2024 Awards: The winners were announced at the annual  lunch on Sunday 25th May 2025

ALEXANDER HENDERSON AWARD

The Hutchings Family : A Journey from Devon to the Wimmera

David Hutchings, Elizabeth Bell, Murray Hutchings and Tim Hutchings

Every year, one book rises to the top and this book is no exception. The judges all said it was an excellent work and could find very little to criticise about it. The four authors are to be commended as the various chapters written by each one blend in to one whole. They too have used fictionalised accounts which were wonderful to read and added much to the story. There was a great deal of social and historical context blended into the family story, which the judges always look for. It is a beautifully presented book with the all-important inclusions of an index, footnotes, bibliography, acknowledgements and a large range of sources. 

DON GRANT AWARD

His Own Man: the inconvenient life of Lee Hing Jacgung

Jon Kehrer

The writing of this book required exceptional research, as can be seen in the long list of sources that the author used. It is a highly detailed biography of a Chinese immigrant, and very readable. The book tells the story of what at first glance could be thought of as an ordinary man, but Lee Hing was an interpreter on the Mount Alexander goldfields, a miner, a preacher, a Gippsland selector, a farmer and a pioneer. He sailed the world, dug for gold in California, sued Queen Victoria, amongst other exploits. The story ranges from China to San Francisco to Victoria, particularly the areas of Fryerstown and Jeeralang.