Colonialism, Convicts and Country: How the British Empire shaped my Australian Story
Reflection on how colonialism shaped the modern world and my Australian family story, built on both convict and migrant histories and Indigenous dispossession.
history
ANZAC Remembrance and Peace
On this day I share the text of a speech given by the New Zealand Governor General The Hon Dame Silvia Cartwright from Wednesday, 25 April 2001:
"Nga mate nga aitua ka tangihia e tatou i tenei wa. Haere. Haere. Haere.
The dead, those we mourn, we lament them
ANZAC 2012
I don't think that many romanticise war too much these days. And there is something very poignant and compelling about seeing the fruits of war.
In northern France and Belgium the unimaginable scale of loss wrought upon so many families in the great wars of the twentieth century
ANZAC Day: remembering some ordinary diggers, not famous, not important #ANZAC
Another ANZAC Day and another day to remember the sacrifices made by Australian and New Zealand forces. Those who serve in battle never get off lightly, even if they manage to survive seemingly unscathed.
This year I remember some family members - Claude and Tim from Crows Nest, and Henry Demas
What's in a name? Pirate, freedom fighter or terrorist
I recently discovered that one of my ancestors was arrested by the British in 1828 as a pirate and sent to Australia as a convict. He had originally been sentenced to death, but he appealed to the King and his sentence was commuted to life as a convict in Australia.
Interesting perspective on war, innovation, skills and strategy from Col. John Boyd
This rare video of US Air Force Colonel John Boyd shows his 1991 House Armed Services Committee Testimony and is worth watching. Many consider him to be one of the best strategic thinkers of the twentieth century and his ideas have influenced many of today's leading strategists.
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Democracy in action, civil society and political change
Yesterday in New South Wales there was a major shift in the state's political landscape. We saw a significant shift in voting with enormous swings against the ALP across the state and especially in traditional heartland seats.
The Liberals won seats in which they'd never imagined