by Professor Bridget Griffen-Foley, Centre for Media History, Macquarie University. Since Kerry Packerâs death on Boxing Day, 2005, his family, and that of the Murdochs, have been ripe for nostalgic embrace. Three dramatic mini-series focused on the Packer empire: Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo (on the ABC in 2011), Howzat! The Kerry Packer War … Read more
Professional historian, Clare Wright, has won the 2014 Stella Prize for women’s writing. Selected from a strong shortlist which included both fiction and non-fiction, Wright won $50,000 for her history of the Ballarat goldfields, The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka. In her citation, Kerryn Goldsworthy, chair of the 2014 Stella Prize judging panel, said: A rare … Read more
This post brings you something new on the PHA NSW blog. It is the first in a series of profiles of our members, inspired by a column in the UK online magazine, the History Vault. Thanks to Stephen Gapps for the suggestion and Pauline Curby  (on the right) for being our guinea pig. What is … Read more
by Nicole Cama, Digital Curator, Australian National Maritime Museum. I always find the amalgamation of past and current events to be a challenging task as a historian. Last week I was a guest speaker for the Dictionary of Sydneyâs weekly history segment on Breakfast at 2SER radio. The International Court of Justice had, only the day … Read more
As we approach Anzac Day in the centenary year of the beginning of the First World War, we are sure to see outpourings of reminiscence and myth about the âGreatâ War. Francesca Beddie brings to the attention of fellow historians some of the efforts being made to encourage balance and honesty in the history being … Read more
Ian Willis reports on a paper he presented at the 12th Australasian Urban History/Planning History Conference at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. The paper examined the identity of the Macarthur region southwest of Sydney and its sense of place. What is Macarthurâs regional identity? This seems a fairly safe question but if the response … Read more
by David Carment. I recently returned from the excellent conference in Canberra honouring the eminent and influential Australian historian Alan Atkinson. His most substantial publication is The Europeans in Australia, the third volume of which appears this year. Other important books include Camden, The Commonwealth of Speech and his co-edited Australians 1838. Conference speakers addressed … Read more
by Joy Hughes At the beginning of December 2013, Dr Alex Byrne, the State Librarian, announced an appeal for funds for the ârevitalisationâ of the Mitchell Library. The appealâs ritzy brochure outlines exciting plans on a grand scale for a large below ground auditorium and for current office spaces on the first floor to become … Read more
Katherine Knight alerts us to an historical perspective to the Royal Commission into Institutional Response to Child Sex Abuse. On 31 January, Bonney Djuric posted on Facebook âSee ABC 7.30 Report NSW, tonight Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Parramatta Girls Homeâ. For over a decade, the former âParramatta Girlâ Bonney has … Read more
As Australia faces a week of soaring temperatures, this post takes us to snow-bound Washington DC where the 2014 American Historical Association (AHA) meeting recently took place. It is a short entry, offering some links to material you might have time to explore before 2014 gets into top gear and which may be useful in … Read more