Author, Researcher, Historian
This is the final draft of my paper for the Biennial European Social Science History Conference of the International Institute of Social History to be held in Valencia, Spain 30 March to 2 April 2016. Read more about the Conference here. Given that there are several papers being presented on related issues, I will revise […]
Jingle bells, Cardinal Pell. An orchestrated campaign has been mounted in belated defence of Cardinal George Pell who told the Child Abuse Royal Commission at the last minute that he was too ill to fly to Australia to give vital evidence (here). There was wide-spread skepticism since it was widely known that he had flown […]
This a revised item first posted in June 2015. It draws attention to an important article found in the Australian Journal of Education, May 14, 2015: A forgotten cohort? Including people from out-of-home care in Australian higher education policy, by Andrew Harvey, Lisa Andrewartha and Patricia McNamara. The Abstract reads: People from out-of-home care backgrounds are largely absent from Australian […]
Not many posts in the past month. Just back from overseas. This is a light-hearted account of the trials of becoming tired and not always rational. Long distance travelling can make you tired and cranky. You need those brief moments of absurdity to keep you sane. §§§ On the plane, for instance, you fiddle and twiddle […]
Tony Abbott never got it. The day he was toppled as Prime Minister, Tony Abbott looked confused and crushed. And in shock. His leadership had been suddenly snatched from him—and he did not understand why. He could not see that creating a macho government of socially-conservative white men and governing in the interests of a […]
The axiom “Nihil de nobis, sine nobis”—“Nothing About Us Without Us”—has its origins in the politics of 16th century Poland. And the idea lives on in Poland. Recently, university students used the slogan again when strenuously protesting against high-handed changes that the University of Warsaw imposed without consulting the students who would be seriously disadvantaged […]
Another letter to The Age which didn’t make it. But let me share it with you. Simon Gardner (Royal commission can shine a light on ‘forgotten’ people – Age 5/8) writes: ‘Mention the stolen generations and child migrants and eyes light up in recognition…No such light shines for the forgotten Australians. Why?’ I can supply […]
A very interesting article on the Find & Connect blog about memorials around Australia to remember children who grew up in orphanages, children’s Home, and other institutions and in foster ‘care’. (Read it here) This blog post raises again the issue I’ve written about before: is the label ‘Forgotten Australians’ any longer appropriate? Isn’t there an inherent contradiction being […]
I lost my childhood to orphanages and foster mothers. As a former ward of the State of Victoria, I knock around with many who grew up like me separated from our families. I have been a long-term advocate for greater awareness of the damaging long-term effects of abusive institutionalisation, and the need for redress and […]
This is a speech in response to being awarded Life Time Membership of CLAN (Care Leavers Australasia Network) on 4 July 2015. Thank you for this very great honour. I first met Leonie Sheedy BC (before CLAN). It was in Melbourne in 1996 or 1997. A group of us were trying to set up a […]