The need for change
The need for change The story of the 1967 Referendum begins with the Australian Constitution, which came into effect on 1 January 1901, establishing the Commonwealth of Australia. It is an important living document that continues to shape the Australian nation. The Constitution and the Commonwealth of Australia were drawn up at a time when […]
‘Australia has no culture’: changing the mindset of the cringe
“Australia has no culture, so why would anyone overseas be interested in us?” says a young MA student at a University of Melbourne forum as part of a discussion about Australian “culture” being promoted seriously and strategically overseas. Her peers joined in. “Yes, it’s a cultural cringe”. “Yes, Australia is so young, compared with other […]
ABC Radio Brisbane – Focus: What moment in history has influenced your life? #Goondeen
History can be very personal. How has your experience of history shaped your life? And how can that help us understand Australia? Two wise Brisbane elders, Uncle Albert Holt and Everald Compton, talk about understanding Australia through history.
Street Art – A conversation piece or an eyesore?
Historically, we remember street art as a different name; graffiti; a sub-culture of disenfranchisedyouth expressing themselves through what many property owners and the government consideredvandalism. But that perception is changing.Today we find many business owners and local government allocating areas of their businesses and communities to commissioned street art pieces that bring a level of culture […]
Uncle Albert – Queen’s Baton Bearer at the Commonwealth Games
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History through the eyes of three wise men of Queensland
(Tony Moore – Brisbane Times) They call them the three wise men. They are “Goondeen”, which is also the title of a book that gives an alternative reading of the big events in recent Australian history and is aimed at library shelves in Queensland schools. In Murri language a Goondeen is “a wise fella, a clever fella, […]
New book Goondeen examines migrant camps and migration success stories including Henry Palaszczuk
(Grantlee Kieza, The Sunday Mail) NOT long after the greatest cataclysm the modern world had seen, this newspaper reported on Queensland’s efforts to help with a refugee crisis that saw millions of people facing death, disease and famine. The terror and the carnage of World War II was still alive in the scarred minds of […]
AUSTRALIA IS A NATION BUILDER – Inland Rail plan
Multi-billion dollar Inland Rail plan gathers momentum. Michael Madigan, The Courier-Mail Final leg of Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail route revealed Queensland Nationals MPs demand inland rail route change A CONTRACT for 14,000 tonnes of steel has been signed and, come late January, more than 100 workers will once again be buzzing about the 12th […]
AUSTRALIA DAY OR INVASION DAY ?
The Australia Day public holiday, held each year on 26 January, commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet and the beginning of European settlement in Australia. In 1988, the 200th anniversary was acknowledged with a year-long programme of events, which included a touring exhibition, the presentation of a medallion to all Australian schoolchildren, an official […]
THE FORGOTTEN WAR
THE FORGOTTEN WAR Few Australians have ever heard of The Forgotten War. In began with the arrival of the First Fleet at Botany Bay and lasted for about 100 years as Aborigines defended the land they had occupied for 65000 years as Europeans spread further and further across the Continent. Historians estimate that […]
