Issuu

DECEMBER

2021

THE GRADUATE UNION NEWSLETTER

WHAT’S ON

DECEMBER CHRISTMAS THEMED LUNCH AND DINNER Wednesday, 1st, 8th, 15th December Lunch - 12:00pm to 2:00pm; Dinner - 6:00pm to 7:30pm

Join us every Wednesday in December for Christmas themed lunch and dinner. Lunch prices: Members $12.00, Student $13.00, Loyalty Card Holders $15.00, Non-Members $20.00 Dinner prices: Members $15.00, Student $16.00, Loyalty Card Holders $18.00, Non-Members $20.00

MEMBERS CHRISTMAS PARTY Friday, 10th December 6:00pm for 6:30pm start

Join members and their guests for a evening of fun in a joyful atmosphere, with plenty of lucky draws and enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner. Non-resident Members $59.50, non-members $70.00, non-member Concession $61.50. Free for Resident Members. Details and menu on page 31.

ITALIAN CONVERSATION LUNCH

Tuesday, 7th December 12:00pm – 2:00pm

Dine while learning to speak Italian with an experienced teacher. Members $12.00, non-members $20.00

WOMEN’S FORUM

Wednesday, 15th December 10:00am for 10:30am start

There is no specific topic for this forum — just join the ladies for a session of reminiscing and laughters. The Women’s Forum group extends invitation to new members and welcomes new ideas. Discussions are held in an informal and friendly atmosphere. The group then adjourns for lunch in the dining room. The forum is free. All are welcome.

BRIDGE NIGHTS - will resume in 2022 SPECIAL MORNING BREAKFAST - will resume in 2022

BOOK NOW: www.graduatehouse.com.au I (03) 9347 3428 I admingh@graduatehouse.com.au

CONTENTS INTERNATIONAL DAYS 5 December FEATURES 10 Artificial Intelligence in Journalism - by Dr Ian McCahon 12 Melbourne beginnings, Exploring Down Under - by Radhika Agarwal VALETE 14 Elizabeth Irma Sevior REVIEW 16 November Monthly Luncheon - Dr Ross McMullin NEWS FROM GRADUATE HOUSE 27 Universities of Melbourne, Manchester and Toronto Alliance 28 Diwali Lunch at Graduate House 28 Congratulations Molina Asthana 29 The Rotary Club of Carlton 29 Monthly Luncheon GU COLLEGIATE 30 Christmas themed Lunch and Dinner at Graduate House 31 Members’ Christmas Party PROMOTIONS 32 Function Menu 2021 - Traditional Christmas 33 Function Menu 2021 - Christmas Summer Barbeque 34 Graduate House - a residential college for Graduates, Undergraduates and more

and a Happy New Year!

From All of Us at Graduate House Graduate House is closed during the festive season. Our last day of operation is Tuesday, 21st December 2021 and we reopen on Monday, 24th January 2022. We thank you for your support and look forward to welcoming you back in 2022. 4

INTERNATIONAL DAYS DECEMBER

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1st December – World Aids Day World AIDS Day is held on 1st December each year. It raises awareness across the world and in the community about HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). It is a day for the community to show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died of AIDS related conditions or other conditions associated with HIV. The national World AIDS Day theme for Australia in 2021 is ‘40 years of HIV – where to next?’. World AIDS Day aims to encourage Australians to educate themselves and others about HIV; to take action to reduce the transmission of HIV by promoting prevention strategies; and to ensure that people living with HIV can participate fully in the life of the community, free from stigma and discrimination.

2nd December – International Day for the Abolition of Slavery An estimated 40.3 million people are in modern slavery, including 24.9 in forced labour and 15.4 million in forced marriage. There are 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the world with 1 in 4 being children. 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as in domestic work, construction or agriculture; 4.8 million are in forced sexual exploitation; and 4 million are in forced labour imposed by state authorities. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by forced labour, accounting for 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry, and 58% in other sectors. International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is to eradicate all forms of slavery, such as trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, the worst forms of child labour, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.

IN TERNATI O NAL DAYS

3rd December – International Day of Persons with Disabilities International Day of People with Disability is to increase public awareness, understand and accept people with disability and celebrate their achievements and contributions. Each year the UN (United Nations) announces a theme to provide an overarching focus on how society can strive for inclusivity through the removal of physical, technological and attitudinal barriers for people with disability. In Australia, the National Disability Strategy 2010 - 2020 committed all governments to a nationwide reform of inclusion for people with disability and for people with disability to fulfil their potential as equal citizens. In December 2020, Disability Ministers from across Australia issued a statement to inform their continued commitment to this Strategy and to finalise the new National Disability Strategy in 2021.

