Digitised video (1.82GB). Duration: 26minutes. Recorded April, 2024. (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Ringwood CWA was formed on 7th March in 1946 in the small town hall, with 65 Foundation members. Even in the first meeting, there was a competition for the best scones and tomatoes. The consensus was to meeting monthly on the first Thursday. In this presentation, Lorraine Zimmerman talks of the history and some of the activities of Ringwood's CWA branch.

Digitised video (2.73GB). Duration: 58 minutes. Recorded July, 2024. (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Guest Speaker, Peter Hanson grew up in Warrandyte surrounded by signs of gold mining activities including in his own back yard. In this presentation, Peter talks about the numerous diggings in the area, with images, maps and drawings of the mines, tunnels, shafts and structures above and below ground.

Digitised video (3.11GB). Duration: 57 minutes. Recorded November, 2023 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Bryn Jones, President of Healesville Historical Society, takes us back through the ages uncovering the origins and growth of Healesville's attraction as a local and international tourism destination, with a mix of tall tales and true stories associated with some of the guest house goings-on.

Digitised video (2.42GB). Duration: 55 minutes. Recorded March, 2024 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)This month's Guest Presenter - Greg Hill, is recognised as the leading authority on both Australian Colonial Pottery and Australian Art Pottery. His interest in Australian pottery goes back to the early 1960s. He has been an avid collector of Australian pottery for many decades and has researched many key producers, particularly in Victoria. Greg has also assisted RDHS to evaluate the ceramic tiles featured at the front of Ringwood's historic Blood Bros. Store.

Digitised video (1.63GB). Duration: 30 minutes. Recorded April, 2024. (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Guest Presenter Dennis Johnston was named 2023 Maroondah Citizen of the Year for his long-standing involvement with and contribution to Biala, Ringwood. This organisation is dedicated to providing support and care for special needs children and their family.

Digitised video (2.50GB). Duration: 46 minutes. Recorded May, 2024. (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Guest Speaker, Alli Parker, accomplished scriptwriter, talks about her Ringwood family and her book based on the incredible true story of her Grandparents, Gordon and Cherry - Australia's first Japanese war bride - spanning seven years and two countries reeling from the aftermath of WWII.

Digitised video (2.84GB). Duration: 43 minutes. Recorded October, 2019 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Don Garden, OAM FFAHS, FRHSV, historian and author, examins the history of climate in Australia as researched for his book "Droughts, Floods & Cyclones - El Ninos that Shaped our Colonial Past".

Digitised video (662MB). Duration: 12 minutes. Recorded March, 2019. (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presentation: Peter Fry has done quite a bit of tracing of properties in the Ringwood area where he grew up. In this talk, Peter presents an example of his research, covering the house and property now known as 64 Wonga Road, which has a long and interesting history dating back to the early days of orcharding in the district.

Digitised video (3.06GB) Duration: 56 minutes. Recorded November, 2019 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Alan Upton has spent his life growing fruit, both at the original Upton orchard in Wonga Park and at Yering on the Healesville Road. In that time, there have been many changes to not only agricultural methods and techniques but also to the local area, as covered by Alan in this video presentation.

Digitised video (4.25GB) Duration: 68 minutes. Recorded February, 2020 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Geoff Stock is one of the select baby-boomers who was born at the Pines Hospital that was in Adelaide Street, sent to school in Ringwood and, 66 years later, still resides in the Ringwood area. Over that period, he has seen many changes, not only to the area of East Ringwood and Heathmont but central Ringwood itself. Geoff has many stories to tell of growing up in the district - mostly humorous - but revealing the 1960s/70s lifestyle.

Digitised video (335MB). Duration: 24 minutes. Recorded August, 2023 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)In this talk, Ken Briscoe presents an overview of RDHS activities centred around the sorting and digitising of slides and movies for archival conservation, with examples of a local film found in the archives and a collection of items from the former Ringwood Amateur Photography Club.

