Stanley Smith was an Australian businessman, WWII operative in China and expert horticulturalist. His life took him from a comfortable Brisbane upbringing to the danger of war and finally to a life half-way across the world. His Chinese-born wife, May Wong, grew up during the civil war in China and the fighting against Japanese occupation. May and Stanley met through their work … [Read more...] about War, Business and Orchids – the Smith Story
China
Presenting at a Conference in the Social Media Age
In many respects the format of academic conferences has not changed much over the years. There will be some plenary sessions with keynote lectures but the hive of the conference is the parallel sessions where many presenters stand up, read their paper and answer a few questions afterwards. Once upon a time presenters may have used overhead transparencies. These have been … [Read more...] about Presenting at a Conference in the Social Media Age
Fresh Observations of War and Military
Mobilities and mobilisations in history is the theme of this year's conference of the Australian Historical Association. This is a very rich topic. The construction and maintenance of empires was based on the ability to move people and goods around the empire. Subversion often draws on the ability to move also. There have been some fascinating papers delivered at this … [Read more...] about Fresh Observations of War and Military
Connections: Australian Historical Association Annual Conference 2012
This week I’m in Adelaide for the feast of history that is the annual Australian Historical Association Conference. Each day I’ll share with you my experience of the conference on this blog. My first experience of a historical conference was earlier this year at the American Historical Association annual conference in Chicago. Well… I didn’t travel outside Sydney. My … [Read more...] about Connections: Australian Historical Association Annual Conference 2012