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DOERING, Samuel

Apr 14, 2026 | *, *Featured books, *listed, Australian, Family History, Historical Fiction, History

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ISBN 978-1-923645-95-0
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There’s a Point to it

 

A History of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Point Pass, 1876-2026

For 150 years, Immanuel Lutheran Church at Point Pass has stood at the heart of faith, learning, and community in South Australia.

Founded in 1876, Immanuel shaped generations through worship, education, and service, giving rise to Immanuel College and influencing Lutheran life far beyond its rural setting.

Drawing on new research, this book traces the congregation’s journey through settlement, division and reunion, war, pastoral change, and renewal. It tells a deeply human story of faith lived ‘under the shadow of the belltower,’ and off ers a lasting tribute
to a congregation whose proud legacy continues to endure.

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About the Author

 

SAMUEL DOERING IS an award-winning South Australian historian, author, and public speaker. A graduate of the New College of the Humanities, London, he is President of the Professional Historians Association of South Australia and works as a researcher and historian at Anlaby Station. He was the 2024 History Council of SA Emerging Historian of the Year and is currently undertaking a PhD at Flinders University.

DOYLE, Maureen & HAWKE, Gwen

Mar 27, 2026 | *, *Featured books, *listed, Australian, Family History, History, Nostalgia, Social Sciences \ Politics \ Government

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ISBN 978-1-923645-55-4
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ISBN 978-1-923645-56-1
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Whispers of History

 

Pioneering women of Whittlesea prior to 1945

Welcome to a delightful journey through time, where the remarkable pioneering women of Whittlesea take centre stage.

These pioneering spirits faced challenges that would make most of us cringe. Yet, they persevered. They managed homes, supported their husbands, and made significant contributions to their communities—all while navigating the trials of their era with grace and humour.

This isn’t just a collection of dry facts and dates. No, this is a celebration of resilience, wit, and the indomitable spirit of women who played essential roles in shaping their society. These women didn’t just hold down the fort; they often built it. They tackled obstacles with a laugh, proving that a sense of humour can be as vital as any tool in tough times.

Our authors, with over 40 years of combined experience in local history, have poured their hearts into this book. Their dedication shines through their research, gathered from countless conversations with the people who lived it. They’ve kept the stories alive, ensuring that the voices of those women echo through time.

Why does this matter? Because history isn’t just about the past. It’s about understanding our roots and learning from those who came before us. The lessons from these women can guide us today, reminding us that strength can be found in the most unexpected places.

So, whether you’re a history buff or just curious about the lives of the extraordinary pioneering women, this book is for you. Grab a cup of tea, settle in, and prepare to meet the unsung heroines of Whittlesea. Their stories are true whispers of history.

About the Author

 

Gwen and Maureen are passionate historians that individually have showed dedication to preserving Whittlesea’s rich history.

Gwen has devoted more than a quarter of a century to the Whittlesea Historical Society Inc, faithfully serving the Whittlesea community whilst preserving Whittlesea’s rich history. Throughout her long tenure, she has ensured that the story of Whittlesea, remains alive for future generations. Gwen is a devoted mother and accomplished advocate whose considerable achievements reflect her deep commitment to heritage.

Maureen Doyle is a dedicated teacher, passionate researcher, and devoted family historian with a particular interest in Irish ancestry. Maureen’s passion for history is matched only by her dedication to her family. Raising her children has been her greatest achievement, instilling in them the values of resilience, curiosity, and a love for their heritage.

Together Maureen and Gwen have fostered a deep appreciation for family connections and local history, helping many uncover the narratives of their ancestors, they have become pillars of local heritage, known for their encyclopaedic knowledge and unwavering commitment to historical preservation.

Their contributions are both vast and deeply impactful. They were instrumental in campaigning, and rallying community support to fund the George Sherwin Commemorative Bandstand—a lasting tribute to civic pride. Their efforts also led to the saving and preservation of the historic courthouse, just to mention a few.

This book is one of stewardship, storytelling, and service—an enduring testament to what can be achieved through passion, perseverance, and love for one’s local history.

