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Series

The E. W. Cole Lecture Series

The E. W. Cole Lecture Series honours the memory of a man who helped shape Melbourne as a City of Literature and ideas.

E. W. Cole, of Cole’s Book Arcade, was a dynamic bookseller, activist, and champion for literacy and education. His eccentric arcade was a testament to his buoyant belief in the power of knowledge.

This annual lecture continues his legacy by inviting Australias brightest thinkers to deliver talks that spark optimistic, progressive and future-thinking ideas for our society and our world, and celebrate Cole’s dedication to the fruitful intersection of intellect and play.

Find out more about E.W. Cole, his book arcade and his legacy.

Supported by The E. W. Cole Foundation

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The Wheeler Centre acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Centre stands. We acknowledge and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their Elders, past and present, as the custodians of the world’s oldest continuous living culture.