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Aussie History Podcast

148 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 months ago - ★★★★★ - 14 ratings

Australian history.

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Episodes

AHP-147- The Hornet Bank and Cullin-la-Ringo Massacres

August 05, 2023 23:58 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MB

On 27 October 1857 a party of Yiman warriors killed 12 people at Hornet Bank Station. On 16 October 1861 another massacre of settlers took place at Culin-la-Ringo when Gayiri warriors killed 19 people. What emerges is a story of frontier wars where local Aboriginal people fought to protect thier hunting lands and sacred sites which they saw were being defiled by white settlers. Email me at [email protected] 

AHP-146-Vera Deakin

June 10, 2023 21:30 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MB

Vera Deakin is one of those great women in Australian History that you have probably never heard of. However, if your family has roots that go back to WWI she may have had a significant impact on your life. Vera Deakin was the daughter of Alfred Deakin and his wife Elizabeth. She is known for her long involvement with the Australian Red Cross of over 60 years and establishing the the Australian Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau to trace missing and killed soldiers, bringing comfort to their...

AHP-145-The Australia First Movement, Part 4 and ANZAC Day

April 24, 2023 21:30 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MB

We wrap up our four part series on the Australia First Movement. There's one final inquiry, led by Justice Clyne, to investigate the internments. We look at what happened to some of the key people after the War and ask what to make of it all?   Finally, it's ANZAC Day, the day Australians and New Zealanders commemorate those who have served in war. You can email me at [email protected] 

AHP-144-The Australia First Movement, Part 3

April 15, 2023 21:30 - 26 minutes - 23.8 MB

Following the internments of Australia First members, there is disquiet about why, in a democracy, people could be detained without trial. Some appeal against their internment. The Government establishes a number of inquiries and most internees are released over 1942. Except, that is, for Percy Stephensen and a few others. Remember, you can always email me at [email protected] 

AHP-143-The Australia First Movement, Part 2

March 23, 2023 02:17 - 54 minutes - 50.1 MB

The security forces, police and political leaders take a close interest in Australia First members. After WWII is declared the Publicist ceases and there is  public opposition to Australia First, particularly in Sydney. In Western Australia the police send in an undercover agent and get evidence of a conspiracy to suport a Japanese invasion, sabotage and the assassination of public officials. The police swoop and arrest key Australia First members on 9 March 1942. Check out Barbara Winter's ...

AHP-142-The Australia First Movement, Part 1

February 18, 2023 20:30 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MB

On 9 March 1942 four people were arrested in Perth on suspicion of a plot to contact the Japanese armed forces to help with a Japanese invasion and to assassinate public officials. They had formed an organisation called the Australia-First Group. A few days later 16 people, members of the Australia First Movement, were arrested in Sydney. In Parliament they were all denounced as traitors – because WWII was underway and Australia was in fear of a Japanese invasion. Two were sentenced to priso...

AHP-141-History of Australia Day

February 04, 2023 20:30 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MB

Australia Day is celebrated on 26 January each year. But how much do you really know about the history of Australia Day? 26 January is not the date the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Harbour, nor is it the day the Colony of NSW was  proclaimed. And it may surprise you that the first public holiday to be actually called Australia Day was held on 30 July, not 26 January.

AHP-140-The Death of Queen Elizabeth II of Australia

December 27, 2022 23:11 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MB

On 8 September 2022 Queen Elizabeth II died. In this episode we explore what it meant for Australia. Oh, and I also rave on a little about cricket.

AHP-139-ANZAC DAY HMAS PERTH

April 24, 2022 21:30 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MB

It's ANZAC Day and we commomorate those Australians who served on HMAS Perth which was sunk in the Battle of the Sunda Strait on 1 March 1942.

AHP-138-The amazing journey of Oskar Speck

April 23, 2022 21:30 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MB

Learn about the amazing story about Oskar Speck a man who paddled his kayak from Germany to Australia, starting in 1932 and taking 7 years to complete his voyage. By the time he arrived in Australia the world was at war and so he was, like many German nationals, interned. After the War Speck settled in Australia, becoming a successful opal dealer.

AHP-137-Tilly Devine, Kate Leigh and the Razor gang Wars

March 26, 2022 20:30 - 31 minutes - 29 MB

In the 1930s the inner suburbs of Sydney were in turmoil as rival gangs fought it out for supremacy in what was called the Razor Gang Wars'. The Razor Gangs were led by two women - Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh. We also pay tribute to Shane Warne (Warnie) who passed away at the young age of 52. For his ball of the century see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44WLwHEWJ4M  

AHP-136-The Sydney Wars, 1816-7 and Wrap Up

February 26, 2022 20:30 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MB

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this episode mentions the names of people who have passed away. Governor Macquarie uses military force to effectively end the Sydney Wars. We also wrap things up and conclude that the history I learned at school was not accurate. We also pay tribute to John Landy, the second person to break the 4 minute mile, who has passed away.  He is also famous for helping Ron Clarke to his feet in the 1956 Australian mile championships. S...

