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Issue 40 * April 1997
With Anzac Day approaching next week I am reminded of the story told to an ABC interviewer by one of the old diggers who accompanied Bob Hawke on the pilgrimage to Gallipoli for the 75th anniversary of Anzac. The old chap went looking for the grave of one of his mates who was killed in the fighting and instead found a headstone with his own name engraved on it. 'I almost died of fright', he said. Such was my feeling on reading some of the Australian press reports late last year which announced the imminent demise of the Menzies Centre. However, I am glad to report, as Mark Twain did on reading his own obituary, that rumours of our death are greatly exaggerated.
In terms of staff numbers, we have certainly shrunk a little. The lectureship so well filled by Tom Griffiths until January last is frozen. But I have arrived to head the Centre, John Ryan is here as Public Service Fellow for eighteen months, and John Arnold arrives next month to do a stint as Monash lecturer. Our core funding from the Menzies Foundation has been guaranteed until the year 2000; and we are cautiously optimistic about a renewal of our project funding from the Australian government when the time for it comes around at the end of next year.
Most important: our major activities go on apace. Mark Finnane gave a stimulating Reese Lecture in January. Our postgraduate conference (convened jointly with BASA) attracted sixteen speakers and as many again listeners both from all over the United Kingdom and from Ireland. So successful was it that we hope to run another before too long. There is a full seminar programme, including a talk by the doyen of British cricket writers, E.W. Swanton, to mark the Ashes tests. Literary Links is thriving. Further, we have three conferences coming up - in July, 'The History of the Book in Australia: the British Connection' (with the Monash Centre); and also in July, 'Ranging Shots: New Directions in Australian Military History' (with the Imperial War Museum and Australian War Memorial); and two later in the year on 'Strategies to increase growth rates in developed economies' and on 'Australian Investment in in Europe'. New Bicentennial, Laporte and WAAPA Scholars and Fellows have either been made offers or soon will be; and we are hatching a scheme for undergraduate scholarships. So we are very much alive. Indeed, if you have any ideas for seminars, lectures, conferences, symposia, or joint courses, do get in touch.
Since the beginning of 1997 the following have been academic visitors at the Menzies Centre:
John Ryan arrived at the Sir Robert Menzies Centre in February for a 12 month appointment as the Australian Public Service Visiting Fellow. John's last post was as the First Assistant Secretary with the Department of Industry Science and Tourism responsible for the Industry Policy Division. He has an extensive background as a government policy adviser on industry development issues. He is a former deputy director of the Bureau of Industry Economics where he undertook economic research on a wide range of industry issues. His published research has been in the areas of finance, taxation, investment and technology policy.
John has a Bachelor of Economics from Monash University and a Master of Economics from the Australian National University. He is currently the chair of the OECD Industry Committee which is a role he will continue.
While at the Centre John's reseach interests will be in factors affecting economic growth and new directions in industry policy in Europe. He proposes to host a conference in the autumn on strategies to increase growth rates amongst developed economies.
John was born in Melbourne. He has been a supporter of the Footscray Football Club (recently renamed the Western Bulldogs) since birth and and a late convert to the Canberra Raiders. He has played many sports without mastering any. His partner, Carolynne, is an Arts graduate from ANU and has been working with a private consulting firm in Australia specialising in environmental issues. Their youngest daughter Georgina is accommpanying them before she commences her studies at ANU in 1998.
Ah, London in the springtime, surely there is no better time for a weekend of scholarly discussion on Australia? On March 21 and 22 a motley crew of scholars, academics and in cases the two combined, gathered for the two day post-graduate conference on 'Australia'. The title was broad as was the range of papers delivered, the advantage being that there was something for everyone regardless of research interests.
Carl Bridge, Head of the Sir Robert Menzies Centre, opened the conference with a few words to the wise about academic research and the importance of pursuing your own goals, basically, 'To thine own self be true'. Juliet Mullaney, an Irishwoman researching in the University of Leeds, kick-started the conference with a discussion on women and knowledge in the work of Patrick White. For my own part I suffered from knowing very little about the author but the general reaction was favourable. Maggie Nolan, an Australian at the University of Stirling, followed and presented a fascinating paper on the Demidenko controversy, a hot issue in Australia at the moment although not a new one. Maggie drew interesting parallels with the Ern Malley debacle of past years. After a question and answer session we took a break for tea, coffee and wine for the alcoholics. A few smokers furtively pursuded their habit but they were very much in the minority, for the first time in living memory the number of ashtrays exceeded the number of smokers. Of course the latter felt the need to prove themselves and smoked twice their usual quota. Susan Pfisterer (University of New England) concluded the morning session on the theatrical career of Miles Franklin, a writer with an historical link to the subject of Maggie Nolan's discussion.
