General meeting information
Meetings are held at our usual venue at the Balwyn Library at 336 Whitehorse Road in Balwyn, unless otherwise noted. Entry is from Whitehorse Rd Car Park side door.
During winter we have afternoon meetings starting at 2 pm, while most meetings are held in evenings starting at 7pm.
Thank you for your cooperation and we hope to see you soon!
The Society also conducts regular local history walks around Balwyn. These are organised on an ad hoc basis. If you are interested please contact the Society on this page.
Events list
February 2026 Meeting
Date and time: 12 February 2026 7:30pm
Location: Balwyn Library, 336 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn
Cost: $0
Speaker: Chris Long
Topic: Unseen films of Melbourne's East, 1937 - 1950
Chris Long has spent forty-five years employed in broadcasting organisations, archives and museums, dealing with the history of non-print media: principally of sound recordings and motion picture film. He has worked for ABC radio (talks), the Museum of Victoria, the National Film and Sound Archive, and in his own media research company.
Chris has published extensively about film history, including the series of articles “Australia’s First Films” in the magazine “Cinema Papers” during the 1990s. Now retired, he lectures on aspects of film and sound recording history at U3A, historical societies, Probus groups and similar.
March 2026 Meeting
Date and time: 12 March 2026 7:30pm
Location: Balwyn Library, 336 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn
Cost: $0
Speaker: Philip Mallis
Topic: Melbourne Underwater: The Great Flood of 1934
Philip Mallis was raised in North Balwyn and was councillor for Maranoa Ward on Boroondara City Council. He currently works as a transport planner in Melbourne. Researching and communicating local history to others is a great passion, mainly through his YouTube channel of his videos about the history of Victoria with a total of over four million views. Philip is website manager for the Balwyn Historical Society, runs the ‘BoroondaraWiki’ local history project, and is involved in many other volunteering roles
Georges Remembered
Date and time: 16 April 2026 1:15pm
Location: Hawthorn Arts Centre, 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn
Cost: $40
Join us for this special event, hosted by Justin McLean, former Georges employee and collector of over 900 items of Georges memorabilia. Sing along to 1950s hits from “3AK” (opened in Balwyn) then enjoy listening to Justin McLean speak about Georges’ history with amusing stories about the staff and customers, while also enjoying a fashion parade of clothes from the 50s to the 70s & 80s worn by professional and amateur models. Attendees can reminisce about their memories of Georges.
Bookings essential – email Balwyn Historical Society at balwynhistory@gmail.com
We will then send you out a registration form for you to complete and return. We ask for a payment of $40 towards the Balwyn Historical Society (BHS). Funds gained will be used to digitise our archives for uploading to Victorian Collections, allowing the public to learn more about Balwyn, North Balwyn and Deepdene’s history, and to allow individuals to tell their stories about living in Balwyn, North Balwyn and Deepdene.