, Cnr Ipswich Rd and Fanny St.
Follow the walk instructions in the Fanny Street walk guide – click here to view.
Afterwards, if you are looking for coffee or refreshments here are some options:
Miss Milly’s Espresso across Ipswich Rd in the Annerley Arcade is open Monday-Friday 6.30-14.00 and Saturday 6.30-12.00 midday.
The Junction Hotel is open each day after 10.00. It serves non alcoholic drinks is as well as alcoholic and pub style food is available in the restaurant.
Other cafe options at the junction, just a little further away are Little Clive and Laneway 86. Check the internet opening times .
Enjoy the walk and this slice of history. We are planning on more self-guided walks in the near future.
This walk was researched and designed by Pauline Peel, Denis Peel and Kate Dyson.
Three sold out local history library talks at Annerley, Fairfield and Holland Park libraries – thanks Fiona Petty, Michael Macklin and Stephanie Ryan for fascinating history talks about Lothian Street, Annerley, Yeronga and the Qld State library’s collection of digitised real estate maps. Thanks also to BCC libraries and staff.
Completion of the history of Robinson Park, Fairfield – see here
Preparation for our first home in the new Yeronga Community Centre. Here’s a sneak peak
Usual Business
10 general meetings – first Monday of the month – February-November.
All that administration that makes the organisation tick – the website, social media, the meetings, the finance, the secretarial work. And… a successful application to the Brisbane City Council for a grant to enable the purchase of furniture and equipment for the ASHG local history room.
2024 – what’s next
We move into the ASHG local history room in Yeronga Community Centre.
Watch this space for news of the 2024 program.
A recent survey of members and non members told us that people’s main interests are history talks a heritage walks; participating in history projects, informative websites and online publications;
The full survey results will be published in the future but in meantime it is helping inform an exciting 2024 program.
Last week Jeff, Anitra and I visited our new history room in Villa Street Yeronga. Not many sleeps now until we are in! Here are images of some of the room’s features:
The whole building is bright and airy – a feel good place. Check out the spaces …
Stairs or lift take us to the first floor
In the midlle of the centre is a welcome area.
Our history room is directly across from the stairs and lift.
Standing inside our room looking our through our ‘shop-front’.
Our shop-front has a large area above for posters and artefacts, and a shelf below for things like books.
There is a built-in high quality projector with hearing loop for sound directly to hearingaids.
Looking at the wall across from the projector.
In the centre of the room are powerpoints and ports to add to those around the walls.
The back of the room leads out on to a verandah.
The verandah!
The welcome area has tea/coffee making facilities …
And seating spaces in the welcome area.
Lovely toilets and showers.
Our history room with one of the 1500 x 800 folding tables on wheels.
Again the welcome area showing its high ceilings – a lovely light-filled space.
Pointing to the space where our sign will go.
And the design for our sign
It still looks like a building site on the outside … but it wont be long!
Downstairs are customer and locked car-parking areas – and our storage room.
Customer parking area …
The locked parking area.
ASHG’s storage room – plenty of space!
The centre also features a large meeting area that seats around 100, and a roomy balcony space.
The large meeting room.
Looking out from the meeting room to the balcony space.
The balcony space with servery from the commercial kitchen.
Food pantry on the balcony.
Really looking forward to ASHG’s move to our history room. Hope to see you there soon!
Local railway stations in Fairfield, Yeronga and Yeerongpilly are being upgraded and made accessible as part of the Cross River Rail project. ASHG is working with Cross River rail to provide historical signage for each of the stations. Research for the Fairfield Train Station has been finalised although the signage is yet to be installed. In the meantime Cross River rail have presented ASHG with 3 posters for the new local history room in the Yeronga Community Centre. The posters reflect each area of the research undertaken for the signage: Indigenous history; Rail (Fairfield) History and Urban Change. Denis Peel, Secretary of ASHG, holding the poster about the rail history of Fairfield in the above photo. Denis and President Jeff Brunne undertook the research.
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