What a year to have a centenary! The Baha’i Faith in Australia is celebrating the development of the Faith in the 100 years since it was first established here in 1920. Those of you who have been following my blog for a while will know that I am a Baha’i. I have been volunteering this year to help with the celebrations and reflections on this centenary. Like many other … [Read more...] about 100 Years of the Baha’i Faith in Australia – some personal reflections
Women
Topics that Interest Historians in Australia
The annual gathering of historians in Australia is big. This year there were nearly 300 papers delivered in concurrent sessions. Yesterday I blogged about the keynotes and plenary panels. Today I will have a look at the masses of papers delivered by over three hundred historians. Before you recoil in horror at the prospect of a very lengthy post, I assure you that I will be … [Read more...] about Topics that Interest Historians in Australia
Review: South Australia on the Eve of War
South Australia on the Eve of War paints a picture of life in South Australia before the outbreak of World War I. Its ten chapters, each written by a different historian, are easy to read overviews of various aspects of life in South Australia before the outbreak of war. These chapters provide an introduction to topics such as South Australian politics, families, the lives of … [Read more...] about Review: South Australia on the Eve of War
Review: The Anzacs by Patsy Adam-Smith
The fog rolled down the river and engulf our house. The cold and damp penetrated the walls and windows. Our only view, an opaque whiteness. Through the stillness, the sound of a lone bugler playing the Last Post reached us from the nearby cemetery. Another old soldier had died. This was the house our family was living in when Patsy Adam-Smith published The Anzacs, her iconic … [Read more...] about Review: The Anzacs by Patsy Adam-Smith
Maybanke Anderson: suffragist and social reformer
Change in a culture often occurs in fits and starts, in confusing whirls of ideas and protest followed by quiet periods where old orthodoxies percolate through society again but in a different guise. Reform digs in its heels. New form orthodoxies flex their muscles and then we find the times of protest, ideas and reform are upon us again. As we cycle through complacency, … [Read more...] about Maybanke Anderson: suffragist and social reformer