This post continues my series, Introduction to Australian History, which is written for people who have recently settled in Australia or live outside Australia and want an introduction to our history and culture. This weekend the AFL Grand Final will be held between the Sydney Swans and Hawthorn football teams. This is a huge event. Around 100,000 fans flock to the Melbourne … [Read more...] about Aussie Rules Football in Melbourne and Sydney
Sydney
WWI Soldier’s Daughter to Speak About Peace
This Sunday in Sydney a human rights champion will be talking about her lifetime of work and how she was influenced in this work by her father, a veteran from World War I. If you are in Sydney tomorrow morning I encourage you to attend. Judy Hassall is the daughter of Archie Barwick whose wartime service has recently featured on the ABC television series, The War That Changed … [Read more...] about WWI Soldier’s Daughter to Speak About Peace
Travelling Back in Time
History is about time. That is so obvious that it is easy to take it for granted. While I have been moving I have been pondering what time means for my book. Some Exciting News marked a new era for Stumbling Through the Past. I finished it on the last day I will be in Australia for some months. I hit the ‘publish’ button, then shut down my computer ready for the drive to … [Read more...] about Travelling Back in Time
Exhibition of Soldier Diaries at State Library NSW
We gasped as we entered the exhibition. The enormous room was dominated by a wall of hundreds of World War I diaries. Born at Gallipoli, on the Western Front, the Middle East or on an Australian naval boat, these diaries now sit in the calm and comfortable conditions of a new exhibition at the State Library of New South Wales. There are big diaries, little diaries, stout ones … [Read more...] about Exhibition of Soldier Diaries at State Library NSW
Sydney Writers’ Festival 2014: What I learned
The Sydney Writers’ Festival is one of my favourite events of the year. It is a wonderful celebration of books. Who says the book is dead when over 80,000 people flocked to hear writers talk about their work! The program featured 450 writers talking at sixty venues throughout Sydney. I only heard six authors at the Festival but I was happy. Just attending two sessions allowed … [Read more...] about Sydney Writers’ Festival 2014: What I learned