Andrew Kilsby

Andrew is an early career historian, published author and researcher.  His strengths as an historian lie with military, biographical, business and social history in the period 1850-1920, but he has wide ranging history interests across most periods. His history consulting firm, Cooee History & Heritage, was established in 2009.

Andrew graduated from RMC Duntroon with a B.A. in Military Studies from UNSW.  Eleven years of Defence Force service and a further  11 years with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade followed, with postings over that period to Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.  Andrew completed a Bachelor of Letters (Lit.B.) in Asian History from UNE, based on the thesis ‘The Indonesian Nationalist Resistance to the Dutch Occupation of Jogjakarta 1945-47’.  From 1994 to 2009 Andrew worked in a variety of public relations and corporate affairs roles in both consulting firms and multinational companies in Asia and Australia.  He is currently completing a PhD in history at the Australian Defence Force Academy. His thesis looks at The Rifle Club Movement and Australian Defence 1860-1920. 

Andrew completed a genealogical history - The Kilsby Name in Australia 1850-1986 which earned a Special Mention in the SAGHS Awards in 1986.  Returning from abroad in 2005 he followed that up with an investigation into the construction and voyage history of the convict and immigrant ship, the Sea Queen, which resulted in the re-construction of  the ship’s plans.  While in the corporate world, he oversaw the archival registration and preservation of Kraft’s neglected heritage collection of ephemera and records.  In 2006 Andrew initiated and project-managed a $40,000 heritage commemoration of Kraft’s 80^th Anniversary, which involved both physical displays of heritage machinery, ephemera and reconstructed memorabilia along with collection of oral histories from former veteran employees of the company.

In 2008 he completed his first book, ‘Lions of the Day’, which told the story of the SA Contingent to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, including 26 individual biographies.  In 2009 came ‘The Bisley Boys’, which told the story of the Victorian Rifle Team which travelled to Bisley in England in 1897 to compete successfully against the best of the Empire for the Kolapore Cup, including team biographies.  Andrew has since written a commissioned business and biographical study of Thomas Joshua Jackson 1852-1901, the co-owner of the famous Young & Jackson’s Hotel, and  is working on a sporting and social commissioned history,  ‘The Riflemen 1855-1988’, for the National Rifle Association of Australia (the NRAA is Australia’s oldest national sporting organisation). 

Andrew was also Convener for the MHSA National Biennial Conference, held over 3-5 April 2010 and Convener for the MHSA (Victorian Branch’s) inaugural Arthur Cobby Commemorative Oration in June 2010.  Other MHSA projects led by Andrew include publication of ‘fallen leaves’, which documents the social and service history of the 68 men from the Oakleigh district who did not return from WWI, produced in collaboration with two researchers and with the support of a Department of Veterans’ Affairs grant.  Andrew is also co-producing a companion Exhibition - ‘Saluting their Service’ – with the Oakleigh & District Historical Society; the Exhibition will run from through December 2010. 

Andrew is an Associate Member of the PHA and the RHSV, a member of the Australian Historical Association and Secretary of the Military Historical Society of Australia (Victorian Branch Inc.).