Aussie Waves Podcast

Over the course of two days –the 28th and 29th of April 1996, Martin Bryant killed 35 people at and near the historic Port Arthur convict prison site some 100 kilometres north east of Hobart. This tragic event had significant implications for Australia. It enabled the introduction of tighter national gun control laws to ensure that an event like this never happened in Australia again. In its aftermath conspiracy theories have arisen that challenge whether Martin Bryant was the killer. We take a quick look at some of these conspiracy theories. For a concise debunking of these conspiracy theories visit Brian Dunning’s Skeptoid podcast at: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4253 Music courtesy of Dano at: www.danosongs.com Thanks to Ken Dampier for post production. Email me at jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com and visit the Aussie waves Podcast Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/AussieWavesPodcast 

It’s Tour de France time and this gives us an opportunity to remember a man who many consider was Australia’s best ever, competitive professional cyclist, Sir Hubert Opperman, or as he is more commonly, and affectionately known, Oppy. Then we look at the life of Margaret McLachlan. McLachlan was a female cyclist who in the 1960s tried to enter the world of competitive cycling. But back in those days the cycling establishment was not a welcoming place for women. She was banned from competitive cycling despite the protestation from other cyclists. Margaret McLachlan with the support of her husband John then went on to set long distance records. Hers is an inspiring story of overcoming the odds despite discrimination against women. Check out an article on Margaret McLachlan at: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/51771035?searchTerm=Margaret%20McLachlan%20AND%20%22race%22%20AND%20(cycling)&searchLimits=exactPhrase=race%7C%7C%7CanyWords=cycling%7C%7C%7CnotWords%7C%7C%7Cl-textSearchScope=*ignore*%7C*ignor

In this episode we are in the Philipines - the birthplace of my gorgeous wife Nilda. We are visiting close friends and relatives in Kalibo on the island of Panay and in the province of Aklan. We also visit the beautiful island of Boracay. I had hoped to record some interviews but it didn't quite work out. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this overview of Filipino history.  I know it ain't Aussie history - but I do make some tenuous links to Australia in the episode. Check out the photos on the AWP Facebook page. Email me at: jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com     

On the night of 31 May 1942 – some 73 years ago - World War II came to Sydney when the Japanese navy launched a daring attack on Sydney Harbour. That night three Japanese midget submarines entered Sydney Harbour to destroy Allied naval and merchant shipping. While the attack inflicted minimal damage on shipping, 27 people died, including all of the crew of the Japanese submarines. At the time of the attacks many Australians were outraged that the Japanese submariners were given a funeral with full military honours. But over time Australians have come to respect the courage and bravery that these men displayed. Music courtesy of Dano at: www.danosongs.com Thanks to Ken Dampier for post production. Email me at jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com and visit the Aussie waves Podcast Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/AussieWavesPodcast

The Ode of Remembrance is recited every ANZAC Day to to commemorate those Australian women and men who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Ode Of Remembrance They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Age Shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, We will remember them. Lest we forget.  

On  25 April every year, Australians commemorate ANZAC Day. ANZAC Day commemorates the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 during World War 1. This is the 100th anniversary of those landings. Visit the amazing Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABCs) Gallipoli interactive website: http://www.abc.net.au/innovation/gallipoli/gallipoli2.htm# And watch Channel 9’s Gallipoli series at: http://www.9jumpin.com.au/show/gallipoli/   Email me at jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com and visit the Aussie waves Podcast Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/AussieWavesPodcast Enter the AWP coffee mug giveaway by emailing me. Entries close on 31 May 2015. Unfortunately it is only open to Australian listeners.

In this episode we examine the aftermath of the Rum Rebellion. There were a series of trials and court martials after the coup and these had profound effects on the major players – particularly Bligh, Macarthur and Johnston.  Enter the AWP coffee mug competition. Entries close on 31 May 2015. It’s easy to enter – just email me. Unfortunately this completion is only open to Australian listeners. The cost of postage to international destinations is just too high. Music courtesy of Dano at: www.danosongs.com Thanks to Ken Dampier for post production. Email me at jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com and visit the Aussie waves Podcast Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/AussieWavesPodcast 

