The Convent

Have you visited the Abbotsford Convent before? It is a beautiful place, its history, architecture, artistry, and food make it a must visit.  The Abbotsford Convent was a haunted place, left to languish for years after the last of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd had gone. In its prime it had been a school, a refuge, a retreat, a workhouse and a prison - the single largest charitable institution in the southern hemisphere. In the late 1990s a proposed high-density development threatened the idyllic riverside location, sparking outrage in the local community and further afield.

Years of protesting, negotiating and fundraising followed and the convent, now on Australia's National Heritage List, has started a new life as a vibrant centre for art and culture. The Convent: A City Finds its Heart  written by Stuart Kells tells the story of the site's rich history and the efforts to preserve it. It is an uplifting tale of community activism - a tangible reminder that the magic of the past can endure and what people-power can achieve.

Join us at the PMI Victorian History Library for a night of historical storytelling, that you wont want to miss. 

 

Stuart Kells who has written on a wide range of subjects including libraries, publishing, professional services and diamond mining. His shorter works have been published around the world including in Smithsonian, The Paris Review, The Guardian and LitHub. A University of Melbourne alumnus, he delivered the 2018 Jean Whyte Lecture and the 2022 Murray Talk. His history of Penguin Books, Penguin and the Lane Brothers, won the Ashurst Business Literature Prize in 2015. His book The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's literary award and the NSW Premier’s general history prize. He is Adjunct Professor at La Trobe University’s College of Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce.

 

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