BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute - ECPv6.16.5.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Australia/Melbourne BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20250405T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20251004T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20260404T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20261003T160000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+1100 TZOFFSETTO:+1000 TZNAME:AEST DTSTART:20270403T160000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+1000 TZOFFSETTO:+1100 TZNAME:AEDT DTSTART:20271002T160000 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260715T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260715T193000 DTSTAMP:20260511T072228Z CREATED:20260313T024204Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260511T072228Z UID:71265-1784138400-1784143800@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:In Conversation with Benita Bensch DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/benita-bensch/ LOCATION:BMI – Humffray Room\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:Author Talk,Library ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/sp-promo-talks-benita-bensch-FINAL.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260715T190000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260715T200000 DTSTAMP:20260509T055023Z CREATED:20260509T054421Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260509T055023Z UID:72886-1784142000-1784145600@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:Kadampa Meditation Series | A Full Heart: Gratitude and Contentment in Daily Life DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/kadampa-meditation-series-a-full-heart-gratitude-and-contentment-in-daily-life-15-july/ LOCATION:Lending Library\, Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, Victoria\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:kadampa ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/5-Gratitude_GP_Class_BMI-Square.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Kadampa Meditation":MAILTO:info@kadampa.org.au END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260716T193000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260716T210000 DTSTAMP:20260625T050227Z CREATED:20260129T044738Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260625T050227Z UID:70423-1784230200-1784235600@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:Ballarat Film Society | Journey Home DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/ballarat-film-society-journey-home/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat Film Society,Film ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/journey-home-sq-promo.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260720T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260720T193000 DTSTAMP:20260507T043115Z CREATED:20260420T042351Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260507T043115Z UID:72345-1784570400-1784575800@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:In Conversation with Petronella McGovern DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/petronella-mcgovern/ LOCATION:BMI – Humffray Room\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:Author Talk,Library ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/sp-promo-talks-petronella-mcgovern-v3.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260722T190000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260722T200000 DTSTAMP:20260509T054800Z CREATED:20260509T054745Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260509T054800Z UID:72889-1784746800-1784750400@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:Kadampa Meditation Series | A Full Heart: Gratitude and Contentment in Daily Life DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/kadampa-meditation-series-a-full-heart-gratitude-and-contentment-in-daily-life-22-july/ LOCATION:Lending Library\, Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, Victoria\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:kadampa ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/5-Gratitude_GP_Class_BMI-Square.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Kadampa Meditation":MAILTO:info@kadampa.org.au END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260723T190000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260723T210000 DTSTAMP:20260331T034312Z CREATED:20260223T045111Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T034312Z UID:70806-1784833200-1784840400@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:God of Carnage\, A Ballarat National Theatre Production DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/god-of-carnage-23-july/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat National Theatre,Theatre Production ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/God-of-Carnage-BMI-Square.webp ORGANIZER;CN="Ballarat National Theatre":MAILTO:contact@bnt.org.au END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260724T110000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260724T123000 DTSTAMP:20260617T043709Z CREATED:20260520T015158Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260617T043709Z UID:73020-1784890800-1784896200@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:Arresting the Ephemeral: The Beautiful Usefulness of a Victorian Herbarium DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/arresting-the-ephemeral-the-beautiful-usefulness-of-a-victorian-herbarium/ LOCATION:BMI – Humffray Room\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:Rare Book Week,Talk,The Collection ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sq-promo-events-arresting.