AHP-135-Thje 1971 Springbok Tour, Part 2

February 12, 2022 20:09 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MB

We wrap up our coverage of the 1971 Springbok Tour. The Sprinboks arrive in Australia and are met with protests wherever they go. Email me at [email protected]  

AHP-134-The 1971 Springbok Tour, Part 1

December 29, 2021 20:30 - 41 minutes - 37.6 MB

The 1971 South Africa rugby union tour of Australia was controversial. Protests erupted against the South African policy of apartheid and in Queensland a state of emergency was declared.  The implications of the Tour also went broader than the rugby tour. No Apartheid-era sporting team from South Africa ever toured Australia again. It also made Australians reflect on our treatment of our Indigenous peoples Email me at [email protected]

AHP 133 Koo Wee Rup

October 31, 2021 09:44 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MB

The wetlands around Koo Wee Run in Victoria had a long Indigenous history before they were drained for agricultural use. Email me at [email protected] 

AHP-132-Ernest Fisk, the man who bought radio to Australia

August 28, 2021 23:26 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MB

Ernest Fisk may be a name you have never heard of. But, as the man who bought radio to Australia, he has had a huge impact on your life. Also, be sure to catch the History Detective Podcast series 'Ladies in the House'  Email me at [email protected]  

AHP-131-The Sydney Wars, 1814-16

August 14, 2021 21:30 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MB

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this episode mentions the names of people who have passed away. Things hot up on the Cumberland Plain as large bands of warriors exact reprisals as far south as Razorbank Range. Farms are abandoned as the settlers fear for their lives.  Apologies for the poor recording quality. Email me at [email protected] 

AHP-130-Mary MacKillop

June 26, 2021 21:00 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MB

Mary MacKillop founded the Sisters of St Joseph, the first Catholic order founded by an Australian. She and her order established schools and welfare institutions throughout Australia and New Zealand, with an emphasis on education for the rural poor. She was the first Australian to be canonised as a Saint by the Catholic Church. Email me at [email protected]

AHP-129- James Hardy Vaux, Australia's dodgiest convict

June 05, 2021 21:00 - 19 minutes - 18 MB

James Hardy Vaux was an English-born convict transported to NSW. He is probably the dodgiest convict ever and was, in fact, transported three times. But he also wrote the first full length autobiography in Australia and the first Australian dictionary. Email me at [email protected] 

AHP-128-The Sydney Wars, 1802-13

May 15, 2021 21:30 - 40 minutes - 37 MB

Aboriginal and Torres Islander people are warned that this episode mentions the name of people who have passed away. Pemulwuy may have been killed but the attacks continue. Governor King is forced to act and orders punitive responses. Meanwhile, Mosquito and Bull Dog are caputured and sent to Norfolk Island and Pemulwuy's son Tedbury joins the fight Email me at [email protected]   

AHP-127-Reg Saunders, an Indigenous Australian war hero

April 24, 2021 19:00 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MB

Reg Saunders was a war hero who won the Military Medal. He was also the first Indigenous Australian to be commissioned as an officer in the Australian Army. Email me at [email protected] 

AHP-126-A brief history of Censorship in Australia

March 28, 2021 00:38 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MB

Australia has had censorship since Captain Arthur Phillip planted the Union Jack at Sydney Cove in 1788. During the mid 20th century Australia is said to have had one of the strictest Censorship regimes in the western world. Email me at [email protected] 

AHP-125- Life wasn't mean to be easy - Malcolm Fraser, Part 2

March 13, 2021 00:09 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MB

We finish our look at Malcolm Fraser, the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. Why did he turn his back on the Party he led did he become a left winger after he retired from politics? Email me at [email protected]

AHP-124-Life wasn't meant to be easy, Malcolm Fraser, Part 1

February 14, 2021 01:25 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MB

In this and the next episode we look at the life and career of John Malcolm Fraser, the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. Malcom Fraser was extremely divisive in his day, predominantly because of his role in the Dismissal of the Whitlam Government. I hope to convince you that he is a much misunderstood figure. Email me at [email protected] 

AHP-123-The Day of the Roses: The Granville Rail Disaster

January 23, 2021 20:30 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MB

On Tuesday 18 January 1977 a crowded commuter train derailed and careered into the supports of the Bold Street Bridge in the Western Sydney suburb of Granville. The bridge collapsed, killing 83 people and injuring 213 others. The Granville Rail Disaster remains the worst rail disaster in Australian history. Email me at [email protected] 

