Lotterywest Heritage Conversations

15 September 2022

Cultural sensitivity warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are advised this talk contains the names of deceased people.

The Hon Robert (Bob) Kucera APM was a highly decorated Police Officer and retired from his position as Assistant Commissioner of Police in WA in 2001 after a 34-year career in the Police Service.

Always an engaging speaker, Bob kindly agreed to share a selection of ‘tongue in cheek’ stories about his policing escapades from 1966 through to 2001.

30 August 2022

Originally built as the residence for the Western Australia’s Government Astronomer and the offices for the observatory, 2022 marks 125 years since what we refer to today as the ‘Old Observatory’ was completed.

Now the central office for the National Trust of Western Australia, we’re celebrating this milestone with a Lotterywest Heritage Conversation dedicated to the history of the Old Observatory.

Historian and researcher Dr Janet Baldwin shared some of the insights gained in writing her book, Oral History of Perth Observatory.

17 July 2022

Our July Lotterywest Heritage Conversation welcomed poet Lisa Collyer back to Woodbridge to talk about her time as an Inspire Writer in Residence. This initiative, delivered in partnership with the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, aims to inspire writers to create works that resonate with our past, connect to the present and imagine the future.

Lisa drew on Woodbridge’s history as an Old Women’s Home for some of her writings, seeking to articulate women on their own terms, not just in relation to their families as a mother or wife.

Watch this Lotterywest Heritage Conversation to hear Lisa talk about how Woodbridge inspired her work and share some of her poems.

16 June 2022

The National Trust's June Lotterywest Heritage Conversation focused on our exhibition, 'Beneath the Bitumen: Discoveries from the Chinese Cemetery, East Perth'.

This Lotterywest Heritage Conversation took place at one of Perth's most treasured heritage places, East Perth Cemeteries, where the exhibition was on display at St Bartholomew's Church - just across the road from where the artefacts were found.

Watch to hear from archaeologists about the excavations and their discoveries and from other experts on the significance of these finds.

13 April 2022

Curtin Family Home Lecture 2022 presented by Dr Toby Davidson.

Toby, a direct descendent of John and Elsie Curtin, spoke knowledgeably on the role that poetry played in John Curtin's life. From providing 'mental relief' during the challenges of his wartime Prime Ministership, to granting a point of connection with other literature-loving world leaders, poetry was integral to John Curtin's politics.

Proudly supported by Lotterywest and hosted by the Grove Library