Lesley Walker (University of Sydney) began the afternoon with a discussion of Welsh migration. As the next speaker both my heart and stomach did a bungy jump when I saw ithe impressive array of transparencies Lesley was using, in full Technicolor no less. Lesley had a wealth of statistics at her disposal and used them to full advantage. For my own paper I knew that time was at a premium and having a lot to cover I must have given a competent impression of a greyhound on amphetamines. Let me apologise now for any lack of coherence. I was pleasantly surprised at the response to 'Divorce Legislation In���' although I wasn't quite sure how to take the amazed "It-was-very-interesting" comments afterwards which followed me around for the rest of the weekend.
After another coffee break Pat McDevitt, from Rutgers University, presented an extremely interesting paper on the Bodyline Cricket Tour. In light of the fact that Pat has worked as a bouncer I can hardly say otherwise. (Just Kidding, Pat!). Pat discussed the importance of the event to both British and Australian concepts of national identity and did so in a clear and obviously relevant way. The first day concluded with Bruce Hindmarsh's discussion of Aborogines and social banditry in the early nineteenth century. Bruce's (University of Edinburgh) Scottish accent might have proved an obstacle to some and a working knowledge of 'Trainspotting', book and film, would definitely have proved useful. Bruce drew attention to the close ties that existed between some Aborigines and whites who had become outcasts of European civilisation.
Saturday began at 9.30am for most and 1.00pm for others, my excuse was repairs to the Underground. From what I've heard the first four papers went well and contact addresses can be provided for those who want more information. Clare Anderson (University of Edinburgh, there were more Scots in Russell Square than in the entire cast of 'Braveheart') spoke on transportation from Mauritius, kindly providing a map to show us exactly where Mauritius is. Clare has a rather unique sense of humour and took a strange satisfaction from elaborating on what convicts did to deserve their imprisonment (these consisted of crimes committed by women on certain parts of the male anatomy). Tamasin O'Connor (University of ditto) finished the early afternoon session with a talk on the female penal settlement at Moreton Bay as with many of the papers there was an link with material that had goen before. The academic side of the weekend concluded with the Centre's own Rodney Mace who spoke on religion and the fear of affection. Rodney's paper was inter-active, introducing an element of audience participation not previously employed by the speakers. A lively discussion followed.
The final order of business was the election of the new BASA post-grad rep. with Juliet Mullaney taking over from Edel Mahony. Good luck to Juliet in the year ahead. Carl Bridge made the concluding remarks and voiced the feelings of all present at the success of the conference.
Overall it was a fantastic success for all concerned, particularly Edel Mahony who organised the whole shebang. Without exagerating it would not have been a fraction so enjoyable with her unitigated zeal for the job. Special thanks must also go to Kirsten McIntyre who worked hand-in-hand with Edel and to Kim ��� for providing us with the food and drink which was more a banquet than a buffet. Fergal Bell is slaving away at a Master's degree at University College Cork
Families of seething photons boil off the TV screen, one movie after another rocketing to their apotheosis, reel after reel stuffed with plots and characters.
Plausibly chockablock with passion, equally helpless with a boil of anger, blooming into a fidgety sketch of the century we leave - what's it done for us? - just in time for the second feature, how perfect in its glazed replication of film noir!
Mayby history really is a Morals Calculator endlessly looping through its revelations, time after time: War, Jazz, Killing, the dwarfish dark gods damned if they'll let us go until we learn the lesson.
John Tranter
On a wild and wet night, over a hundred staff, students and friends of the Sir Robert Menzies Centre for Australian Studies gathered in the splendid Downer Room at the Australian High Commission to hear Professor Mark Finnane of Griffith University give this year's Trevor Reese Memorial Lecture entitled "Colonisation and incarceration: the criminal justice system and Aboriginal Australians".
In his introudction, Michael Cook, Chairman of the Centre's Committee of Management, welcomed us to the first function held by the Centre since Professor Carl Bridge had taken over as Head of the Centre from Brian Matthews. He welcomed especially Hilary Reese and members of her family and paid tribute to Trevor Reese's academic and personal qualities which brought back memories to several of us who had known and worked with Trevor at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies.
Professor Finnane reminded us in his opening remarks that it is ten years since the establishment of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the latest of a number of inquiries in the last hundred years into the condition of Aboriginal peoples. However little is know about the history of the criminal justice system as it affects Aborigines and the statistics he quoted showed that there had been an increase in recent years in the numbers of Aborigines being imprisoned. Professor Finnane then surveyed the disparate history if imprisonment of Aboriginal Australians in the states and the Northern Territory. He also considered whether Aborigines were dicriminated against by the legal and prison systems, drawing on the examples of the establishment of Rottnest Island as an Aboriginal prison and in the use of corporal punishment. He concluded by considering the treatment of indigenous peoples in other settler countries of the Commonwealth.