Digitised video (1.11GB). Duration: 20 minutes. Recorded March, 2021. (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenters: Gerry Robinson and Peter Le Get of Heathmont History Group (HHG) look back over developments in the area over the previous year. HEATHMONT HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2020 Summary - "Of course for 2020 the Covid 19 virus dominated. Other finalists included roadworks on Bedford Road corner, new Wards for MCC and their elections, 100th birthday and death of Rita James, opening of Milk & Wine Co. café replacing Barclays, election of Kylie Spears as Mayor, closure of Heathmont Medical Centre, demolition of Miller homestead in Coven Avenue, final edition of Maroondah Leader local newspaper, opening of HE Parker Sports pavilion, 50 more bollard arts, and the ugliness of the former Anglican Church and other local sites."

Digitised video (3.06GB) Duration: 50 minutes. Recorded March, 2021 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Eric Panther is a dynamic and passionate speaker, who is one of Australia’s leading experts on Australian postcards. He is the current president of the Australian Cartophilic Society, which includes the collecting of cigarette and trade cards as well as postcards.

Digitised video (4.69GB) Duration: 90 minutes. Recorded April, 2021 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)The Guest family are well-known to anyone who lived in Ringwood, particularly East Ringwood, during the 1940s-80s and earlier. Everyone knew of their bakery and the taste of the Guest Brothers' delicious bread. Tommy Guest grew up in this environment and took it all in, as a part of growing up. In the last 12 months, Tommy has written many stories on the RDHS' Facebook, which has helped many people get through the pandemic shutdown.

Digitised video (3.20GB) Duration: 63 minutes. Recorded May, 2021 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Dr Jeff Kildea is an Honorary Professor in Irish Studies at the University of New South Wales. In 2014 he held the Keith Cameron Chair of Australian History at University College Dublin. He is the author of numerous books and articles on the Irish in Australia including Hugh Mahon: Patriot, Pressman, Politician, Anchor Books Australia, Melbourne, 2017 (Vol 1) and 2020 (Vol 2). This talk examines the background to Mahon’s expulsion from parliament and how it led to his being ostracised by his fellow Australians including his neighbours at Ringwood.

Digitised video (3.79GB). Duration: 67 minutes. Recorded March, 2022. (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Gerry Robinson and Margaret (Maggie) McKern of Heathmont History Group (HHG) combine to present an overview of Heathmont's pioneering orchardists, with Maggie providing a history of her Clark family property, "Roslyn", purchased in the 1930s and operating as a poultry farm and lemon orchard on the corner of Canterbury Road and Armstrong Road in Heathmont.

Digitised video (1.41GB) Duration: 40 minutes. Recorded May, 2022 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Author and Historian Carole Woods OAM presents this talk on her biography of Australian humanitarian Vera Deakin, known for her involvement with the beginnings of Australian Red Cross and her incredible work in tracking down details of First World War Australian wounded and missing soldiers.

Digitised video (3.07GB) Duration: 50 minutes. Recorded May, 2022 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Prof. Charles Sowerwine, Emeritus Professor at University of Melbourne, Fellow at La Trobe University and Chair of RHSV Heritage Committee, presents this talk on the subject of Heritage, both from an academic point of view and the practical appreciation of this integral part of our culture and local identification.

Digitised video (2.66GB) Duration: 51 minutes. Recorded August, 2022 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Louise Blake is a writer and historian with an interest in the stories of women, families, and communities on the nineteenth-century goldfields in Australia and New Zealand. Inspired by her family connection to the gold mining settlement of Woods Point, Louise completed a PhD on Women and Community on the Upper Goulburn Goldfields in north-east Victoria in 2019. In this talk Louise will share her research on Lawrence and Esther Chubb, who lived and worked at Gaffneys Creek on the Upper Goulburn Goldfields in the 1870s and 80s. In a series of letters Lawrence wrote to his family in England, and now held by the State Library of Victoria, Lawrence shared his early struggles as an independent miner on the central Victorian goldfields, his protracted courtship with Esther, the ordinary intimacies of their life at Gaffneys Creek, the work that Esther did to support the family in this remote mining region, as well as the material and emotional support provided by and to family, friends and neighbours. A rare and revealing source, these letters help to expand our understanding of the lived experience of mining families, particularly the work that women did to sustain families and communities, in this period of waged labour and tribute mining in Victoria.