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260724T190000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260724T210000 DTSTAMP:20260331T034253Z CREATED:20260223T053244Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T034253Z UID:70815-1784919600-1784926800@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:God of Carnage\, A Ballarat National Theatre Production DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/god-of-carnage-24-july/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat National Theatre,Theatre Production ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/God-of-Carnage-BMI-Square.webp ORGANIZER;CN="Ballarat National Theatre":MAILTO:contact@bnt.org.au END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260725T140000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260725T160000 DTSTAMP:20260331T034233Z CREATED:20260223T053557Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T034233Z UID:70819-1784988000-1784995200@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:God of Carnage\, A Ballarat National Theatre Production DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/god-of-carnage-25-july/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat National Theatre,Theatre Production ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/God-of-Carnage-BMI-Square.webp ORGANIZER;CN="Ballarat National Theatre":MAILTO:contact@bnt.org.au END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260725T190000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260725T210000 DTSTAMP:20260331T034212Z CREATED:20260223T053430Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T034212Z UID:70817-1785006000-1785013200@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:God of Carnage\, A Ballarat National Theatre Production DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/god-of-carnage-25-july-2/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat National Theatre,Theatre Production ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/God-of-Carnage-BMI-Square.webp ORGANIZER;CN="Ballarat National Theatre":MAILTO:contact@bnt.org.au END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260729T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260729T193000 DTSTAMP:20260417T012750Z CREATED:20260416T050939Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260417T012750Z UID:72260-1785348000-1785353400@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:In Conversation with Phillipa Nefri Clark DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/phillipa-nefri-clark/ LOCATION:BMI – Humffray Room\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:Author Talk,Library ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/sp-promo-talks-v2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260801T190000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260801T235000 DTSTAMP:20260613T032955Z CREATED:20260612T030356Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260613T032955Z UID:73553-1785610800-1785628200@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:Anything for a Mate: Charity Ball DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/anything-for-a-mate-charity-ball/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:external event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/promo.webp END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260803T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260803T193000 DTSTAMP:20260630T040354Z CREATED:20260520T044923Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260630T040354Z UID:73049-1785780000-1785785400@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:In Conversation with Margaret Hickey DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/in-conversation-with-margaret-hickety/ LOCATION:BMI – Humffray Room\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:Author Talk,Library ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sp-promo-talks-margaret-hickey.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260807T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260807T190000 DTSTAMP:20260617T043625Z CREATED:20260615T050825Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260617T043625Z UID:73589-1786125600-1786129200@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:150 Years of Botanical Communication DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/150-years-of-botanical-communication/ LOCATION:Lending Library\, Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, Victoria\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:Talk,The Collection ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sq-promo-events-arresting.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260807T193000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260807T204000 DTSTAMP:20260331T034032Z CREATED:20251205T035734Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T034032Z UID:69366-1786131000-1786135200@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:Blake Pavey: A Bit Scared DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/blake-pavey-a-bit-scared/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Comedy ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/sq-promo-blake-pavey.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="KEG Touring":MAILTO:Contact@kegtouring.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260809T123000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260809T153000 DTSTAMP:20260701T021404Z CREATED:20260622T050152Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260701T021404Z UID:73794-1786278600-1786289400@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:Lawrence Mooney and Friends DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/lawrence-mooney/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Comedy ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/sq-promo-events-lawrence-mooney.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260812T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260812T193000 DTSTAMP:20260611T041738Z CREATED:20260324T234500Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260611T041738Z UID:71535-1786557600-1786563000@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:In Conversation with Sophie Green DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/sophie-green/ LOCATION:BMI – Humffray Room\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:Author Talk,Library ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/sp-promo-talks-sophie-green.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260813T193000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260813T210000 DTSTAMP:20260331T033912Z CREATED:20260129T051107Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T033912Z UID:70430-1786649400-1786654800@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:Ballarat Film Society | The Blue Trail DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/ballarat-film-society-the-blue-trail/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat Film Society,Film ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/the-blue-trail-sq-promo.