Michelle Richmond will speak on the History of the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

Michelle Richmond trained as a primary teacher, teaching in NSW and London, before pursuing her other passions by studying history and archaeology at the University of Sydney. She then worked for a time as an aid and development officer in Azerbaijan. Back in Sydney she worked as a historian in several heritage consultancy firms before taking up her role as a professional historian based at Northern Beaches Council library. The northern beaches, covering the area north of Sydney Harbour, west to Middle Harbour and north to the entrance of Broken Bay, was explored early after white settlement, though it remained a largely rural area well into the 20th century. Michelle has studied the history of the northern beaches, examining both Aboriginal and white settlement.