AustLit

'A central theme in 20th and 21st century Australian identity is the notion of the warrior soldier: irreverent, disrespectful of authority, with an air of the larrikin, a master bushman, and a superior soldier whose attributes were endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour, and mateship. These collective qualities, alongside loyalty to Britain and Empire, make up what has become known as the 'Anzac spirit', or 'Anzac myth', so named as a result of the role played by Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli, and on the other battlefields of World War I.'  (Publication abstract)

'Among the books by anthropologist Frederick Rose is Australia Re-visited: The Aborigine Story from Stone Age to Space Age (1968). In this memoir, written from behind the Iron Curtain, the author casts a critical if nostalgic eye over the country where his politics were forged. I bought my copy from the left-wing bookseller, the late Bob Gould, himself a legendary activist. ‘Fred Rose!’ he bellowed when he saw my purchase. ‘Of all the unreconstructed Stalinists!’' (Introduction)

'This is an absorbing book about an astonishing Australian whose under-recognition is a national embarrassment. H. G. Wilkins was an intrepid polar explorer, an outstanding war photographer, an innovative research scientist, a resourceful engineer, pilot and geographer, and much else besides. Unfailingly dedicated and principled, Wilkins was also modest and elusive, quirky and enigmatic. He was so extraordinary at the Western Front that John Monash kept describing him as the bravest man in the AIF until Wilkins asked Monash to stop' (Introduction)

' Family history is very different from academic history, as Davison discovered while researching his own family after a lifetime as an academic historian. Academic historians, it seems to me, ask ‘why?’ – why are things the way they are, why do people do what they do? Family historians, on the other hand, ask ‘who?’ – who were my ancestors, who am I? One is general, and relates to society as a whole; the other is personal, relevant only to a few individuals. A good family history asks, and answers, both questions.'  (Introduction)