Blog
War in Broken Hill
It is an unusual place in Australia for one of the first ‘battles’ of World War I to take place. Broken Hill is a long way from the Australian coastline and a very long way away from Europe. Nonetheless anyone visiting Broken Hill is quickly informed of how on New...
Bomber Command aircrew: and the ‘real’ Great Escape.
The 1963 film The Great Escape was considered a classic war film. It featured a stella Hollywood cast, none more famous than Steve McQueen. The film ostensibly told the story of the escape from Luft III of dozens of Allied Prisoners-of-War (POWs), most of whom were...
Culture of Silence
ABC Four Corners Interview Mon 13 Jun 2011, 8:00pm Transcript of Interview KERRY O'BRIEN, PRESENTER: A former naval recruit recalls an experience in the Defence Force that she says has marred her life forever. Welcome to Four Corners. Back in 1970 Four Corners first...
The dynamic duo of the artist Margaret Hadfield and the historian Dr Kathryn Spurling
Article in the Canberra Times... It's been all systems go lately for Canberra artist Margaret Hadfield and historian Dr Kathryn Spurling, who are now being dubbed - what else but?- The Artist and The Historian. They are also proving age is no barrier to creativity....
A war memorial in Berridale and a bloke named Herbert Ellis Flanagan
It is Easter Sunday and a sunny day for a drive. A lunch-stop in Berridale. Across the road a memorial to service and sacrifice. It is difficult to miss, not only because it commands a prominent position on the corner of Jindabyne Road and Myack Street, but the...
Anzac Courage: Curtis McGrath
During August and September 2015 Australian Army Sapper Curtis McGrath, added more medals to the cabinet. At the ICF Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Championships in Milan, Italy, in late August he defended the World VL2 200m title he won in Moscow in 2014. Even...
Paper planes, a school, and a Victoria Cross.
There are paper planes in the foyer dangling on string from above. As the door is opened the rush of winter air makes them flutter and bob playfully. This is fitting because there are children’s names festooned on fuselages, and this mid-west New South Wales school,...
The emotional legacy of war
Invariably the history of war is presented from the perspective of campaigns, strategic and tactical delineations and, generals. The story of war, however, is about the people and the ongoing legacy suffered by families, communities, and the nation. They fell in...
Two Amazing Franks and HMAS Perth
When I climbed into the bus it was near full. Onboard were the most amazing survivors – crew of the first HMAS Perth. I knew these men well by now after many interviews for my book Cruel Conflict: the triumphs and tragedies of HMAS Perth 1. I had delighted in their...
From ‘Women in Uniform’ to Xena (aka Lucy Lawless) : DC to New Jersey
My 2007 trip to Washington DC was for a Women’s Research Institute two-day conference organized admirably by Captain Lory Manning (USN Rtd). It wasn’t the first or last time Lory invited me to be a keynote speaker and it was always an honour, I was there in 1999 and...
The tragedy which killed Midshipman Megan Pelly
I first met Midshipman Megan Anne Pelly (RAN) during her final year at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), Canberra in 1997. I was teaching history at the UNSW campus and doing research on women in the military. Megan offered to be interviewed for that...
Too Young to Die – Finding Michael Skarrett, RAAF 460 Squadron.
It was a journey which took me from the Sydney harbourside to a quiet and distant Dutch church ground. I stood and listened to John Skarrett. His front yard was small but what a magnificent view. A cruise ship, something which became rare in 2020, reversed carefully...
Fun and Inspiration with Helen Reddy
The words from ‘I am Woman’ bounced around in my head. They had inspired me to stand up and have an opinion. Yes, I am one of the older generation, and yes, I had adolescent memories of being ignored because I was a girl. This might be hard to believe by later...
Naval Commemoration Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial
Naval Commemoration Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial