The talks are held every couple of months at the Port Arthur Historic Site, are free of charge and open to anyone who is interested in the topic. Rich and varied subjects and speakers make for fascinating listening and discussion.
For more information about our Port Arthur Talks, please phone +61 (0)3 6251 2324.
Wednesday 23 October, 2013
Convict backgrounds: New developments in economic and social history research
presented by Prof. Pam Sharpe
This presentation will review new research findings for the economic and social history of Britain circa 1800-1850, and look at how this impacts on our understanding of convict lives prior to their transportation.
Pam Sharpe trained at the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure, University of Cambridge, then was a post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Essex before becoming Lecturer in Social and Economic History at the University of Bristol. She was Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia and has held the position of Professor of History in the School of Humanities at the University of Tasmania since 2006.
ALL WELCOME
Wednesday 23 October, 2013, 5.30pm at the Junior Medical Officer’s Conference Room, Port Arthur Historic Site
For more information call 6251 2324
Port Arthur Talk leaflet - Pam Sharpe
Wednesday 27 November, 2013
Prisoners or servants: A history of the legal status of Britain's transported convicts
presented by Alan Brooks
More details soon.
Thursday 13 February, 2014
Roses from the heart: a tribute to convict women
presented by Dr Christina Henri
Tasmanian artist Christina Henri is using art as a meaningful tool to tell the stories of our past and bring focus to heritage sites, especially the Cascades Female Factory Historic Site. This presentation tells us the how, why and where about
Roses from the Heart – the first memorial to ALL women sentenced to transportation as convicts to Australia 1788-1853.
Beginning as a memorial art installation based on the colonial bonnet which pays tribute to the contribution paid to colonial society by convict women, it has grown to become a collection of over 23,000 bonnets made by descendants and interested individuals alike. Christina will share stories of her visits to Ireland with
Roses from the Heart in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
Christina Henri completed her PhD in visual and performing arts through the University of Tasmania in 2011. She has been Honorary Artist-in-Residence at the Cascades Female Factory Historic Site since 2003, and has been involved in numerous art installations and exhibitions in recent years that involve acknowledgement of convict women. This year she was inscribed on the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women.
ALL WELCOME
Thursday 13 February, 2014, 5.30pm at the Junior Medical Officer’s Conference Room, Port Arthur Historic Site
For more information call 6251 2324
Port Arthur Talk leaflet - Christina Henri
Thursday 27 March, 2014
Jane Franklin at Port Arthur
presented by Dr Alison Alexander
In a period when most ladies sat at home with their embroidery, Jane Franklin achieved fame throughout the western world, and was probably the best travelled woman of her day. Born in late eighteenth century London and married at the age of 36 years to Sir John Franklin, she travelled widely, and with an original ambition to live life to the full she was equally desirous of making her kind and mild husband a success. Arriving in Tasmania in 1837 when Sir John became governor, she swept like a whirlwind through the colony: attempting to rid the island of snakes, establishing a scientific society and the Hobart regatta, and adopting an Aboriginal girl to name a few of her many activities.
In 1837 the Franklins visited Port Arthur. In her diary and letters, Jane Franklin, an acute observer, gave a full and frank description of her visit. This paper analyses this description.
Alison Alexander has written 24 books about Tasmanian history, ranging from commissioned histories of a variety of institutions and areas, to biographies. Her most important books are:
The ambitions of Jane Franklin (2013), and
Tasmania’s Convicts (2010).
ALL WELCOME
Thursday 27 March, 2014, 5.30pm at the Junior Medical Officer’s Conference Room, Port Arthur Historic Site
For more information call 6251 2324
Port Arthur Talk leaflet - Alison Alexander