I was awarded the 2018 John Oxley Library Fellowship, which is a prestigious State Library of Queensland award – https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/get-involved/fellowships-awards-and-residencies/queensland-memory-awards/john-oxley-library-fellowship/john-oxley-library-fellows#2017-john-oxley-fellowship-dr-jennifer-moffatt-card
The historical research project is titled: The story of Queensland’s selectors. How those who won land in a ballot contributed to Queensland’s social, economic and political development.
The aim was to fill a knowledge gap in Queensland’s history and complement the history of pioneers, squatters and land development.
August 2018 I conducted 27 interviews with people who received land in ballots, their descendants or key informants. The focus was on recent land development schemes in order to hear directly from those who were successful in ballots. This is supplemented by archival research at the State Library of Queensland and the Queensland State Archives.
For an overview of the project see the 5 min Digital story which was shown at the 2019 awards ceremony: https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/get-involved/fellowships-awards-residencies/queensland-memory-awards/john-oxley-library-0#2018-john-oxley-fellow-dr-jennifer-moffatt
For an introduction to land ballots see the first blog: http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/2019/01/16/land-ballots-in-queensland/
This is the link to blog 2 which is about the Brigalow scheme: http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/2019/05/02/it-was-their-baby-land-ballots-and-the-fitzroy-basin-brigalow-development-scheme/
The 3rd blog reports material from the interviews and gives insights into being a balloter: http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/2019/11/19/being-a-balloter/
In February 2019 I had the pleasure of presenting to the Local Studies Group who attended the State Library for the first of their meetings of the year.
On 8th August 2019 I did a public lecture on land ballots which included demonstrating a ballot box loaned to the State Library by the Museum of Lands, Mapping and Surveying-Queensland. Following the lecture there was a white-gloves experience where attendees could view the State Library collection of reports, photographs and family and local histories containing material on land ballots.
The link to the public lecture is: https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/get-involved/fellowships-awards-residencies/queensland-memory-awards/john-oxley-library-0#2018-john-oxley-fellow-dr-jennifer-moffatt
See https://www.facebook.com/LandBallots for an informal approach.