Articles by: Paul Dee

Sufficiently educated

Sufficiently educated

June 11, 2022

Social life & customs, Such was life:

Maybe you received a Victorian Certificate of Education? Or a Higher School Certificate? A School Tertiary Certificate? Leaving? School graduation requirements have come a long way from having to be ‘sufficiently educated’, as was the case in the 1870s.

The Library’s virtual volunteers

The Library’s virtual volunteers

October 19, 2021

Our stories, Such was life:

Some of the Library’s volunteers have been correcting the text of digitised historical Victorian newspapers, and in so doing, revealing more about our past.

Book:Top

Book:Top

September 21, 2021

People & professions, Such was life:

Ah Siug Jong came to Victoria from China to find gold but after a series of incidents he was jailed and eventually committed to an asylum. He left a complex diary which was his attempt to clear his name.

Journey through the collection: Rick Amor

Journey through the collection: Rick Amor

September 3, 2021

Collection spotlights, Painting:

These works by Rick Amor depict a quiet Port Phillip Bay, where constructions stand among nature, bearing the stains of passing time.

Burke and Wills and Strutt.

Burke and Wills and Strutt.

August 18, 2021

Such was life, Victorian history:

William Strutt’s painting of the Burke and Wills expedition captures the daunting task facing the explorers.

Liverpool to Melbourne: the newspaper

Liverpool to Melbourne: the newspaper

May 7, 2019

People & professions, Such was life:

During her 1854 voyage to Melbourne, the ‘Marco Polo’ published a weekly newspaper for passengers- which provides a vivid description to life on board.

The dais in the dome

The dais in the dome

June 25, 2018

Our stories, Such was life:

Once upon a time a staff member sat in the dais in the La Trobe Reading Room, watching over any chattering public. I asked two long term SLV librarians how this used to work.

The Fred Boyle Photographic Collection

The Fred Boyle Photographic Collection

March 30, 2017

People & professions, Such was life:

The Fred Boyle Photographic Collection portrays Echuca in the 1950s and ’60s as a town driven by community spirit.

The Mallee

The Mallee

May 11, 2016

Cities & towns, Such was life:

‘I can readily imagine why most people speak of this part of the country with a certain dread for there is actually no grass and no water to be found.’

Queen’s wharf

Queen’s wharf

March 22, 2016

Buildings & streets, Such was life:

In the 1840s a burgeoning Melbourne needed a robust wharf, one to replace the current bog built over swamps.