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In this panel, staged by the History Council of NSW at the 2024 Sydney Writers Festival, three award-winning Australian historians discuss the dual art of crafting histories and captivating narratives for diverse audiences.

Our authors, Dr Margaret Cook, Dr Shannyn Palmer and Nicole Cama, explore the dynamics of writing and presenting histories that respond to questions and ideas with relevance to national or local interest, as well as seeking to tell stories that resonate with larger audiences. Chaired by A/Prof Jan Láníček, the authors delve into the nuanced artistry required to bridge the gap between academic excellence and accessibility.

Our esteemed panelists share insights into their approaches, discussing the challenges of balancing scholarly integrity with storytelling prowess. They explore strategies for making complex historical contexts accessible without oversimplification and maintaining authenticity while appealing to diverse reader interests.

Panelists:

Dr. Margaret Cook

As an historian, Margaret Cook is fascinated by water and its interaction with humans, animals and the environment over time. She writes about climate-related disasters with a particular focus on rivers and floods and is the author of A River with a City Problem: A History of Brisbane Floods. Margaret is a Research Fellow at the Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University and La Trobe University.

Dr. Shannyn Palmer

Shannyn Palmer is a community-engaged practitioner, cultural consultant and award-winning writer. She works with cultural institutions and communities to facilitate ethical community engaged practice and enable meaningful intercultural collaborations. She is particularly interested in community engaged practice as a methodology for disrupting settler colonial systems and knowledge. She has a PhD in History from the Australian National University and her first book, Unmaking Angas Downs: Myth and History on a Central Australian Pastoral Station, won the 2023 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Australian History and the 2023 Northern Territory Chief Minister’s History Book Award.

Nicole Cama

Nicole Cama is an historian with the City of Sydney Council with experience in museums, heritage and public history. Her work has been published across a range of platforms including radio, websites, print publications, social media, mobile applications and exhibition displays. In 2023, she was awarded the History Council of NSW’s Macquarie University-PHA Applied History Award for her work, ‘Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst’, a digital history project mapping the people and places of the street from the 1840s to the 1940s using the City of Sydney Archives, produced for the Australian Centre for Public History, University of Technology Sydney.

Chair: Associate Professor Jan Láníček

Jan Láníček is Associate Professor in Modern European and Jewish History at UNSW Sydney. He received a PhD from the University of Southampton in Britain in 2011 and has published widely on the history of the Holocaust and Central Europe. He is currently completing a study of post-Holocaust judicial retribution in Czechoslovakia and also researches Jewish migration to Australia before World War II. Jan is also a member of the General Council of the History Council of New South Wales.

Thanks to the Sydney Writers Festival for enabling our participation in the festival, the State Library of NSW for providing the venue and audio recording services, and the NSW Government, through Create NSW for their funding support.

Music: Inspiring Classical by PineAppleMusic. License purchased from AudioJungle

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Historians Professor Catharine Coleborne and Dr James Dunk discuss the depth of historical writing about mental illness in Australia and reflect on its resonance in the present moment; how can we write the history of mental health now?
Chair: Dr Effie Karageorgos

This event is held in partnership with the University of Newcastle’s Future of Madness Network.

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Reflecting on the enduring spirit of Aboriginal activism, today's episode is an homage to both the ancestors who fought for justice and the scholars like Emeritus Professor Lyndall Ryan who have chronicled their struggles. Coordinated by Jessie Adam-Stein and chaired by Dr. Cara Cross, this panel event from the History Now 2024 series, co-hosted with the History Council of New South Wales and the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS, dives into the depths of Aboriginal political histories. We pay our respects to the traditional landowners and explore how their political contributions have shaped our understanding of Australia's past and present, with a special acknowledgment of Emeritus Professor John Maynard's pioneering work.

The heart of our discussion beats to the rhythm of early 20th-century Aboriginal activism, where a gathering in Kempsey marked a turning point in the fight for equality. The voices of over 700 Aboriginal people and the manifesto of the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association (AAPA) resonate through time, as we recount their brave stance against oppression and the lasting impact of their actions—even through the Great Depression. Stories of personal sacrifice, like that of my grandfather, intertwine with these historical narratives, painting a rich tapestry of Aboriginal resilience and unyielding quest for justice.

As we close, the focus shifts to the fragmented journey of land restitution and the growth of Indigenous resistance that has radically influenced Australian politics. We remember the warriors like Windradyne and the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, leading up to the historic Aboriginal Land Rights Act Northern Territory of 1976, as milestones in the fight for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. These stories are not just history; they are the foundation upon which our ongoing struggle for rights and recognition is built, and they continue to inspire action and reflection in our shared journey towards a just future.

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