About the speaker

Dr Ken Heffernan was born, raised and schooled in Canberra, and graduated in arts and law at the Australian National University.

His archaeological field experiences, from the late 1970s, enticed him into postgraduate study, research and teaching in that discipline. Dr Heffernan conducted archaeological impact assessments in the Canberra region until the mid 1990s, then ran a project for the NSW Parks Aboriginal Heritage Division.

He joined the Australian Heritage Commission in 1998 and over the next 15 years was responsible at different times for historic heritage, historic shipwrecks, movable cultural heritage, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage, heritage economics, supporting Australia’s World Heritage Committee term, and the reform of heritage provisions in the EPBC Act and other legislation.

Dr Heffernan served on the inaugural ACT Heritage Council as a member and later Deputy Chair (1992-1997). He was appointed to the Heritage Council in 2017, becoming Deputy Chair then Chair until his resignation in 2022.

Dr Heffernan currently enjoys volunteering as curator of the Gillespie Collection at the Hall Heritage Centre.

About the Canberra Day Oration

From foundation in 1953, the Canberra & District Historical Society has promoted the annual observance of Canberra Day on 12 March.

In the following years the Society celebrated Canberra Day in a variety of ways, including Pioneer Gatherings, exhibitions, essay competitions, orations and commemorations at the Commencement Stone.

From 2002 the Society re-introduced the Canberra Day Oration, with Professor Don Aitkin as the first orator. Since then, the Canberra Day Oration has been an annual event, held on 12 March.