The politics, art and culture of Perth's Workers Art Guildare detailed in this comprehensive history, as well as the personal andprofessional lives of some of the movement's key figures.The Workers' Art Guild was a left-leaning political force andinfluential cultural movement of the 1930s and 1940s in Perth. Policeand intelligence arms kept close tabs on the Guild and its members,jailing some and intimidating many others prior to and during theperiod of the banning of the Communist Party in Australia.The book covers the personal and professional lives of key figuressuch as writer Katharine Susannah Prichard and theatre maverickKeith George, while charting the influence of the Communist Party onWestern Australian artists.
In Western Australia, the Swan River has been flowing the same course for some 60 million years. Take Me to the River traces the relationship of European-Australian culture to this ancient river system. This historical narrative is viewed through the lens of schemes proposed for Perth's foreshore, the city's symbolic front garden. The foreshore has been contentious since the first plan for Perth was drawn up, and has subsequently acted as a sinkhole for hundreds of proposals. An investigation of this archaeological stratum of foreshore drawings allows us to understand changing ideas of what Perth was, what it could have been, and indeed what it can be. "This fascinating book uncovers hundreds of 'lost' proposals for Perth's foreshore - and sets out a compelling vision for how the city should relate to its river in the 21st century. It is essential reading for those who have a stake in the future of Perth and the Swan River." -- Janet Holmes a Court AC *** Librarians: ebook available on ProQuest and EBSCO [Subject: Urban Design, Architecture, Australian Studies]
The 10th National Labour History Conference, held at the University of Melbourne on 4-6 July 2007 centred around the broad theme of Labour Traditions, the conference offered papers, talks and forum discussions on a range of topics involving presentations from leading scholars, reflective activists and those who are still making our collective history, as they speak. John Faulkner, Robert Ray, John Cain and Wally Curran spoke at a forum on how the labour movement has conducted its internal debates over issues large and small. Terry Irving organised a session on Popular Movements for Democracy in Early Australia. Verity Burgmann assembled some very engaging speakers to commemorate the centenary of the founding of the IWW in Australia. Phillip Deery organised an impressive array of people to talk and argue about the Cold War. The blend of scholarly research and direct engagement in the field is reflected in the presentations on workplace health and safety by Yossi Berger, Ray Markey, Greg Patmore and Bill Shorten. In addition to sessions on these special topics, there were numerous informative and engaging presentations on individual subjects, ranging from Bobbie Oliver on apprenticeship systems to Paddy Garrity on trade unions and the arts. Here you will find the papers and abstracts from this conference. Julie Kimber, Peter Love and Phillip Deery (eds), Labour Traditions: Proceedings of the tenth national labour history conference, held at the University of Melbourne, ICT Building, Carlton, Victoria, Australia, 4–6 July 2007, Australian Society for the Study of Labour History –– Melbourne, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-9803883-1-2. pp. iii-224.
Perth Then and Now accurately matches historic photographs of the city with specially commissioned contemporary views that show how each site looks today. With an Aboriginal history going back over 40,000 years, Perth ranks amongst the oldest places on earth with near continuous human habitation. The modern city came into being in 1829 with the formation of the Swan River Colony. For the first 60 years of its existence, Perth was no more than a small country town which lived on an economic knife-edge between riches and ruin. Then, in the 1890s, commercial quantities of gold were discovered in the North and East of Western Australia. This sparked the first of several mineral booms in the State and resulted in Perth being able to demonstrate its newfound wealth in the form grandiose buildings which transformed the modest town into a fine city. Since the late nineteenth century, a cycle of ‘boom and bust’ has added successive layers of development to the city’s rich tapestry of building styles. As with many cities around the world, Perth witnessed the destruction of many older buildings during the last quarter of the 20th century, but has now learned to respect its heritage, resulting in some spectacular and imaginative adaptive reuses of older buildings. Past and present are laid side by side in this fascinating visual tour around the capital of Western Australia. Sites include: Crawley Baths, Narrows Bridge, King’s Park, Cottesloe Beach, T&G Building, Government Gardens, Russell Square, City Beach, St Georges Terrace, Hay Street, HIs Majesty’s Theatre, Hyde Park, Piccadilly Arcade, Hotel Metropole, Town Hall, St George’s Hall, the WACA, GPO Building, Central Arcade, St Mary’s Cathedral, Matilda Bay, Horseshoe Bridge, Swan Brewery.
