Hansard debates

Mr CARBINES (Ivanhoe) — I would like to pay tribute to the Heidelberg Historical Society on its 50th anniversary and was pleased to attend and speak at its luncheon the other week.

The state government provides for the preservation of formal records of our state's history through institutions such as the Public Records Office Victoria, the State Library of Victoria, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Museum of Immigration. But there is another level to preserving records about people, events and the physical environment that formed communities and can trace their evolution, promoting a continuing sense of community.

The old Heidelberg courthouse, now 117 years old, has been the venue in more recent years for the Heidelberg Historical Society, which has some 200 members, of which I am one. Fifty-two members are volunteers. The society's resources include some 15 000 photographs, 4000 maps, plans and tens of thousands of pages of documentation relating to other community organisations, all accessible through its 15 varied databases.

I thank President Jenn Burgess and Graeme Speers, who has been a tireless worker and committee member, for their work. Professor Graeme Davison, emeritus professor of history at Monash University, gave a great presentation titled 'Do we belong here? The appeal of local history'. The Honourable Jenny Macklin, federal member for Jagajaga; Cr Tom Melican, mayor; and Cr Peter Castaldo of Banyule City Council were also guests. It was a great opportunity to reflect on their great work in protecting our history as well as helping people in the community preserve our history and understand where we came from and our future together.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER — Order! The time for making statements has now ended.