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260820T190000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260820T203000 DTSTAMP:20260629T040002Z CREATED:20260223T053749Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260629T040002Z UID:70821-1787252400-1787257800@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:You Can't Tell Anyone\, A Ballarat National Theatre Production DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/you-cant-tell-anyone-20-aug/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat National Theatre,Theatre Production ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/YCTA-ATDW-1600-x-1200-px-e1782429973747.png ORGANIZER;CN="Ballarat National Theatre":MAILTO:contact@bnt.org.au END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260821T190000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260821T203000 DTSTAMP:20260629T035851Z CREATED:20260629T033353Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260629T035851Z UID:73961-1787338800-1787344200@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:You Can't Tell Anyone\, A Ballarat National Theatre Production DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/you-cant-tell-anyone-21-aug/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat National Theatre,Theatre Production ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/YCTA-ATDW-1600-x-1200-px-e1782429973747.png ORGANIZER;CN="Ballarat National Theatre":MAILTO:contact@bnt.org.au END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260822T140000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260822T153000 DTSTAMP:20260629T035740Z CREATED:20260629T033533Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260629T035740Z UID:73963-1787407200-1787412600@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:You Can't Tell Anyone\, A Ballarat National Theatre Production DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/you-cant-tell-anyone-22-aug-matinee/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat National Theatre,Theatre Production ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/YCTA-ATDW-1600-x-1200-px-e1782429973747.png ORGANIZER;CN="Ballarat National Theatre":MAILTO:contact@bnt.org.au END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260822T190000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260822T203000 DTSTAMP:20260629T035634Z CREATED:20260629T033731Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260629T035634Z UID:73965-1787425200-1787430600@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:You Can't Tell Anyone\, A Ballarat National Theatre Production DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/you-cant-tell-anyone-22-aug/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat National Theatre,Theatre Production ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/YCTA-ATDW-1600-x-1200-px-e1782429973747.png ORGANIZER;CN="Ballarat National Theatre":MAILTO:contact@bnt.org.au END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260823T130000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260823T143000 DTSTAMP:20260630T001508Z CREATED:20260629T033831Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260630T001508Z UID:73967-1787490000-1787495400@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:You Can't Tell Anyone\, A Ballarat National Theatre Production DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/you-cant-tell-anyone-23-aug-matinee/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat National Theatre,Theatre Production ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/YCTA-ATDW-1600-x-1200-px-e1782429973747.png ORGANIZER;CN="Ballarat National Theatre":MAILTO:contact@bnt.org.au END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260823T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260823T193000 DTSTAMP:20260630T015250Z CREATED:20260629T033929Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260630T015250Z UID:73969-1787508000-1787513400@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:You Can't Tell Anyone\, A Ballarat National Theatre Production DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/you-cant-tell-anyone-23-aug/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat National Theatre,Theatre Production ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/YCTA-ATDW-1600-x-1200-px-e1782429973747.png ORGANIZER;CN="Ballarat National Theatre":MAILTO:contact@bnt.org.au END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260902T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260902T193000 DTSTAMP:20260707T051452Z CREATED:20260707T044841Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260707T051452Z UID:74311-1788372000-1788377400@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:In Conversation with Lauren Williams & Penny Tangey DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/in-conversation-with-lauren-williams-penny-tangey/ LOCATION:BMI – Humffray Room\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:Author Talk,Library ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/sp-promo-talks-lauren-williams-penny-tangey.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260905T100000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260906T140000 DTSTAMP:20260619T051824Z CREATED:20260604T032725Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260619T051824Z UID:73413-1788602400-1788703200@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:Book Sale | Reward yourself with some excellent Spring reading DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/book-sale-spring-bmi/ LOCATION:Lending Library\, Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, Victoria\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:Fundraiser,Library ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/square-promo-spring-book-sale.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260906T140000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260906T160000 DTSTAMP:20260604T035434Z CREATED:20260514T044101Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260604T035434Z UID:72995-1788703200-1788710400@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:Fashion Parade Fundraiser | Vintage & Collectables DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/fashion-parade-fundraiser-vintage-collectables/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Fundraiser,Important Dates,Members,Vintage & Collectables ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/promotional-square-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260910T193000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260910T210000 DTSTAMP:20260331T033843Z CREATED:20260129T052341Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T033843Z UID:70438-1789068600-1789074000@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:Ballarat Film Society | Kōkā DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/ballarat-film-society-koka/ LOCATION:BMI – Minerva Space\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350 CATEGORIES:Ballarat Film Society,Film ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/koka-sq-promo.