In his closing speech Carl Bridge thanked the High Commissioner, who was present, for permitting the Downer Room to be used without charge and Kirsten McIntyre for her tireless work which had ensured all had gone smoothly. He thanked Mark Finnane for giving such a well researched and profound lecture which was a fitting tribute to Trevor Reese and carried on his exacting standards of scholarship.
The audience, having concurred in this assessment, then retired to the Bruce Rooms for the cutomary drinks and nibbles.
Professor Finnane's paper will be published by the Centre and available in May.
Sara Joynes, SRMCAS Research Associate, March 1997
These are a couple of the Centre's most recent publications, a full list of publications is available from Kirsten McIntyre at the Centre.
Thank you to the following for donations to the SRMCAS library:
Special thanks to:
Also thanks to:
Carl Bridge Most important among Carl Bridge's activities has been his continuing round of talks with Australian and British business people and government officials about the future funding of the Centre's activities. He has also taken over the teaching of the BA and MA courses in Australian history and the coordination of the Wednesday seminars from Tom Griffiths. He himself presented a paper to the seminar on 'Australia and the Vietnam War'. In January he attended the Governor Arthur Phillip Memorial Service at St Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside, and later a BASA committee meeting at the University of Manchester. In February he attended Chatham House to hear Alexander Downer speak, moved the vote of thanks at the Centre's Reese Lecture at Australia House, and was the guest of the Australian poet, John Kinsella, at Churchill College, Cambridge. In March he attended the Matthew Flinders Memorial Service in Lincoln and had talks with Canon Rex Davis about the future activities of the Lincolnshire Branch of the Britain-Australia Society. Later in the month he opened the SRMCAS/BASA Postgraduate Conference at the Centre. He was also profiled as the Centre's new head by The Times Higher Education Supplement. He examined PhD theses for Cambridge and Macquarie Universities, gave television interviews on the Bougainville crisis, and advised various companies and people on a wide range of issues from the parallels between the British and Australian Labour parties to Aboriginal children's stories.
John Ryan A major focus of John's activities since his arrival in London has been with the OECD. As Chairman of the Industry Committee John was invited to lead a session at an OECD Conference on "The Changing Nature of the Firm and the New Role for Government" held in Stockholm in February. At the March meeting of the Committee it was agreed to hold the first meeting of OECD Industry Ministers in Paris in February 1998. The Committee's work program for 1997 is focussed on the Ministerial meeting agenda which will also involve significant private sector participation. John accompanied Mr John Moore, Minister for Industry Science and Tourism to several of his meetings during the Minister's visit to London in March. John has begun preparations for a Sir Robert Menzies Centre conference in mid October on "strategies to increase growth rates in developed countries" which will involve senior policy makers from Australia, US, Japan, UK, France and Germany.
Ros Poignant Encounter at Nagalarramba, Roslyn Poignant with Axel Poignant, was published by National Library of Australia in September 1996. Research for this book was supported by two AIATSIS grants which enabled me to return to Arnhem Land with the photographs. In Septemebr Michael Richards (representing the NLA) and I visited the Maningrida community to make a gift to them of the photographs made for the touring exhibition ''It's About Friendship': Rom, a Ceremony from Arnhem Land'. At the same time the book was launched and a number of copies distributed to the different families whose ancestors had been present in Axel Poignant's camp at Nagalarramba in 1952.
In May I return to Canberra to continue work on the exhibition 'Captive Lives: Looking for Tambo and his Companions', which I am curating for the NLA. This is being undertaken in consultation with the North Queensland Aboriginal communities involved. The exhibition is scheduled to open in November. In the latter part of the year I take up an appointment as a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research, ANU, Canberra, to work on the book associated with the exhibition.
Other publications: 'Ryko's photographs of the Fort Dundas Riot: The story so far', Current issue AIATSIS journal; forthcoming July: 'Looking for Tambo', The Olive Pink Society Bulletin , Vol.9., no.1 1997.
Alison Palmer I have been teaching the undergraduate course'nationalisms of Asia and Africa' for the Degree in Third World Studies in the Department of Cultural Studies at the University of East London. This included a study visit to the American University in Cairo where I participated in a number of seminars on the construction of gender, foreign and internal political policy, development and NGOs, and globalization and area studies.
I have been busy in my new capacity as editor of the journal Nations and Nationalism, working on both current volumes and a special issue.
I have been invited to present a paper on colonial and modern genocides at the second international conference of the Association for Genocide Scholars in Montreal in June.
I have received an offer from an Australian publisher to publish my doctoral thesis, 'Colonial Genocides? Aborigines in Queensland, 1840-97 and Hereros in South West Africa, 1884-1906'. I am also on the editorial team of a forthcoming encycolpedia on nationalism.
