Monday 17th August 2026
(For adults)
The J.S. Battye Library, which turns 70 this year, is a valuable repository of resources, with a wide range of materials related to Western Australia. Whether you’re researching family history, writing fiction set in Western Australia, or simply curious about our State, past and present, a visit to the Battye Library can confirm or challenge what you thought you already knew, and lead to intriguing and unexpected discoveries.
Join Melinda Tognini as she shares some of the resources she uses for family history research and writing historical fiction. Learn about useful online sources as well as materials that can be accessed by visiting the Battye Library in person.
Bookings for this free event are essential via Humanitix. Light refreshments will be available. You are encouraged to bring your own cup for tea/coffee or water.
Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements.
About Melinda Tognini: Melinda Tognini’s feature articles, travel writing, personal essays and flash memoir have been published in magazines and anthologies in Australia and the US. Her first book Many Hearts, One Voice: the story of the War Widows’ Guild in Western Australia was published by Fremantle Press in 2015. Melinda has been teaching, mentoring and facilitating workshops for the past three decades, with the hope of encouraging creativity and empowering others to find their voice. She is currently a PhD candidate at Curtin University, where she is delving into the form, structure and ethics of life writing.