ISSN:2202-5561 © Honest History Inc. 2014
New content at Honest History since last e-Newsletter
Subscribers will have received our special Newsletter recording the official website launch, and pointing to Paul Daley’s launch speech exploring how authors deal with myths, linking this to the Honest History concept, as well as introductory remarks by Peter Stanley on where Honest History is heading.
In other new material:
- Doug Hynd questions the role of Christian pastors in war commemoration;
- Jauncey’s thoughts about former PM Paul Keating’s ambivalent Remembrance Day speech;
- More pointers to current media coverage of Honest History issues and activities;
- A newspaper correspondent’s reference to Honest History as ‘loony mates’ of Professor Joan Beaumont is added to our Forum – all comments welcomed!
Eureka continues to stir
December 3rd was the 159th anniversary of the Eureka rebellion on the gold diggings of Ballarat. The meaning and significance of Eureka remains actively debated – and so it should be. We encourage readers to consider two anniversary views offered by Dr Clare Wright and Dr Andrew Leigh, MP.
Whizzbangs
‘[S]ome of our most widely held values, especially egalitarianism, tolerance and the premium we place on practicability, have been nurtured by the experience of camping.’ (Bill Garner, author of Born in a Tent: How Camping Makes Us Australian, 2013)
‘To understand our history, you need to understand the land. Individuals, cultures, persistent ideologies (substantiated or not) and the innate nature of humanity are major forces too. But the land itself is underestimated.’ (Jackie French, Let the Land Speak: A History of Australia: How the Land Created our Nation, 2013)
‘Conflict, it seems, is part of the human condition, and we must always be ready for it… This exhibition … shows the continuity of our martial tradition and of our national character.’ (Tony Abbott, as Opposition Leader, speaking at the opening of the Afghanistan Exhibition, Australian War Memorial, 6 August 2013)
Coming soon to the website
- Jauncey’s avatar sends despatches from the former battlefields of Europe.
- An interview with Professor Hugh White from the ANU on commemoration and strategy.
- Peter Stanley’s review of Joan Beaumont’s Broken Nation.
