Monday 10 February 2025
6:00pm - 7:00 pm
St Kilda Army and Navy Club
88 Acland Street (upstairs, lift available)
St Kilda
Members and guests attended a presentation by Dr Gary Presland exploring the Indigenous history of the St Kilda area and the traditional lands of the Yalukit willam clan.
The presentation examined the Yalukit willam as part of the broader Kulin nation, highlighting connections with other clans across Victoria, including those as far away as the Murray River. Dr Presland also discussed how the Yalukit willam made a living from the resources of their country while maintaining cultural obligations to care for and honour the land.
Drawing on more than four decades of research into the Indigenous and natural history of the Melbourne region, Dr Presland provided members with a deeper understanding of the history, culture and connections that shaped the area prior to European settlement.
Speaker
Dr Gary Presland has been researching, writing and speaking about the Indigenous history and natural history of the Melbourne area for more than 40 years. He is the author of eight books on these subjects.
His study of Melbourne's pre-European landscapes, The Place for a Village, won the 2009 Community History Awards for Best Publication.
Gary is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, an Honorary Associate of Museum Victoria, and President of his local historical society in Box Hill.