I was very pleased to present a paper to the 2017 annual conference of the Independent Scholars' Association of Australia. The paper, "Rome, Decline or Fall?" was part of a wider conference theme on revolution and social change, in acknowledgement of the centenary of the Russian Revolution.
Warhorse: The Experience of the horse in warfare.
Peer reviewed and accepted for publication in Review, journal of the Independent Scholars' Association of Australia. Go to ACADEMIC to read this paper.
Writer's Studio 4 week Online Course.
The April 2016 four week online course "unlocking Creativity" was a very worthwhile experience. http://www.writerstudio.com.au
Motivational material, writing exercises and integrated feedback. All very useful.
Some of the products of this course can be read on the FICTION page.
PRESENTATION TO MONA VALE PROBUS GROUP
On 19 April 2016 presenting an hour's lecture on the Phil Thorne Archives at ANU. The talk will concentrate on constructing a fuller narrative about the eviction at Newtown in 1931.
Presentation to Royal Australian Historical Society, Apr 2015
My recent paper Newtown Eviction 1931 was well received by a midweek lunchtime audience of about twenty Society members in the auditorium of History House, Macquarie Street, Sydney.
Particular interest was shown towards the question of whether those evicted had been former soldiers in the Great War. This was prompted by a photograph showing such an eviction in Redfern, 1934, part of the photographic work of Samuel John Hood, 1870 - 1953. I used the pictures of Sam Hood to 'set the scene' for the events of 19 June '31.
One happy consequence of the presentation was a new invitation to present the same material at a meeting of the Mona Vale Probus club in October of this year.
On the day prior to the presentation, I went with Michael (Michael John Hood Photography) to visit the studio of Sam Hood in Pitt Street. Unfortunately the original building has been altered beyond recognition, but we did feel a certain affinity to the famous photographer who bears the Hood name.
Images accompanying this post can be viewed in the gallery.
The work of Michael John Hood can be seen at http://mjhoodphoto.photoshelter.com/#!/index