Sweets the theme at Bendigo Library

SWEET tooths and history fans alike are in for a thrill as the Bendigo Library puts on an evening of all things chocolate, including tastings and talks from some of the region’s top chocolate buffs.

As part of the night, Dr Emma Robertson from La Trobe University will give a talk on her research into the history of the chocolate manufacturing industry and its workers, while Desiree Pettit-Keating from the Bendigo Regional Archives Centre will explore the world of confectionery across the centuries in north-west Victoria.

Dr Robertson, who has published two books on the subject, said her own interest in chocolate, and the workers who have produced it, was sparked by her childhood in the English city of York, which had several confectionery factories – most famously Rowntree’s and Terry’s.

“I knew so many people who had worked in this industry, and I had seen, and smelt, these factories as I was growing up, but I knew very little about what went on behind the factory walls,” she said.

“I was especially keen to know more about the women who had worked at those factories, women like my grandmother and aunties, as they had been such an important part of the workforce.

“I started to realise how York was connected to so many other parts of the world through the chocolate industry, to the cocoa farming regions of West Africa, for example, but also to the sites of other Rowntree factories – including in Melbourne.”

The event will also include chocolate demonstrations and tastings from the amazing Hayley Tibbett from Indulge Fine Belgian Chocolates and Sue Schrieber of Choclartiste.

Discovering History: Such Sweet Sorrow is happening on Thursday 8 July, 5.30 to 6.30pm at the Bendigo Library. You can register to attend for free on the eventbrite website via bit.ly/3A4e5CM.