Invitation to Convict Month

 

 

During October 2022 Family History ACT will be exploring Australia’s convict past at a number of events. We hope that you can join us…

 

Monthly Members Meeting - 7pm Tuesday 4 October

We will welcome well-known author Anthony Hill as his talks about his book The Last Convict.

The Last Convict tells the tale of Samuel Speed, a young man transported to Western Australia in 1866 for having burnt a barley stack with a companion because they were starving and wanted to go to prison for regular meals.

It turned into exile for 72 years. When Speed died in November 1938, less than a year before the outbreak of the Second World War, he believed himself to be – and is widely accepted as – the last transported convict to die in Australia.

You can reserve your place at this meeting here.

 

 

 

Talking About Convicts – Half-day seminar commencing at 9.30am Saturday 8 October

Join us as we welcome three eminent Australian historians—Professor Hamish Maxwell-Stewart, Mr Michael Flynn and Associate Professor David Roberts to talk about three different data sets that can help family historians to research their convict heritage.

This half-day seminar is open to anyone who would like to learn more about Australia’s convict past. 

You can attend via Zoom or in person at the Family History ACT Library in Canberra (note places are capped for in-person attendance so book early).   

For more information click here.  To register to attend click here                                                                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Convict Special Interest Group Meeting – 7.30pm Wednesday 12 October

"Where to Next with Convict History"

Join us as we welcome back Professor Hamish Maxwell-Stewart to talk about five areas that could, and should, be the subject of further study into Australia’s convict era. These areas range from mapping convict bodies to using record linkage to explore post-transportation lives. Illustrated with individual examples, this presentation will describe how these future research projects might be put together and outline ways in which they are likely to add to our knowledge of the convict era and what can be learned about convicts in Australia.

This meeting is open to all members of Family History ACT. Visit our website to register.