Category Archives: Australia

NYT: Australia Thought the Virus Was Under Control. It Found a Vulnerable Spot.

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Luke Ford

From the New York Times: The authorities have locked down 300,000 people in heavily immigrant areas around Melbourne, reinforcing the coronavirus’s outsized impact on disadvantaged communities…. The rise in infections — Victoria reported 77 new cases Thursday, the most since … Continue reading →

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Anglo-Australian Attitudes: Remembering and Re-reading Russel Ward

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Luke Ford

Academic Carl Bridge writes: In my job as head of the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies in London I am called upon regularly to try to explain the actions and words of my fellow Australians to the puzzled Poms and … Continue reading →

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The Tyranny of Distance: How Distance Shaped Australian History

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Luke Ford

Historian Geoffrey Blainey writes in the 2001 edition: * The wide ocean parting Australia and Europe impeded the export of Australian commodities. The same wide ocean was also a barrier to the migration of people from Europe. Whereas one powerful … Continue reading →

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Compulsive Viewing: The Inside Story Of Packer’s Nine Network

Posted on June 4, 2020 by Luke Ford

Here are some highlights from this 2000 book by Gerald Stone about Australia’s leading TV network of the time: * What does it take to become a television star? Performers may look like they are speaking directly to you — … Continue reading →

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Before I Forget By Geoffrey Blainey

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Luke Ford

Here are some highlights from this 2019 memoir by the great Australian historian: * When I was old enough to read the handwritten labels on the jam, I realised, to my amazement, the existence of adults who could not spell. … Continue reading →

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