Royal Visits to Australia
Royal Visits to Australia

Author: Jane Connors

Publisher: National Library of Australia

Published: 2015-04-01

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 0642278709

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Out of Australia’s total population of around nine million, an estimated seven million people turned out to catch a glimpse of the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II in 1954. Sixty years later, in April 2014, television news bulletins, newspapers and social media were awash with stories of the royal visit of Prince William, his wife Catherine and their baby son George. The frequent, whirlwind royal tours of today are a far cry from those to Australia between 1867 and 1954. These stretched over months, bursting with events such as civic receptions, state banquets, military reviews, cricket matches, agricultural shows, processions, schoolchildren’s pageants and the laying of foundation stones. Occasionally shambolic, quarrelsome and raucous affairs, they were always intensely patriotic. While most of the visits described in this book are from the British Royal Family, royals from other countries appear too, including ‘Our Mary’ of the Danish Royal Family, proudly claimed by Australians as their own. Royal Visits to Australia provides a fascinating glimpse into the evolving Australian psyche and cultural identity. Although our enthusiasm for the Royal Family has waxed and waned over the decades, it is tempting to attribute the fervour of today’s young people to modern celebrity culture. Royal Visits to Australia uncovers an affection that runs much deeper than a passing crush. The book is richly illustrated with stunning full page and double-page black-and-white photos from the early years to magnificent colour photos of more recent years. Also included is a vast array of drawings, lithographs, illuminated addresses, magazine articles, programs, menus and invitation cards and other souvenirs. Royal Visits to Australia is packed with fascinating stories and firsthand accounts. Read about an assassination attempt on Prince Alfred, the first royal visitor, in 1867; the weeping and hysteria of hundreds of thousands of people at Fremantle at the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, in 1901; the unprecedented scenes of wild welcome at the 1954 visit of Queen Elizabeth II, the first reigning monarch to visit Australia; allegations of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) attempting to assassinate Prince Philip in Sydney in 1973; media obsession with discerning romantic gestures and stories of cracks in the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, in the 1980s; and, in 2014, William and Kate’s visit, with baby George in tow, the first royal tour since the social media revolution.

Richard Seddon: King of God's Own
Richard Seddon: King of God's Own

Author: Tom Brooking

Publisher: Penguin Random House New Zealand Limited

Published: 2014-08-27

Total Pages: 976

ISBN-13: 1742539297

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**2014 Must Read** Otago Daily Times 'The life, the health, the intelligence, and the morals of the nation count for more than riches, and I would rather have this country free from want and squalor and unemployed than the home of multi-millionaires.'—Richard Seddon, 1905 *** Casting a long shadow over New Zealand history, Richard John Seddon, Premier from 1893 to his untimely death in 1906, held a clear vision for the country he led. Pushing New Zealand in more egalitarian directions than ever before, he was both the builder and the maintenance man – if not the architect – of our country. Challenging popular opinion of New Zealand's longest-serving Prime Minister as a ruthless pragmatist, cunning misogynist and Imperialistic jingoist, this landmark biography of Seddon presents an altogether more sympathetic, erudite appraisal. Reconciling two generations of New Zealand scholarship, Richard Seddon: King of God's Own demonstrates that, while holding fast to common ideals, Seddon was successful by mastering the art of the possible. He knew instinctively what his electorate would tolerate and remained in step with public opinion. Despite contradictions in his attitudes towards other races, he fought to ensure privilege did not become entrenched in what he envisioned as a white man's utopia. In this perceptive new evaluation, political historian Tom Brooking explains Seddon's complex relationship with Maori and shows how he in fact held a progressively bi-cultural vision for the future of 'God's Own Country'. Seddon was no saint. Somewhat autocratic and given to petty nepotism, he nevertheless remains the most dominant political leader in our country's history. Internationally, his high profile within the Empire helped put New Zealand on the map. Domestically, he sought a middle ground between free-market extremism and full-blown socialism. And more privately, Seddon was a devoted family man, his actions shaped much more by his supportive wife and assertive daughters than has previously been realised. Richard Seddon: King of God's Own is a superlative achievement in New Zealand history writing. Absorbing, wide-ranging and beautifully articulated, it reframes and repositions one of the founding fathers of modern New Zealand. *** 'The definitive biography of one of New Zealand's most influential political leaders.' —Paul Moon, author of New Zealand in the Twentieth Century 'King of God's Own is a nuanced and generous assessment of our most famous Premier, a man very much of his own time.' —Gavin McLean, co-editor of the bestselling Frontier of Dreams: The Story of New Zealand 'An excellent biography, and a major revision of an important period in this country's history.' —Barry Gustafson, acclaimed biographer of Sir Keith Holyoake, Sir Robert Muldoon and Michael Joseph Savage Also available as an eBook

The British World
The British World

Author: Carl Bridge

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2004-11-23

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1135759588

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This collection of essays is based upon the assumption that the British Empire was held together not merely by ties of trade and defence, but by a shared sense of British identity that linked British communities around the globe. Focusing on the themes of migration, identity and the media, this book is an exploration of these and other interconnected themes that help define the British World of the late 19th and 20th centuries.

The Royal Navy, China Station: 1864 - 1941
The Royal Navy, China Station: 1864 - 1941

Author: Jonathan Parkinson

Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd

Published: 2018-02-20

Total Pages: 552

ISBN-13: 1788035216

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A definitive history of the Royal Navy’s China Station. In the The Navy List for April 1864 the China Station was first shown as a separate Royal Navy Station . It remained as such until the outbreak of the Pacific War in December 1941 which was to signal the end of that era. In addition to a precis of the lives and naval careers of each of the Commanders in Chief of the China Station, this volume also gives relevant information outlining something of the concurrent internal affairs of China and Japan. Both are very different but sad tales, the former in decline towards the end of the Manchu Ch’ing dynasty and then into the chaotic 1920’s and 1930’s, and the latter increasingly adopting a militaristic attitude which was to result in their disaster of the Pacific War of 1941-1945. As a reminder of these days long gone are interwoven brief references to the British Consular Service. This is especially relevant for China, and for a shorter period for Japan during that era of extraterritoriality. Mention is also made of the British Colonial Service with whom, necessarily, the Navy worked very closely. In addition, being one important reason for it all, frequent references are made to a few British shipping and trading interests together with those of some other nations. All of these areas are linked together to give a definitive history of this very important Royal Navy Station.

Royalty & the River
Royalty & the River

Author: David Jones

Publisher: Boolarong Press

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 133

ISBN-13: 1921920742

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Through a century and a half the Brisbane River has witnessed a succession of vibrant royal spectacles and the enthusiastic response of Queenslanders. This book steps through those years, visiting each scene in words and pictures, from the time when Australian colonies were one with the Mother Country half a world away, to the confident nation today which sees itself an integral part the broader world community. From the visit to Brisbane by Prince Alfred in February 1868 through to the visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip in October 2011.