Rodney Mace Two viruses entered my life in the last period; the dreadful flu and the electronic sort that locked me out of my computer. If that was not enough, John Gorma, my friend and co-author on the forthcoming history of British Trade Union posters book suddenly died last October. So altogether it is not surprising that I am a little behind on my book on F M Alexander, but I expect to get it finished by the publisher's deadline of the end of October this year.
But there have been some good things, including the regular meetings at SRMCAS of an 'Australia reading group' where five of us have been meeting to discuss and support each other's work. The group grew out of some informal discussions about graduate student isolation that were held at the last BASA conference in Stirling.
In the Spring Term I gave a paper at SRMCAS, 'Degeneration and race culture: the re-education of F M Alexander'; and another at the BASA Postgraduate Conference 'Men; Religion and the Fear of Affection'.
Literary Links is a series of readings given by Australian writers and poets. These events are co-organised by the Australian High Commission, John Kinsella and the Menzies Centre.
If you would like to attend any of the following events please contact Rebecca Hossack at the High Commission, tel: 0171-887 5202, fax: 0171-465 8217.
The following have just been granted awards:
The British Australian Studies Association (BASA) seeks to bring together individuals and institutions concerned with the study of Australia and/or the teaching of Australian Studies. BASA publishes a journal, 'Australian Studies', holds a Biennial Conference, and hosts the BASA Lecture in alternate years. Two issues of the journal normally appear each year, and are included as part of membership, which is �15.00 (individual), �5.00 (student) or �40.00 (institutions).
Membership information can be obtained from Denise Vernon, BASA Treasurer, Department of Media and Performance, University of Salford, Adelphi Campus, Peru Street, Salford, M3 6EQ: e-mail, [email protected].
The BASA Literary Group presents a one day conference on the work ofJanette Turner Hospital to be held at the Sir Robet Menzies Centre for Australian Studies on Saturday 31 May 1997
We are calling for papers and for interested participants
For further information please contact
Selina Samuels, 20 Wellington Buildings, Wellington Way, London E3 4NA, Tel: 0181-980 3058, email: [email protected]
or
Ruth Brown 12 Ring Road Lancing Sussex BN15 0QF Tel: 01903-754 298
Janette Turner Hospital
'A Walk Round the World: Home and Homelessness in the Work of Christina Stead'
Janette Turner Hospital, author of the recent Oyster, is one of Australia's best-known and most successful writers. She will be talking about the work of another great, and influential, Australian writer of the early twentieth century.
Friday 30 May 1997 at 6.00pm, Gustave Tuck Theatre, University College London
For further information contact:
Dr Graham Sumner Centre for Australian Studies in Wales University of Wales Lampeter Ceredigion SA48 7ED
email: [email protected], or visit the web site.
Opra et critique internationale
The Dreaming of the Aborigines or Alan Garner's Baroque Apotheosis
May 24th, 1997, 10.00am-5.00pm
Institut International Charles Perrault, Foundation de l'Allemagne, Paris Tel: 01 34 16 36 88 - Site Internet: http://www..netwatchers.com/perrault Htel de Mzires, 14 avenue de l'Europe - BP61 - 95604 Eaubonne Cedex 04
Applications are invited from British post-graduate scholars or academic faculty members for Australian Bicentennial Scholarships/Fellowships, tenable in 1997/98.
Grants of up to �4,000 available for research in Australia, at any appropriate tertiary institution, in any discipline where it can be demonstrated that such a visit offers special scholarly or practical advantages. Closing date for applications is 3 June 1997.
Visual Arts Fellowships Applications are also invited from appropriately qualified British candidates for a Visual Arts fellowship of �4,000 to be awarded jointly by the Sir Robert Menzies Centre for Australian Studies and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia. The Fellowship will be tenable at WAAPA in Perth and at its regional centres in Western Australia. Closing date for applications is 3 June 1997.
Applications are invited from students resident in the United Kingdom who wish to undertake a higher degree at an Australian university for a period of up to three years. Applicants must ascertain their eligibility for an Australian graduate programme. There are no limitations as to the field of study. The scholarship will provide an economy class return airfare to Australia, payment of compulsory fees and charges at an Australian university and an all inclusive allowance of A$17,427 per annum (subject to review). Applicants should be under the age of 30. Awards will be notified two months later. Closing date for applications is 29 August 1997.
For applications forms and further details on any of these schemes please contact: Ms Kirsten McIntyre Sir Robert Menzies Centre for Australian Studies 28 Russell Square London WC1B 5DS email: [email protected]
Please state for which you scheme you require details.
Seminars are to be held on Wednesdays at 5.30pm (unless otherwise stated) in the Menzies Room, 28 Russell Square, London, WC1B 5DS Tel: 0171-580 5876 ... Fax: 0171-580 9627 ... email: [email protected]
* Contact Kirsten McIntyre for details Seminar Co-ordinator: Carl Bridge