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260923T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260923T193000 DTSTAMP:20260619T021935Z CREATED:20260618T020721Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260619T021935Z UID:73660-1790186400-1790191800@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:In Conversation with P. A. Swanborough DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/in-conversation-with-p-a-swanborough/ LOCATION:BMI – Humffray Room\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:Author Talk,Library ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/sp-promo-talks-pa-swanborough-v2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260929T180000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20260929T193000 DTSTAMP:20260706T013903Z CREATED:20260630T040425Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260706T013903Z UID:74057-1790704800-1790710200@ballaratmi.org.au SUMMARY:In Conversation with Sally Mackinnon DESCRIPTION:This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat\, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895\, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics’ Institute\, meaning many had their first ever experience of ‘moving pictures’ in our beautiful Minerva Theatre. Since then\, thousands of movies have been screened in the theatre through its many iterations\, including at the Vegas 70 theatre which is being reactivated for this year’s Heritage Week. Come along from 5.30pm to grab a drink and wander through the exhibition in the Williamson Foyer\, the former candy bar of the cinema\, before the talk.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The BMI’s Twilight Talks series has been a forum for sharing fascinating history and radical futures since 2001\, check out our website for upcoming talks.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n At Play in the Fields of the past: Roleplaying\, gaming and local heritage | Dr David Waldron \n \n \n \n \n \n Over the past few years\, David Waldron has been experimenting with the use of live-play roleplaying game events to explore local Ballarat history and heritage in the community. These have featured events at the past three Ballarat Heritage Festivals featuring the stories Journey to the Southern Cross\, What Lies Beneath\, William Bailey’s Haunted Mansion and this year’s\, Spectral Schemes: the Mystery of the Ballarat Ghost.  David has also recently published a spin-off story that explores the feud between Henry Seekamp and 1850s celebrity Lola Montez. Through these events\, David has endeavoured to create a vehicle for community engagement and re-enchantment in local history\, with a specific orientation to the young adult demographic\, which has often been a difficult audience to attract to local history. This talk explores the process of creating as one of walking a tightrope between historical fiction\, storytelling\, and heritage weaving through surviving sources and historical records designed to create deeply personal engagement with the people\, events\, and places of the past and the very human stories that underlie our local history.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez and Henry Seekamp as published in Melbourne Punch\,1856 | Seekamp established Ballarat Times in 1854\n \n \n \n \n Lola Montez\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Speaker: David Waldron | Folklorist & Historian \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron is a Senior Lecturer in History at Federation University Australia with a research focus on folklore and community heritage.  He is the author of Sign of the Witch: Modernity and the Pagan Revival (Carolina Academic Press 2008)\, Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay – a Case Study in Local Folklore (Hidden Press 2010) and Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Victoria’s Big Cat Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2013)\, editor/contributor of Goldfields and the Gothic: a Hidden Heritage and Folklore (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2016) and author of Aradale: the Making of a Haunted Asylum (Australian Scholarly Publishing 2020). He is regularly involved in public engagements\, festivals and multi-media displays\, including the Ballarat Heritage Festival\, and is the co-writer and researcher for the National Trust of Australia People’s Choice award historical pod cast series Tales from Rat City.  He is also active in developing history and heritage tours including the NTAV Public Heritage award nominated Ballarat Old Gaol Tour and the Portsea Quarantine Station night tours. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr David Waldron\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Starting at 6pm (bar open at 5.30pm)\, close 7pm. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Cost: $12 general admission | $8 BMI members \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Bookings\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 2024 Twilight Talks\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Thanks to the support of Community Bank Buninyong \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Follow Community Bank Buninyong socials: \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This event is part of the Australian Heritage Festival \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n More Twilight Talks \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n BMI news \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | Seen Again by Benita Bensch\n Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Don’t miss Benita... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Rosemary’s Book of the Week | The Secrets of Provence by Daisy Wood.\n The Secrets of Provence Daisy Wood Provence\,1940 Thrown out of... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | July 2026\n Membership Contriubtions I imagine many of you have received requests... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newsletter – July 2026\n Rosemary's New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks - Live... \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Load More URL:https://ballaratmi.org.au/event/in-conversation-with-sally-mackinnon/ LOCATION:BMI – Humffray Room\, 117-119 Sturt Street\, Ballarat Central\, VIC\, 3350\, Australia CATEGORIES:Author Talk,Library ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ballaratmi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/sp-promo-talks-sally-mackinnon.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR