14 Sept 2007 - Eminent Historian Headlines History Week at the Museum

Professor Henry Reynolds will present a public lecture at Coffs Harbour Regional Museum on Wednesday September 19 as part of a series of events to mark History Week.

Professor Reynolds, of the University of Tasmania, is well known for his studies of relations between early colonists and the Aboriginal population in Australia.

He is also the author of Frontier, Other Side of the Frontier and many other books and articles that focus on Indigenous history.

"Having Professor Reynolds come along to deliver this lecture is a real coup for the Museum," said Museum Curator/Director Dr Leigh Summers. 

"He is a well-known historian in his own right, but is most widely recognised for the so-called 'History Wars' in which he and Keith Windschuttle, author of The Fabrication of Aboriginal History, traded academic blows over their differing views of the impact of white settlement on the Aboriginal population of Australia.

"I am sure this will be a fascinating talk and one that no one will want to miss," she said. 

Professor Reynolds will also officially open the Museum's new permanent exhibition - Coastal Waterways: Indigenous Elders Tell Their Stories -  which has been made possible by the Australian Government's regional arts programme, the Regional Arts Fund.

The lecture will take place at 6pm on September 17. Bookings are essential and tickets, which include refreshments, cost $5. Call 6652 5794 for tickets and bookings, or call into the Museum on Harbour Drive.

Throughout History Week, which runs from September 15-23, the Museum will also host a "Collectors Extravaganza" - a display of collectable objects provided by members of the Coffs Harbour Collectors Club.

The finale to History Week at the Museum will be an 'Antiques and Collectables Appraisal Day' on Saturday, September 22. Members of the public may bring in objects for appraisal at a cost of $10 per object. The cost includes the entry fee and morning or afternoon tea.