History Week

This week (or more accurately the ten days from 18 -27 May) is SA History Week. There's an extraordinarily varied program of activities and events listed in the free 80 page program which is available in hard copy from many libraries, information centres and the like, and online from The History Trust of SA website.

The program is illustrated with a selection of historical photographs from the South Australian Glass Negative Collection, a quasi-official (my interpretation of a lengthy description on p viii of the program) record of SA history. The 35 images published in the program are available online . For anyone interested in SA History or photography they are well worth a look. Unfortunately no details of the photographers are provided, which is a pity since the program mentions that the renowned photographer Frank Hurley is represented in the collection. Alasdair McGregor's 2004 biography states (at p 348) that in 1935 Hurley was engaged by the SA government "to make two films and provide a collection of stills in celebration of the state's centenary".

I hope that more, if not all, of the 14,000 images in the collection will be published online.

Update PS (later 20 May)

As part of History Week ABC RN's Hindsight has today broadcast a documentary on G W Goyder, the 19th century SA Surveyor General who delineated the line beyond which grain growing in the Province (as it was then known) was not sustainable. The program website has some interesting supplementary material and details of how, at least for the next few weeks, to listen or download the program. I hope that the producers also make a transcript available.