AustLit

'A master story-teller, Broome reveals so much more than the history of an organisation in Fighting Hard. All the elements of an organisational history are there: we learn about the Victorian Aborigines Advancement League’s origins, leaders, workers, structure, policies, projects, and relationships with other groups and government. Drawing on his wealth of knowledge and experience as a historian, Broome sets this story within a richly drawn context of social, political and economic change, thereby enhancing our understanding of the League’s history. At the same time, through his focus on the League, Broome is able to shed new light on aspects of the wider story, deepening our collective understanding of Australian history. Fighting Hard is a model organisational history—a brilliant example of the possibilities and benefits of combining ethnographic, biographical and conventional historical methodologies. ...'