As a schoolboy growing up in the Macarthur region on the outskirts of Sydney, John Macarthur and George Johnston were considered heroes who had deposed the cruel, villainous and cowardly tyrant William Bligh. But was it really like this? Were Johnston and Macarthur right to overthrow Bligh or have we got it completely wrong? Maybe Bligh should be seen as the man who stood up to the wealthy and powerful Macarthur? In this episode we are going on a journey to the moment Major George Johnston and the NSW Corps entered Government House in Sydney and ousted William Bligh from office on 26 January 1808. This was the only military coup d’état ever to occur in Australia. Enter the AWP coffee mug competition.  Three coffee mugs are on offer.  Entries close on Sunday 31 May 2015 - not 30 April which is what i say in the podcast.  To enter email me at jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com Unfortunately this competition is only open to Australian listeners – the cost of postage to international destinations is just too high. Music

On 26th January 1808, exactly 20 years to the day after the arrival of the first Fleet, Governor William Bligh (of the Mutiny on the Bounty infamy) was deposed in a coup d’etat by the New South Wales Corps - under the command of Major George Johnston and with the backing of John Macarthur. The history we learned at school was that Macarthur and Johnston were the heroes of the day. Bligh was a villainous and cruel tyrant.  The real story is far more complex.  The Rum Rebellion was really about political and economic control of the colony of New South Wales. Music courtesy of Dano at: www.danosongs.com Thanks to Ken Dampier for post production. Email me at jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com and visit the Aussie waves Podcast Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/AussieWavesPodcast

In this episode we reflect on the First Fleet and come to some conclusions about it all. Then we look at two men – Pemulwuy and Bennelong. Both were Aboriginal men who played important roles in the early years of the colony of New South Wales. Check out the YouTube video of Mirusia Louwerse singing the old Aussie folk song Bound for Botany Bay. It’s a song about a convict being transported to Australia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQCIUKgHc5k Email me at jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com and visit the Aussie Waves Podcast Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/AussieWavesPodcast Music courtesy of Dan-O at: http://www.danosongs.com/ Thanks to Ken Dampier for post-production.

On the morning of 13May 1787 the First Fleet weighed anchor and set sail from Portsmouth, England.  On 26 January 1788 the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Harbour. In this episode we relive the journey out to New South Wales and see what it was like for the colonists in the first few years of the new colony. Needless to say, it was pretty hard going. There was a constant threat of starvation and there were skirmishes with the local Aboriginal people – the Eora.  For this episode check out the Sydney Museum website. There is an exhibition on the First Fleet ships at: http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/museum-of-sydney Email me at jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com and visit the Aussie waves Podcast Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AussieWavesPodcast  

In this episode we are embarking on a voyage to Botany Bay with the First Fleet.  On 13 May 1787 eleven ships commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip set sail  from Portsmouth, England and headed for Botany Bay. On board were 1420 people of which 755 were convicts. Eight months later they arrived in Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to found the penal colony of New South Wales. For this episode I recommend Robert Hughes’ book The Fatal Shore.  This can be downloaded as an e-book from Amazon and can be purchased in bookstores in Australia. Check out a YouTube video of the Australian folk song 'Bound for Botany Bay' at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEYseM_R6Hk And since it's the Australia Day Long Weekend also have a look at a song called 'We Are Australian" written by Bruce Woodley of The Seekers fame and Dobe Newton from The Bushwackers and sung by Australian Soprano Marusia Louwerse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtpBUQoVups Email me at: jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com Music courtesy of the talented Dan-O at: http:/

In this episode we remember Gough Whitlam’s visits to China – the People’s Republic of China - in 1971 and 1973. The 1971 visit, when Whitlam was Opposition Leader, paved the way for the diplomatic recognition of China and sowed the seeds for a thriving cultural and economic relationship. In 1973 Whitlam became the first Australian Prime Minister to travel to China. Visit the Whitlam Institute website – where much of the material for this episode was sourced: http://www.whitlam.org/ Also check out the It’s Time TV commercial from the 1972 election campaign. Whitlam shakes hands with Premier Zhou at around the 1 minute 15 second mark:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqMCZBjvmD4 Music courtesy of Dan-O at: http://www.danosongs.com/ Thanks to Ken Dampier for post-production.

