The Ephemera Society of Australia Inc. presents its 2025 symposium
‘From sweet collecting to finding a new home for all that paper’.
When: Saturday 12 July 2025 12 pm to 4.15 pm.
Where: Camberwell Uniting Church, 314 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Vic. To RSVP go to the form at the bottom of this post.
12.00-12.15 Registration, opportunity to view the display. Welcome by ESA president and MC Mandy Bede.
12.20-1.00 DOGS, DOGS, DOGS AND NOW DOG EPHEMERA…Debra Parry is a bit of a dog fanatic but only started collecting ephemera with dogs a few years ago. She is also well known as a conservator so her doggy ephemera is well-organised and well-housed. In this time, she has amassed a large collection of postcards, trade and cigarette cards, swap cards, stamps, and tins, all featuring dogs of one breed or another. As dogs are such very popular pets and working animals, there is a quantity of ephemeral items that showcase dogs, so it is a great collection area for a dog fanatic.
1.05-1.40 THE THRILL OF THE CHASE: A random find, a legal precedent, and… Andrew Hillier is a long-time collector of all types of ephemera and collectables, around subjects and themes that interest him – transport was the starting point. When he is checking out fairs and bookshops Andrew sometimes comes across a curiosity that sparks joy. At Clunes Book Fair in 202? He found a one-off issue of a magazine self-published in Melbourne. This has led to a fascinating exercise piecing together the life, times and motivations of Rupert Frederick Millane. Yes, ephemera points to and documents fascinating parts of our history.
1.45-2.25 COLLECTING IS SWEET…Dean Smith will take us through a glorious slideshow of confectionery – always packaged for eye appeal. Dean will explain his journey from a budding interest to the vast range of material he has sourced – paper and cardboard packaging, tins, advertising, point of sale, signs, and 3-D counter-top treasures.
2.30-3.10 A delicious afternoon tea.
3.10-3.40 GIVE IT AWAY; how and why it happened…Collecting Melbourne and Victoria focussed ephemera for over 40 years, Michael Tonta recently donated around 3,000 items from his collection to the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. Michael will discuss the donation process and what you could or ideally should be thinking about regarding the future of your collection, regardless of how many items of ‘treasure’ you have! Michael will also discuss how he manages and works to preserve his remaining collection and show examples that you could follow.
3.40-4.15 A MOMENT IN TIME, AN IMPOSSIBILITY…captured for us by Maj Gen Mike O’Brien. Mike will talk about the US Navy fleet visit to the Australian capital by the US Navy warships one hundred years ago in 1925. Melbourne was the nation’s capital so 48 warships came here. (The remaining eight visited Sydney.) The visit of US Navy battleships, cruisers and destroyers was designed to demonstrate American naval power and strengthen the US-Australia alliance. It built on the success of the “Great White Fleet” visit of 1908.
The speakers will have PowerPoint presentations and, also, small selections of material to examine in the breaks.
Leave a Reply