BRAC EVENTS
BRAC aims to bring a variety of events that showcase the history of our coverage area and the breadth of our collection. Some events are in partnership with other organisations and many required you to book (even if they are free events) - always check the details for each event so you don't miss out!
Events are always posted to our Facebook Events page to make it easy for you to share details and attendance with friends.
BRAC events - as well as a collection of other history and heritage based events taking place in our catchment area - are included in our quarterly newsletter - subscribe HERE to stay up to date.
Upcoming Events
BOOKED OUT: 5:30PM Tuesday 29 November 2022
Bendigo Library, 251-259 Hargreaves Street
Breaking Down the Walls: Next steps for property research
Presented by Dr Susan Walter, BRAC Archives Coordinator
Stumped with researching the history of a property or tracts of land? Tried the basics but finding the doors are locked? This session focuses on some lesser-known resources and tricks of the trade to assist you researching properties Victoria-wide using the wide range of land-based records available.
This event is FREE but bookings will be required.
5:30PM Thursday 9 February 2023
Bendigo Library, 251-259 Hargreaves Street
Discovering History: Throwing Stones and mending their ways
Presented by Dr Susan Walter, BRAC Archives Coordinator
Historic landscapes are often defined by and created with stone. For millennia, mankind has used stone to alter nature's landscapes for his own purpose, though the work involved is easily overlooked and underestimated. Finding suitable stone is only the beginning. Enjoy some of the quirky stories of historic Bendigo, created when stone, politics and people were all mixed together. Book your seat or Zoom ticket for BRAC's Dr Susan Walter's presentation in partnership with La Trobe and Goldfields Libraries HERE.
Past Events
Wednesday 23 November 2022
Rates, Ratbags & Rebels: How to find your ancestors in the archives
Presented by Desiree Pettit-Keating, BRAC Archives Officer
Not too sure what there is to find in the archives when it comes to your ancestors, or just an individual you're researching? A look at the collections at BRAC and what secrets they might hold about generations past in north-west Victoria.
Monday 3 October 2022
BRAC on the Road: Castlemaine
Presented by Dr Susan Walter, BRAC Archives Coordinator
Saturday 6 August 2022
Sandhurst House Hunting: An introduction to tracing property in the City of Bendigo
Presented by Desiree Pettit-Keating BRAC Archives Officer
Tuesday 24 May 2022
Breaking Down the Walls: Next steps for property research
Presented by Dr Susan Walter, BRAC Archives Coordinator
An Australian Heritage Festival event.
Stumped with researching the history of a property? Tried the basics but finding the doors are locked? This house hunting session focuses on some lesser-known resources and tricks of the trade (especially around land records) to assist you researching your property or ancestral home.
Saturday 30 April 2022
Sandhurst House Hunting: An introduction to tracing property in the City of Bendigo
Presented by Desiree Pettit-Keating BRAC Archives Officer
An Australian Heritage Festival event.
This presentation from BRAC will take you through the steps and resources required in tracing properties in the old City of Bendigo district back or forward through time – discover who lived in your house, or where your great-great-grandparents’ house was sited.
Tuesday 5 April 2022
Such Sweet Sorrow: Bite Size Dingee
Presented by Desiree Pettit-Keating, BRAC Archives Officer & Indulge Belgian Chocolates
An exploration of the bitter and the sweet in the world of regional chocolate and confectionery across the centuries. Tragic tales of lost loves, suspicious deaths and intrigue from BRAC's 2021 exhibition, Such Sweet Sorrow.
Thursday 24 March 2022
The Motion Was Put & Carried: How the City of Bendigo carried the can for nightsoil
Presented by Dr Susan Walter, BRAC Archives Coordinator
While we all know the manual collection systems required physical removal of material, we don’t often stop to consider how it was removed, who did it and where it all went to.
This event examines some of Bendigo’s lesser-known history of managing an unavoidable human problem using the resources of the Bendigo Regional Archives Centre (BRAC). Watch the presentation HERE or read the full research paper HERE.
Monday 14 February 2022
Such Sweet Sorrow: Bite Size Castlemaine
Presented by Desiree Pettit-Keating, BRAC Archives Officer & Cabosse & Feve
An exploration of the bitter and the sweet in the world of regional chocolate and confectionery across the centuries. Tragic tales of lost loves, suspicious deaths and intrigue from BRAC's 2021 exhibition, Such Sweet Sorrow.
Thursday 6 July 2021
Discovering History: Such Sweet Sorrow
Presented by Desiree Pettit-Keating (BRAC), Dr Emma Robertson (La Trobe) & Sue Schreiber (Choclartiste)
An exploration of the bitter and the sweet in the world of regional chocolate and confectionery across the centuries. Tragic tales of lost loves, suspicious deaths and intrigue from the BRAC exhibition, Such Sweet Sorrow.
Thursday 4 February 2021
Discovering History: History Never Repeats?
Presented by Desiree Pettit-Keating, BRAC Archives Officer
While it’s said that history never repeats, responses to an outbreak of smallpox in 1870’s Bendigo are surprisingly similar to those for the current COVID-19 pandemic. Using BRAC collections, this presentation explores ways the media, municipality and public responded to the presence of infectious diseases both then and now.
29 June 2019
BRAC 10th Anniversary Talks
The Bendigo Regional Archives Centre celebrated a decade in operation with two talks - we were joined by prominent local historian and academic, Dr Charles Fahey, and Dr David Waldron, academic, author, historian & podcaster who both shared with us the links between study, authorship, popular culture and primary resources found in the archives. Click through for an album of event photos
6 April 2019
ASA Regional Event
The Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) Victorian branch hosted a day at BRAC for members to learn about the collection, coverage, approach and future, with an opportunity to explore the archives. Click through for an album of event photos
28 March 2019
Caring For Collections
Australian Museums & Galleries Association (AMaGA) with conservator Erina McCann (Tiaki Objects) delivered a terrific training session on basic principles of caring for paper-based collections, including archives, books and documents. Click through for an album of event photos