The popular Ron Rathbone Local History Competition has undergone a major revival to coincide with its 20th anniversary and is now known as Bayside Local History Awards & Program.
The new Bayside Local History Awards & Program features three distinct components.
At its centre is the Ron Rathbone OAM Major Prize, recognising outstanding original research into Bayside’s history and heritage. Named in honour of the late Ron Rathbone OAM, a passionate local historian, author and former Mayor, the award carries a prize of $6,000.
The program also introduces the Dr Peter Orlovich Young Historian Awards, designed to inspire the next generation of local history researchers and storytellers. Open to school students, the awards encourage young people to investigate the people, places and events that have shaped the Bayside community while developing valuable research and writing skills.
There are three categories in the Dr Peter Orlovich Young Historian Awards:
- Junior Category for Years 5 to 6 with a prize of $250
- Intermediate Category for Years 7 to 9 with a prize of $500
- Seniors Category for Years 10 to 12 with a prize of $750
To encourage creativity and contemporary storytelling, entries in both award programs can be submitted as written essays, filmed documentaries or oral history recordings.
The third component is an innovative Historian-in-Residence Pilot Program, which will invite qualified historians, heritage professionals and researchers to undertake original research into a local history topic selected by Council’s Local History Team.
The successful Historian-in-Residence will receive $10,000 to support their research project, helping uncover and preserve important stories from Bayside’s past for future generations.
Applications for the Historian-in-Residence program are expected to open in mid-August 2026, with further details to be released on Council’s website.
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