When the author reached the age of eighty, and was no longer able to travel much, he began to put a few words on paper; his motivation was to keep his mind alert as his muscles weakened. Some of these ‘musings’ attempted to be amusing, without much success. Others were reactions to articles in the Australian newspaper, in the days when he could afford to have it delivered every day. Then he got carried away and began to deliberately wear different hats; a sportswriter one day, a current affairs commentator on another day, an arrogant book-reviewer the next. All the opinions expressed are his own, based upon wide reading and a good memory, so that ideas spawned by a book on theoretical physics began to mix with stories of the Brith Raj in India. And his sound Catholic upbringing, based on his father’s love of Rerum Novarum, began to embrace the results of living for a while in a strongly Buddhist society. So, if you are looking for historical accuracy you will not find it here: he has kept no notes or references; what is in his head has leaked out through his word-processer. It is curiously therapeutic; a bit like going to Confession but not quite.

Jan Stirling and Ted Harrison, the celebrated Canadian painter, met in 2007 and felt an immediate connection. Jan spent more and more time with him, oblivious of their age difference, always feeling his acceptance of her quirky, candid nature. As a jazz musician, she appreciated his ability to improvise with words, without fear of making a mistake. She would suggest a subject and then write down in shorthand what he had to say. Although never edited, these improvs were called poems. They showed that even as his physical freedom diminished, he had a very rich mental life.After Ted passed on, Jan revisited these poems, writing about her experiences with him up to her final visit in January 2015, the last day Ted was conscious. Each chapter is interspersed with Ted's poems. The book shows an intimate side of Ted that deepens our appreciation for his life and work.

Marks the centenary of the posting of the first Australian High Commissioner in London, so beginning what is today Australia's oldest diplomatic mission. In 1910, when Sir George Reid was appointed its first High Commissioner in London, Australia was a self-governing but not yet sovereign state and the Australian Governor-General remained the most important channel of communication between the Australian and United Kingdom governments until the late 1920s. The book traces the history of the office and in doing so illuminates the larger story of Australian-United Kingdom relations in the twentieth century, the evolution of Australia from British colony to sovereign state and the gradual transition of the United Kingdom from head of an empire to member of the European Union.

Boasting new extracts from major works in the field, as well as an impressive list of contributors, this second edition of a bestselling Reader is an invaluable introduction to the most seminal texts in post-colonial theory and criticism.

Why have settler societies moved from a traditional position of ethnic insularity to being at the forefront of multicultural change? This question is addressed through comparative study of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, set against the USA and UK experience. The Politics of Ethnicity in Settler Societies explores the linked processes of aboriginal dispossession, settler state formation and international migration, and argues these historical foundations are still closely related to recent trends in ethnic politics. Contemporary topics surveyed include, multiculturalism, national identity, sovereignty, globalization, and citizenship.

“Since singing is so good a thing,I wish all men would learne to sing” (William Byrd, 1588) Over the centuries, there has been reluctance among boys and men to become involved in some forms of singing. Perspectives on Males and Singing tackles this conundrum head-on as the first academic volume to bring together leading thinkers and practitioners who share their insights on the involvement of males in singing. The authors share research that analyzes the axiomatic male disinclination to sing, and give strategies designed to engage males more successfully in performing vocal music emphasizing the many positive effects it can have on their lives. Inspired by a meeting at the Australian symposium ‘Boys and Voices’, which focused on the engagement of boys in singing, the volume includes contributions from leading authorities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and Europe.

This book argues for a deeper, richer view of vocabulary than the standard images conjured up by that word--worksheets, weekly quizzes, and anxieties about standardized test scores. The book invites teachers and students to experience "the music of words," words in isolation and in juxtapositions, and urges them to bring their own life experiences to language, showing in turn how language can help them know that experience more fully. It demonstrates how to build a community in the classroom where curiosity about language is the norm. It states that, within this community, students and teacher not only take time to test out shades of connotation and learn about how words and syntax create voice, they also: engage in personal and philosophical discussions that grow from seemingly simple words such as "solitude,""self," and "phony"; participate in dance and theater games as ways of mastering language; keep individual word lists which they share with the class through a variety of exercises; free-associate through discussion and freewrites on key words from literature; write their own dictionary definitions of familiar words; experiment with the rhythms and sounds of words through poetry writing; and explore the different vocabularies used in a big city newspaper--in sportswriting, book and TV reviews, news reporting, editorials, and science writing. (Each chapter contains notes, and a 17-item annotated bibliography of books for further reading is attached.) (NKA)

"An intimate portrait of one of Shakespeare's most inspired moments: the year of King Lear, Macbeth and Antony and Cleopatra. 1606, while a very good year for Shakespeare, is a fraught one for England. Plague returns. There is surprising resistance to the new king's desire to turn England and Scotland into a united Britain. And fear and uncertainty sweep the land and expose deep divisions in the aftermath of the failed terrorist attack that came to be known as the Gunpowder Plot. James Shapiro deftly demonstrates how these extraordinary plays responded to the tumultuous events of this year, events that in unexpected ways touched upon Shakespeare's own life ... [and] profoundly changes and enriches our experience of his plays--Publisher's description.