WE’D LOVE TO HELP YOU DIG IN
Explore your past
The Kentian Society Museum preserves and shares the history of school life in Perth’s south-eastern suburbs—helping researchers understand who we are and where we came from. We encourage critical evaluation of all sources, particularly online ones.
The following information will help in research relating to people, places and historical events.
Family History
Our collection of newspaper articles, memoirs, reports, and certificates covers many Kent Street SHS students and staff. Combined with post office directories and rate books, these materials can reveal a great deal about previous generations.
Research Requests
We hold Kent Street SHS’s local history collection, which is primarily paper-based. Please contact us at society@kentians.org.au or 9262 0500 to arrange an appointment or submit a brief question. Responses within 5 business days.
You can also try our list below to find links to websites which may aid in your research.
Online Research Links
To search a wide range of newspapers, books, photographs and other online resources:
To search Western Australian Post Office Directories from 1893-1949:
https://slwa.wa.gov.au/collections/collections/post-office-directories
To search online indexes for Western Australian Births, Deaths and Marriages:
To search for burial records in the Perth Metropolitan area:
https://portal.mcb.wa.gov.au/name-search
To search the Government records in the State Records Office of Western Australia, use the on-line catalogue. This will assist with searching a wide range of subject areas including convicts and transportation, education and school records, residents of Perth Old Men’s Home (Sunset Hospital), maps and plans.
The Police Gazette is available on-line from the State Library of Western Australia Battye Library’s site. These documents are a valuable resource for researching police and criminals in Western Australia from 1876 to 1900.
https://slwa.wa.gov.au/collections/collections/police-gazettes
Collections WA is a free, searchable platform that brings together collections from libraries, galleries, museums, archives, historical societies, cultural organisations, community groups and other collecting organisations across Western Australia.
Whether you are a student, a researcher, or someone with a keen interest in our State’s history, Collections WA is a valuable tool for conducting research. Through Collections WA you can discover unique cultural, creative and community stories from Western Australian collections.