VAVROVA, Daniela

Feb 20, 2026 | *, *Featured books, *listed, Australian, Family History, History, Nostalgia

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ISBN 978-1-923645-53-0
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Tides of Memory

 

A Living History of Yorkeys Knob

Tides of Memory begins with a simple truth: a place is never only land and coordinates. It is woven from memory, shaped by relationships and carried in the stories people tell. Yorkeys Knob is not just a headland on a map, but a living shoreline of experiences — marked by beauty, resilience and the quiet continuities that tie generations together.

The stories held here rise from interviews, community gatherings, family albums and treasured keepsakes. They are created in companionship — with residents who opened their homes, their archives, and their hearts. Through this shared making, a deeper trust forms and a legacy grows — one that stretches beyond the final printed page.

Across four chapters spanning the late twentieth century to the present, voices of the community speak to changing seas, shifting climates and the evolving rhythms of daily life. Their testimonies trace how Yorkeys Knob bends and transforms, yet holds close the values that anchor it.

This book is also an invitation — to listen, to wander, to explore further. The Tides of Memory Interactive Map continues the journey: follow the QR code to walk through stories mapped onto place. And as you travel through these histories, we welcome your reflections on how we remember, write and share the living fabric of a community.

About the Author

 

Dr Daniela Vávrová

 

I’m a visual anthropologist, independent researcher, and former Curator at the Cairns Museum, with roots in Bratislava, once part of Czechoslovakia. My work has always been driven by curiosity – about people, cultures and the ways we understand the world through images, words, and sensory experience. Since 2005, I’ve spent long stretches of time in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea, where my PhD project and film, Skin Has Eyes and Ears, grew from close relationships and everyday observations. These days, my skills in storytelling, ethnography and visual communication have taken on new forms through cybersecurity work and private investigations. Life in remote Yorkeys Knob keeps me grounded and inventive as I juggle research, parenting my 11-year-old son, helping at Yorkeys’ Gem Rent-a-Car, and creating photographic calendars featuring the place I call home.

You can find more of my work at danielavavrova.net.

SMITH, John H

Dec 22, 2025 | *, *Featured books, *listed, Australian, Biography, Family History

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ISBN 978-1-923443-02-0
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ISBN 978-1-923443-45-7
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A Most Chequered Career

 

Samuel Francis Smith 1811-1899

The story of a man whose forgotten legacy and “chequered career” reveal a complex and intriguing life in early Australian history.

Because of ignorance or shame, Samuel Francis Smith’s name and infuence in the family he pioneered in Australia was not mentioned in the present generation. Thanks to his obituarist, who quipped he had “a most chequered career” the search to discover the what that meant brought to light a complex and intriguing life. This book tells Samuel’s story.

“A Most Chequered Career: Samuel Francis Smith 1811-1889 is an unusually moving and highly readable work of Australian history. It’s both a detective story and a triumph of compassion for a flawed individual, off ering profound insights into the lives of Australian colonists in the mid-nineteenth century. With a steady, compassionate gaze, John Smith breathes life into his errant great-great grandfather, reminding us that even our most flawed ancestors deserve to be honored.”
DR KAI JENSEN

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About the Author

 

John H Smith, MA, PhD, ThM, is a writer and retired Uniting Church Minister who served in Western Australia (1974– 2000) and Mark the Evangelist, North Melbourne, Victoria 2000-2013.

He has published on WA Church History, the Church’s involvement in War, Monastic history, spirituality and theology, and contributed regularly to the North and West Melbourne News.

SCRIMGEOUR, Gavin

Dec 18, 2025 | *, *Featured books, *listed, Australian, Design, History, History showcase, Military, South Australia
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ISBN 978-1-922527-50-9
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From Here They Marched

THE MITCHAM AIF CAMP, LOCATED IN WHAT IS NOW THE ADELAIDE SUBURB OF COLONEL LIGHT GARDENS, WAS THE TRAINING GROUND FOR THOUSANDS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIAN VOLUNTEERS WHO ENLISTED TO FIGHT FOR THE AIF IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR.

The camp, opened in bare paddocks in early 1915 after earlier camps had proved inadequate, overcame significant early difficulties to become what was proudly claimed to be ‘the model camp for the Commonwealth’.

From Here They Marched tells the story of the camp and how men from all walks of civilian life were brought together and prepared for the discipline of military life and for war.

