|
|
|
PRESIDENT'S COLUMN
| The Federal Executive of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History (ASSLH) has recently embarked on several new initiatives designed to strengthen the Society as a national and international network of labour historians. |
1
|
| |
|
Relationship with Branches | |
| The Bede Nairn Branch Development Fund has been established to provide modest financial assistance to branches to help with special events, such as conferences. We have set aside $2,000 for the coming year and branches have been invited to submit applications for funding. |
2
|
|
In an effort to increase awareness of the role of the federal society and to encourage more exchanges with branches, the president has begun contributing a brief column for the Brisbane branch's newsletter and the Queensland Journal of Labour History. If other branches would also like to run such a column, she would be happy to provide copy. Branches are reminded that they are entitled to representation on the Federal Executive. And don't forget that Labour History welcomes contributions such as notices and conference reports from branches. |
3
|
| |
|
International Relationships | |
| The ASSLH has recently re-affiliated with the International Conference of Labour and Social History (ITH), based in Linz, Austria. This organisation is planning a series of conferences on the theme of 'Labour history beyond borders' in the years 2007–09 to deal with aspects of labour as part of global history. Members of our organisation are cordially invited to join in this discussion and take an active part in the yearly conferences and networking activities in between. For more information, consult the ITH homepage <http://www.ith.or.at/>. The ITH newsletter recently ran a short article about the ASSLH in its newsletter. |
4
|
|
Organisation is well underway for the trans-Tasman labour history conference to be held in Auckland at the end of January, 2007. An historian from each country will present a paper on a selected theme as the first step in producing a jointly-authored comparative article, along the lines of the very successful collaboration with Canadian labour historians in 1996. For further information, contact Ray Markey <ray.markey@aut.ac.nz> |
5
|
| |
|
Branch Activities | |
| The most exciting news is that activists in northern New South Wales are in the process of setting up a new branch: the North Coast Labour History Society. Anyone interested in joining this group should contact Rosemary Webb <rwebb@scu.edu.au> |
6
|
|
Other branches have been active organising conferences and special events. The Melbourne branch had a hectic June with a series of conferences, walking tours and lectures dealing with various aspects of working life, including the impact of Howard's IR legislation. And being the 150th anniversary of the Eight Hour Day, a special exhibition and walk revisited the strikes of this historic struggle, and reflected on the fate of this campaign for work-life balance today. |
7
|
|
The Sydney Branch also marked the 8-Hours anniversary with a day of reflections and songs in September. Meanwhile, the Brisbane Branch organised a conference, 'Rekindling the Flames of Discontent', which looked at the relationship between the labour movement and folk music. It is already planning another major event looking at the relationship between work and sport for mid-2007 (see call for papers in this issue). Readers are also strongly encouraged to check out the new publication produced by the Brisbane branch: The Queensland Journal of Labour History. |
8
|
|
Members in the Illawarra held an all-day seminar in April on various sites of the region's industrial history, followed by a bus tour the following day. They are also in the process of erecting a plaque to commemorate the historic stand taken by the local Waterside Workers Federation in protest at the Japanese invasion of China in 1937. |
9
|
|
Further afield, members in Perth have recently completed The Workshops: A History of the Midland Government Railway Workshops, edited by Patrick Bertola and Bobbie Oliver and published by UWA Press. Their next major project is a history of the East Perth Power Station, for which Lenore Layman has obtained an ARC Linkage Grant. The Perth Branch also has an ongoing project collecting materials relating to the Communist Party in Western Australia. The Perth Branch offers two annual prizes: the Paddy Troy Labour History essay prize and the Pulford Schools History Essay Prize. |
10
|
|
The Canberra Branch will once again award the annual Eric Fry Scholarship (valued at $1000) to encourage an honours student to use the extensive business and labour resources of the Noel Butlin Archives Centre. The Canberra Branch also held an exciting and provocative forum to coincide with Anzac Day. Humphrey McQueen, Bruce Scates, Sarah Gregson and Frank Cain explored different aspects of the ways in which Australians remember and commemorate the experience of war in this country. The forum concluded with the launch of Bruce Scates' new book, Return to Gallipoli: Walking the Battlefields of the Great War. While some historians might shy away from what they see as the 'militarisation of Australian history', it is important that labour historians continue to engage with these issues: not to do so means vacating the field to the militarists and the Right. In a world divided by war, this is something the Left cannot afford to do. |
11
|
|
|
Content in the History Cooperative database is intended for personal, noncommercial use only. You may not reproduce, publish, distribute, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, modify, create derivative works from, display, or in any way exploit the History Cooperative database in whole or in part without the written permission of the copyright holder.
|