AHP-122-The Sydney Wars, 1797 to 1802

January 05, 2021 22:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MB

The conflict on the Cumberland Plain and along the Hawkesbury River ramps up. Pemulwuy takes it to the colonists and leads his band of warriors in serious guerrilla warfare. In the Battle of Parramatta, he and 100 warriors fight it out with the NSW Corps.  On the Hawkesbury, the Dharug and Darkingjung people resist the encroachment of the colonists. In the end Pemulwuy is killed after Governor King offers a reward for his capture or death. Email me at [email protected]  

AHP-121-Tilly Aston

December 12, 2020 20:00 - 8 minutes - 7.53 MB

In this episode we learn about Tilly Aston, the blind Australian writer and educator, who founded The Victorian Association of Braille Writers and The Association for the Advancement of the Blind. Tilly Aston is remembered for achievements in promoting the rights of vision-impaired people. Email me at [email protected]

AHP-120-Harold West and George Leonard

November 10, 2020 20:30 - 10 minutes - 9.66 MB

On Remembrance Day I want to bring you the story of two best friends - Harold West and George Leonard. Private Harold West and Private Leonard were among about 5,000 Indigenous Australians who served during the Second World War. Here is a link to a YouTube video which is a trailer for a film about Harold West and George Leonard. Alas the film has not yet been made. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvLCu1i0m-w&feature=youtu.be Email me at [email protected]

AHP-119- Halloween Special, Fisher's Ghost

October 31, 2020 02:30 - 6 minutes - 6.01 MB

In June 1826 local Campbelltown farmer Frederick Fisher disappeared. Four months later John Farley ran into the local pub claiming to have seen Frederick Fisher's ghost sitting on a bridge pointing to where his body lay.   Email me at [email protected]   

AHP-118-The Westgate Bridge Tragedy

October 31, 2020 02:00 - 26 minutes - 24 MB

On 15 October 1970, 50 years ago, workers were busy constructing a new bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne. Suddenly the bridge started to groan, a pinging noise filled the air and the bridge just fell away. As a result of this tragedy 35 workers died. Email me at [email protected] 

AHP-117-The Battle of Broken Hill

October 10, 2020 20:00 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MB

On 1 January 1915 Badsha Mahommed Gool and Mullah Abdullah shot dead four people and wounded seven more just outside the western NSW mining town of Broken Hill. Was this incident an act of war during WWI, a terrorist attack, or simply a criminal act by the two men concerned? Email me at james [email protected] 

AHP-116-Sydney Eccentrics: Bea Miles and Arthur Stace

September 19, 2020 21:02 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MB

In this episode we are a taking a look at two eccentrics who lived in Sydney in the early and mid 20th Century - Beatrice Miles and Arthur Stace Email me at james [email protected]  

AHP-115-The Bathurst Rebellion

August 29, 2020 06:00 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MB

The Bathurst Rebellion of 1830 was the strangest rebellion of the convict era. It took place around Bathurst about 170 kms to the west of Sydney. And it all started from a skinny-dipping incident. Remember you can email me at [email protected]

AHP-114-80th Anniversary of the Canberra Air Crash

August 15, 2020 22:26 - 8 minutes - 8.01 MB

On 13 August 1940 a Royal Australian Airforce Lockheed Hudson aircraft crashed near the Canberra airport, killing all 10 passengers and crew on board. This crash had a significant impact on the Australian Government as the passengers on board included three Cabinet Ministers. The crash contributed to the downfall of the UAP Government of Robert Menzies. Email me at [email protected] 

AHP-113- Australia and the Korean War, Part 2

August 09, 2020 02:24 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MB

From 1950-53, 17,000 Australians in the Army, Navy and Air Force fought in the Korean War. In this episode we delve into some of the battles Australians fought in and the stories of a number of Australians who served in Korea. Email me at [email protected]

AHP-112-Australia and the Korean War, Part 1

July 19, 2020 09:00 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MB

June 2020 marks the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. The Korean War is often called the forgotten war. But, from 1950-53, 17,000 Australians fought as part of the United Nations Multinational Force, defending South Korea from the Communist forces of North Korea. Email me at [email protected] 

AHP-111-More Bushrangers who were not Ned Kelly

June 27, 2020 21:30 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MB

It's back to bushrangers. In this episode were are focusing on Frank Pearson also known as ‘Captain Starlight' and James Alpin McPherson who went by the moniker the 'Wild Scotchman'. Check out the following YouTube video on the 'Wild Scotchman' and his escape attempt from St Helena prison island: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wITSpdaZj9g Email me at [email protected]

AHP-110-The Sydney Opera House

June 06, 2020 21:30 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MB

In this episode we take a gander at one of Sydney’s most iconic landmarks – the Sydney Opera House. Sitting on Bennelong Point, the Sydney Opera House sits resplendent, with its white sails dominating Sydney Cove. Take a look at Stevie Wright performing Evie Parts 1, 2 and 3 at the Sydney Opera House in 1979.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPveBD6WWXc . Email me at [email protected]  

AHP-109-Francis Greenway

May 16, 2020 21:30 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MB

Francis Greenway was an English-born architect who was transported to New South Wales  as a convict for the crime of forgery. He was the colony’s first Government architect. Greenway is admired for his buildings such as St Matthew’s Church in Windsor and St James’ Church and the Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney. He was an extremely talented, but deeply flawed man. Email me at [email protected]. I answer every email.