It shows how the military authorities approached the task of also meeting the physical and social needs of as many as 4400 men at a time, all newly away from their home and families, and facing an uncertain future.

The surviving memories of those who passed through the camp, newspaper reports, the few remaining documents from the camp, and contemporary photographs are used to bring this vibrant, ever changing community of men to life.

The part played by other military training camps in and near Adelaide which were used for short periods during the war is also described. This includes the Morphettville and Ascot Park/Oaklands camps where the men of the earliest contingents did their training before taking part in the landings at Gallipoli.

Mitcham camp is an important part of the historic landscape of Adelaide, and the final chapter presents a case for the preservation of the memory of the camp in Colonel Light Gardens.

DANVERS, Ron

Dec 17, 2025 | *, *Featured books, *listed, Adelaide, Australian, History, History Showcase, Military, South Australia

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ISBN 978-1-923443-01-3
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1837 Colonel Light’s Vision for Adelaide

 

Postulation and Testing a Preemptive Model Plan Adapted by Light for the Capital of South Australia

Colonel William Light’s history has been the subject of several admirable publications, but none have satisfactorily addressed the method he used in designing, surveying and laying out the plan of the City of Adelaide on the topography of the site chosen on December 31, 1836. Although evidence supports there being a preemptive Model Plan produced in London before that date, the connection has generally been missed on how such a plan, following the pattern of many colonial antecedents, could have been simply cut up to fi t the topography of the chosen site.

In postulating the form a Model Plan might have taken by reverse engineering the final plan, it becomes obvious that this was the method used by Light to lay out the plan of the Capital. It was not done in a week from January 3, 1837 as Stretton suggested, but by February 7 the basic cutting up had been formulated and sketched by Light from Green Hill.

About the Author

 

Ron Danvers LFRAIA is an architect living in the City of Adelaide in South Australia. He was instrumental in introducing urban design to South Australia, becoming the founding Chair of the State Urban Design Advisory Panel. Although he has undertaken major cultural heritage projects in Malaysia and Indonesia, most of his architectural work has been in the City of Adelaide.

He was awarded the RAIA Lachlan Macquarie Award and a National Trust Australian Heritage Award in 1987 for restoration of the Mortlock Library. In 2005, his architecture practice was awarded a UNESCO Asia Pacifi c Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation for heritage adaptation of the Treasury Buildings in Victoria Square. He was President of the RAIA SA Chapter 1988-90, representing the architectural profession at that time in the South Australian State Planning Review. He was granted the adjunct title of Associate Professor by the University of Adelaide.

ISBN 978-1-923443-01-3
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1837 Colonel Light’s Vision for Adelaide

 

Postulation and Testing a Preemptive Model Plan Adapted by Light for the Capital of South Australia

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Colonel William Light’s history has been the subject of several admirable publications, but none have satisfactorily addressed the method he used in designing, surveying and laying out the plan of the City of Adelaide on the topography of the site chosen on December 31, 1836. Although evidence supports there being a preemptive Model Plan produced in London before that date, the connection has generally been missed on how such a plan, following the pattern of many colonial antecedents, could have been simply cut up to fi t the topography of the chosen site.

In postulating the form a Model Plan might have taken by reverse engineering the final plan, it becomes obvious that this was the method used by Light to lay out the plan of the Capital. It was not done in a week from January 3, 1837 as Stretton suggested, but by February 7 the basic cutting up had been formulated and sketched by Light from Green Hill.

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About the Author

 

Ron Danvers LFRAIA is an architect living in the City of Adelaide in South Australia. He was instrumental in introducing urban design to South Australia, becoming the founding Chair of the State Urban Design Advisory Panel. Although he has undertaken major cultural heritage projects in Malaysia and Indonesia, most of his architectural work has been in the City of Adelaide.

He was awarded the RAIA Lachlan Macquarie Award and a National Trust Australian Heritage Award in 1987 for restoration of the Mortlock Library. In 2005, his architecture practice was awarded a UNESCO Asia Pacifi c Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation for heritage adaptation of the Treasury Buildings in Victoria Square. He was President of the RAIA SA Chapter 1988-90, representing the architectural profession at that time in the South Australian State Planning Review. He was granted the adjunct title of Associate Professor by the University of Adelaide.