A pounding base was thundering across the large park in front of our house as I started writing this post on Sunday night. Any music that accompanied the relentless thud had largely dropped by the wayside. We were left with the remnants. Tuneless reverberations reached every corner of our house. That morning, when the noise started, we decided to evacuate for the day. We just … [Read more...] about Noise, Newcastle and the Challenge
books
Challenge Completed!
One of the joys after I finished my history degree was reading a book from cover to cover. This is the way most authors expect people to read their books, but when studying or working I found the pressure of deadlines meant that I simply mined a book for information through the index or a reference in another article or book. Worse still, my reading was terribly skewed towards … [Read more...] about Challenge Completed!
Review: The Riddle of Father Hackett by Brenda Niall
Brenda Niall’s biography of Irish-Australian Jesuit priest, Father Hackett, is absorbing from the start. Niall starts by sharing her musings as she walks through Kew cemetery in Melbourne where Father Hackett is buried. She shares some memories of the cleric who often visited her home when she was a child and her thoughts as she sifts through that third cemetery in which the … [Read more...] about Review: The Riddle of Father Hackett by Brenda Niall
Second-Hand Bookshopping in Brisbane
Hubble and I enjoy rummaging through second-hand bookshops. They are treasure troves. I buy some new books, but I am building up my Australian history collection by finding out of print, sometimes obscure gems in second-hand bookshops. Often these books are hard to find in a library near me - particularly if they solely relate to a state other than the state in which I live. I … [Read more...] about Second-Hand Bookshopping in Brisbane
National Reconciliation Week Review: Pictures from my memory
It is Reconciliation Week this week. An important aspect of the act of reconciliation in Australia is non-indigenous Australians listening, pondering and accepting the experiences of the first Australians. There are many ways we can participate. I chose to read the recently published memoir of a woman from the centre of Australia - Lizzie Marrkilyi Ellis. Lizzie Marrkilyi … [Read more...] about National Reconciliation Week Review: Pictures from my memory