In the late 1800s Indian labourers were sent to work in Fiji in the sugar cane farms as indentured workers. Following the 1987 military coup and the coups that followed many have moved to Australia. According to the 2011 Census 57,000 Fijian born people live in Australia and of this 36,000 are Indian. For this episode I recommend: www.girmitunited.org  – a website dedicated to preserving the history of the Indian Fijians. You can always email me at jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com Music courtesy of Dan-O at: http://www.danosongs.com/ Thanks to Ken Dampier for post-production.  

For more than 20,000 years the Snowy region was home to the Ngarigo people and a number of other Aboriginal peoples.  White settlement meant that in the 1800s the Ngarigo people were forced from their lands.   Up until the mid 20th century the Snowy was the province of farmers and high country horsemen as immortalised on Banjo Patterson’s poem The Man from Snowy River.   But after WWII, it was populate or perish and in this environment the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electricity Scheme was built.  Over 100,000 people from over thirty countries came to the mountains to work on the Scheme.   For this episode I recommend you read or listen to The Man from Snowy River: http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/paterson-a-b-banjo/the-man-from-snowy-river-0001004 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs_-DKUimeo  Email me at: jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com  Music courtesy of Dan-O at: http://www.danosongs.com/  Thanks to Ken Dampier for post-production.  

We continue our two part series on how Australia’s system of Government works. In this episode we cover: ·      how the House of Representatives and the Senate work; ·      how a new law is created and passed by the Parliament; and ·      how do we keep the Government honest? Then we take a brief look at one of the founders of Australian democracy and the federal Australian Labor Party, King O’Malley For this episode I recommend you watch Question Time from the House of Representatives at:  http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives  Email me at: jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com Music courtesy of Dan-O at: http://www.danosongs.com/ Thanks to Ken Dampier for post-production.

This is Part 1 of a two part series on Australia’s system of Government. After white settlement the colony of New South Wales was divided up into the six colonies of Australia. Each of these colonies formed their own Governments and reported directly back to Britain. From the 1850s, however, there became a view that the colonies of Australia should federate to form a new nation of Australia. On 1 January 1901 Australia did federate to form the Commonwealth of Australia.  Australia adopted a hybrid model taking bits from the British Westminster and American Federal systems. For this episode visit the Australian Parliament House website at: http://www.aph.gov.au Email me at: jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com Music courtesy of Dan-O at: http://www.danosongs.com/ Thanks to Ken Dampier for post-production.

The first German people arrived in Australia on the First Fleet in 1788.  Despite this, when World War I was declared around 4500 German-Australians found themselves interned in camps for the duration of the war. For more information check out the Migration Heritage of New South Wales website at www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au  and the National Archives of Australia website at: http://naa.gov.au/collection/snapshots/internment-camps/index.aspx Email me at: jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com   Music courtesy of Dan-O at: http://www.danosongs.com/   Thanks to Ken Dampier for post-production.  

The first Jewish people to come to Australia arrived on the First Fleet on 26 January 1788. Among the 827 convicts on the English First Fleet were at least 8 and possibly up to 14 or 15 British convicts who were Jewish. On board was Esther Abrahams. Esther would go on to become the First Lady of the Colony of New South Wales and an important landholder and farmer in her own right. Over the past few hundred years there have been several waves of Jewish migration to Australia.  More recently after the Second World War Australia accepted significant numbers of Jewish refugees from war ravaged Europe.  For this episode I recommend the excellent Australian history podcast Last Stop to Nowhere hosted by Michael Sloan and Kyle Sherer. You can download it from ITunes. Check out the Sydney Jewish Museum’s website: www.sydneyjewishmuseum.com.au  Also have a listen to Renee Geyer singing Heading in the Right Direction – such a beautiful voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjYfkswK_yssp Finally, read the Australian

In this episode we explore the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples before the arrival of white European settlers. We also look at first contact with Europeans – the Dutch explorers and finally the British. I use the Aussie rock band Goanna’s song Solid Rock to tie the episode together. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should execise caution if listening to this episode as it may contain the names of people who have passed away. Check out a YouTube clip of Goanna performing Solid Rock on Countdown (an Australian TV music show of the 1970s and 1980s): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t94RBuiOgsA Another great Aussie Song is Christine Anu’s version of My Island Home. The video is from the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDyc-T2AYt4 Email me at: jamesdampier.awp@gmail.com   Music courtesy of Dan-O at: http://www.danosongs.com/   Thanks to Ken Dampier for post-production.