The ADAVB’s archive contains a number of records which date back to the beginning of organised dentistry in Victoria, including minute books and other administrative papers produced by each of the Odontological Society of Victoria, the Dental Graduates’ Society of Victoria, the Alumni Society of the Australian College of Dentistry, and the State Dental Society of Victoria.

Project Sponsorship

The cost of creating a digital archive of the early records of the dental profession in Victoria was kindly sponsored by long-standing strategic allies of the Branch, the Victorian Medical Insurance Agency (VMIA). Lately they have been responsible for arranging access to PSA Insurance services for members, but they have been strong supporters of the profession and dental research for many years and remain the sponsor of the ADA Prize, awarded each year to the fifth year student with the best overall results.

Their grant of $10,000 allowed the ADAVB to engage the services of Mr Gavin McCarthy, a world recognised archivist, to supervise the creation of a digital archive of thousands of pages of original minutes, annual reports and constitutions – along with some other interesting ephemera.

Shared benefit

The objective of the grant was not only to provide the ADAVB with a digital archive of its earliest records but to create a file that could be donated to the Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum at the Melbourne Dental School.

The Museum holds some of the early records for the Odontological Society, and in return for the ADAVB contribution of its digital archive, digital copies of these minutes and other records have been provided to the ADAVB.  This exchange resulted in both organisations having more complete collections, which in the case of the ADAVB, meant that all minutes of the Odontological Society of Victoria are now accessible in one location.

Appreciation

The ADAVB is indebted to both VMIA and the Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum for their support and assistance in making the digital archive project such a success.

Work in progress

Not all entries have images associated with them, and the scanning of such images will be done progressively when time permits.  Additional records will also be loaded as resources become available to address the task.