Digitised video (3.23GB). Duration: 60 minutes. Recorded October, 2022. (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Gerry Robinson is the convenor of the Heathmont History Group (HHG). Gerry presents this talk on the the many facets of what makes up local history - the natural history of fauna, flora and geology; the social history; the histories of families; the changes in history and how we adapt to new technologies.

Digitised video (2.41GB) Duration: 43 minutes. Recorded September, 2022 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Hardy and Evie Kielnhofer are rare examples of historians who are totally dedicated to gaining, and imparting, knowledge of their patch of the world. In this presentation, Evie talks about one of their regular group tours of Vermont that they conduct most Saturday mornings.

Digitised video (2.26GB). Duration: 54 minutes. Recorded September, 2023 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Judith Vimpani, Vice President of Marysville Historical Society, talks about her experiences, interviews and extensive research in re-gathering Marysville's history lost in the catastrophic 2009 Black Saturday fires.

Digitised video (3.17GB). Duration: 56 minutes. Recorded June, 2023 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Wren Lakeman has a Bachelor of Archaeology and Masters in Professional Archaeology from LaTrobe University, finishing in 2018. She has been working as a sub-contractor for many different archaeology companies and with tickets in excavation, now works for Archstone Archaeology, providers of machinery and operators to archaeological sites all over Australia. For this talk, Wren talks about her work and outlines results of earlier excavations carried out in Ringwood.

Digitised video (3.19GB) Duration: 75 minutes. Recorded May, 2023 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Past-President of RDHS, Richard Carter, is the guru when it comes to researching properties. South Side Story examines the often forgotten - but important - part of Ringwood from Wantirna Road to Olive Grove on the southern side of Maroondah Highway, Ringwood, Victoria.

Digitised video (3.04GB) Duration: 40 minutes. Recorded August, 2018 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)In March 2017, Rachael Cottle commenced an internship with Museums Victoria. Working in the Humanities department, Rachael worked with a collection of 154 items from a World War II RAAF air crewman, Norman Henry James. Rachael shares her story of interning and volunteering at Australia’s largest public museum organisation.

Digitised video (3.80GB) Duration: 51 minutes. Recorded October, 2018 (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Croydon Historical Society Vice President Geoff Arnott is an active writer and researcher of heritage, having written the history of Wedderburn and many Croydon-related books. In this talk, Geoff provides a background of his family, why he decided to look into it, and the dark secrets revealed. His story is typical of many Australian family that began with migration from the “old country” during the 1850s, trying to seek their fortune and a new life in a new country.

Digitised video (5.14GB). Duration: 61 minutes. Recorded May, 2018. (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Peter Le Get, together with his wife, Mary, have been one of the few families to purchase, and live in, four homes in the suburb of Heathmont. The Le Get’s came to Heathmont when pioneer orchardists were beginning to sell their properties, which led to the sub-division of land into housing blocks. It was the time of a new community coming together, with sporting clubs starting up, churches and schools built, roads being defined or asphalted, and the proliferation of new shops and businesses.

Digitised video (4.78GB). Duration: 54 minutes. Recorded November, 2018. (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)The Rogers family have been involved with the Ringwood Field Naturalists Club since its inception back in 1961. The Club has promoted natural history in the local area, through excursions, meetings and presentations to local schools. Without them, our sense of appreciation of local flora and fauna would be much poorer. Past-President Peter Rogers takes us through its wonderful history.

Digitised video (4.06GB). Duration: 48 minutes. Recorded February, 2019. (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Gerry Robinson is the convenor of the Heathmont History Group (HHG). Heathmont has changed over the years and this has been detailed in HHG’s award-winning books, The 48 Courts of Heathmont, From apples to Coffee, Heathmont Street Names, and many more. This talk draws a line in the sand, looking back where we’ve been and where Heathmont is today.

Digitised video (3.86GB). Duration: 75 minutes. Recorded May, 2019. (Video is available for viewing at Ringwood & District Historical Society Archives by appointment)Presenter: Bronwyn Koll grew up on her family’s orchard in Wonga Park. In this historical perspective on the first industry of Ringwood, Bron talks about her orchardist roots and highlights the seriousness of looking after crops with the ongoing threat of insect pests in the district, including backyard gardens.