Members and friends are invited to join us in person or via Zoom to learn about The Melbourne Socialite and the Turkish Diplomat.

With a very illustrative presentation, Patrick Ferry tells the story of the whirlwind romance of Florence (a member of a very prominent Victorian squatter family) and Chefik (the Turkish diplomat) while demonstrating the various types of records held at the National Archives of Australia (NAA) which are of interest to family historians.
In London, September 1913, a young society lady from a stately country mansion fell in love with a handsome diplomat from the Turkish embassy. It sounds like a plot line from the hit British drama Downton Abbey … but it’s the real-life story of Victorian socialite Florence Winter-Irving.

Patrick Ferry is the Assistant State Manager, Victoria of the National Archives of Australia (NAA). He is an archivist and author of various local history books including Blood, toil, tears and sweat: remembering the Pakenham District’s WW2 service personnel, 1939-1945 and St Patrick’s, Pakenham: from the wilds of the Australian bush to outer-suburban Melbourne, c1840 to 2016.

Members and friends are invited to join us for lunch at 12 noon at the cafe, lunches must be ordered by the Thursday prior and paid for on the day. Full details are available from our secretary. Patrick Ferry’s presentation will open the meeting at 2 pm, our Annual General Meeting will follow.