by Juliana Byers | Apr 14, 2024 | Australian History, Ballarat, Books, Burke & Wills, Colonisation & Invasion, Conspiracy Theories, Exploration, Non-Fiction, Social History, The Eureka Stockade
I’ve recently got stuck into Otto English’s “Fake Heroes” (the not-quite-sequel to “Fake History”) and a recent chapter on Captain Robert Scott entitled ‘How to be Heroic, even in Failure’ got me thinking about Australian history. Anyone who has listened to my podcast...
by Juliana Byers | Apr 14, 2024 | Artefacts, Australian History, Bushrangers, Kelly Gang, Ned Kelly, Political History, Pre-1900, Social History, True Crime
His Honour Sir Redmond Barry fixed the notorious bushranger with a stern expression as the verdict was announced. “Guilty.” No one in the court was surprised and Barry placed the black cloth on his head and read out the death sentence. “May God have mercy on...
by Juliana Byers | Apr 14, 2024 | Animals, Australian History, Conspiracy Theories
In my recent episode on Alien Big Cats (ABCs) in the Australian bush, one of the discussion points was (if these animals have somehow established viable breeding populations) what are they eating? Big cats need on average 5kgs of meat a day to stay healthy and can eat...
by Juliana Byers | Apr 14, 2024 | Australian History, Military History, Modern Warfare, True Crime, War Crime
Australia’s Uncomfortable Relationship With Our Military History Author’s Note: Since this post was published, Ben Roberts-Smith VC has appealed the findings against him. Juliana Byers16 June 2023 Dear Reader: This post was written for an undergraduate...
by Juliana Byers | Apr 14, 2024 | Australian History, Ballarat, Gold Rush, Military History, Political History, Pre-1900, Social History, The Eureka Stockade
Following on from my recent podcast, I want to talk a little more about why I think calling the Battle of the Eureka Stockade a rebellion is a misnomer. In the twenty-first century, particularly in countries with generally robust democracies (Australia among them),...
by Juliana Byers | Apr 14, 2024 | Australian History, Military History, Passchendaele, Post-1900, Travel, World War 1
…and then a shell burst slick upon the duckboards: so I fell into the bottomless mud and lost the light… – Siegfried Sassoon, “Memorial Tablet” (1918)1 In 2018, I realised a long-term dream of mine to visit Ireland. I’d been saving for years to go and had a wonderful...