AHP-108-Douglas Grant and how I was taught by the SS

April 24, 2020 23:23 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MB

In this episode we learn about Douglas Grant, an Indigenous man who served in the trenches in World War I. He was treated as an equal in the AIF but faced discrimination upon his return home. Then there is Douglas Berneville-Claye, my English teacher at St Greg's Campbelltown. He passed himself off as a war hero. But he was actually a traitor, a British officer who joined the SS.

AHP-107-The Sydney Wars 1791-96

April 17, 2020 23:02 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MB

The conflict between the British settlers and the local Indigenous people is heating up. The settlers push into the extremely fertile river flats along the Hawkesbury River near Windsor, Richmond and Wilberforce. This deprives the local people of access to traditional food sources. Email me at [email protected]. I answer every email.

AHP-106-Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth and the Bathurst War

March 15, 2020 03:09 - 38 minutes - 35 MB

In 1813 Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth made the first successful crossing of the Blue Mountains. Or did they? Were Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth really the first to cross the Blue Mountains? And what of the implications of their explorations for the local Indigenous people? 

AHP-105-Football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars

February 22, 2020 20:30 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MB

On 17 February 2020, General Motors announced the end of the Holden brand. This has shocked the nation and it truly is the end of an era. Watch the Holden TV advertisement 'Football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGW-WX77zjY

AHP-104-Mr Brown

February 21, 2020 20:06 - 27 minutes - 25 MB

On Wednesday 26 May 1971, a man calling himself “Mr Brown" telephoned saying that Qantas Flight 755 from Sydney to Hong Kong was carrying a bomb. It was set to detonate as the plane came in to land and it could only be prevented if he was paid $500,000. Check out the movie 'Call me Mr Brown' on YouTube athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUDku9ha0-A PLEASE DONATE TO THE RED CROSS BUSHFIRE RECOVERY APPEAL AT: www.redcross.org.au

AHP-103-Bunyips and the Blue Mountain's Panther

February 01, 2020 20:30 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MB

Today we are into Aussie cryptozoology; the Bunyip and the Blue Mountain's Panther. Do they really exist? Well yes!. There is a real Bunyip right here in Canberra - Alexander the Bunyip - and you can find him at Gunghalin Library. Check out the truly remarkable ABC cartoon 'Bluey'. For you parents and grandparents out there it provides great parenting tips for toddlers. You can watch episodes on the ABC website or the ABC i-view App for free. Here's a YouTube video of highlights: https://...

AHP-102-The Sydney Wars, April 1789 to December 1790

January 12, 2020 00:37 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MB

The local Sydney people continue to find it tough going after the arrival of the British. A smallpox epidemic breaks out killing many Indigenous people. Bennelong is captured and Arthur Phillip is speared and recovers from his wound.  Arthur Phillip then orders reprisals after the apparently unprovoked killing of John McIntire. Email me at: [email protected] 

AHP-101-Nancy-Bird Walton

December 21, 2019 20:30 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MB

Nancy-Bird Walton was one of the great pioneers of flight in Australia. Learn about her remarkable life and achievements. A youtube video aired by the ABC on the day of her funeral can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjfUSjh-muo  

AHP-100-Federation

November 30, 2019 20:00 - 36 minutes - 33.9 MB

Episode 100! I never dreamed I would still be going after 100 episodes and 6 years.  In this episode we cover Australia becoming a nation. When the six colonies of Australia decided to federate and become a nation in its own right. Thank you to all my listeners for your support and encouragement since I started this little podcast. A big shout out to Laszlo Montgomery from the China History Podcast who started me in this podcasting caper.

AHP-99-The Coat Hanger

November 16, 2019 20:00 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MB

In this episode we cover the history of the Sydney Harbour Bridge – or as local Sydney-siders call it, the coat hanger. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is an iconic bridge that joins the north of Sydney Harbour to the south. At the time of its completion in 1932 it was considered the epitome of modern bridge design and engineering ingenuity

AHP-98-Ben Chifley and the Light on the Hill, Part 3

October 26, 2019 20:30 - 1 hour - 62.9 MB

In this episode we finish our look at Ben Chifley. Chifley spends many years in the political wilderness before being re-elected to Parliament. After the death of John Curtin he becomes Prime Minister.  email me at [email protected]  I answer every email.