5th December – World Soil Day World Soil Day is to advocate for healthy live biodiverse soils and the sustainable management of soil resources. It is to ensure soil fertility and thus counter the current threat to global food supplies and food safety. Plants nurture a whole world of creatures in the soil that in return feed and protect the plants. This diverse community of living organisms keeps the soil healthy and fertile. This vast world constitutes soil biodiversity and determines the main biogeochemical processes that make life possible on Earth.

5th December – International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development Volunteerism is vital for social, environmental and economic transformation and is underpinned by free will, commitment, equity, engagement, solidarity, compassion, empathy and respect for others. In 2019, there were 8,282 UN volunteers who served in 54 UN missions, agencies, funds and programmes across the world – 29% were less than 29 years of age and 51% were female. 13,186 online volunteers also served virtually worldwide with 33 UN partners in support of 183 civil society organisations that work on peace and development. International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development is thus to recognise these actors of change and partners in the attainment of local, national and international progress towards sustainable human development and global peace.

7th December – International Civil Aviation Day The International Civil Aviation network carries over four billion passengers annually (120,000 flights and 12 million passengers a day), supports 65.5 million jobs and contributes US$2.7 trillion to the global economy. International Civil Aviation Day is to recognise the contribution of international civil aviation to global social and economic development and to acknowledge the work of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in enabling a global rapid transit network for global peace and prosperity.

IN T E R N ATIO NAL DAYS

9th December – International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime 9th December 2021 marks the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, as well as the 73rd anniversary of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the Genocide Convention), the first human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly. The Convention signifies the international community’s commitment to “never again” and provides the first international legal definition of “genocide,” widely adopted at national and international levels. It honours the lives of the victims of genocide and establishes a duty for State Parties to prevent and punish the crime of genocide.

9th December – International AntiCorruption Day Corruption is dishonest behavior by those in positions of power and can include giving or accepting bribes or inappropriate gifts, double-dealing, under-thetable transactions, manipulating elections, diverting funds, laundering money, and defrauding investors. Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that undermines democratic institutions, slows economic development and contributes to governmental instability. International Anti-Corruption Day is to respect the convention against corruption in combating and preventing corruption, and to offer a time for reflection on how any one of us might be unwittingly supporting corruption.

Article 2 of the Convention defines genocide as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, including: • killing members of the group; • causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; • deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; • imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; and • forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. The Convention confirms the genocide, whether committed in time of peace or war, is a crime under international law which parties to the Convention undertake to prevent and to punnish (article 1).

10th December – Human Rights Day Human Rights Day marks the adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for the inalienable rights which everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world. The rights to which we are all entitled are outlined in the following articles of the Declaration: • • • • •

Article 1 - Right to equality Article 2 - Freedom from discrimination Article 3 - Right to life, liberty, personal security Article 4 - Freedom from slavery Article 5 - Freedom from torture and degrading treatment • Article 6 -Right to recognition as a person before the law • Article 7 - Right to equality before the law 7

IN TERNATI O NAL DAYS

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Article 8 - Right to remedy by competent tribunal Article 9 -Freedom from arbitrary arrest and exile Article 10 - Right to fair public hearing Article 11 - Right to be considered innocent until proven guilty Article 12 - Freedom from interference with privacy, family, home and correspondence Article 13 - Right to free movement in and out of the country Article 14 - Right to asylum in other countries from persecution Article 15 - Right to a nationality and the freedom to change it Article 16 - Right to marriage and family Article 17 - Right to own property Article 18 - Freedom of belief and religion Article 19 - Freedom of opinion and information Article 20 - Right of peaceful assembly and association Article 21 - Right to participate in government and in free elections Article 22 - Right to social security Article 23 - Right to desirable work and to join trade unions Article 24 - Right to rest and leisure Article 25 - Right to adequate living standard Article 26 - Right to education Article 27 - Right to participate in the cultural life of community Article 28 - Right to a social order that articulates this document Article 29 - Community duties essential to free and full development Article 30 - Freedom from state or personal interference in the above rights.

11th December – International Mountain Day Home to 15% of the world´s population, mountains host about half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and provide freshwater to half of humanity. Of the 20 plant species that supply 80% of the world’s food, six originated and have been diversified in mountains: maize, potatoes, barley, sorghum, tomatoes, and apples. Climate change and overexploitation (unsustainable farming practices, commercial mining, logging, poaching) are seeing mountain people — some of the world’s poorest — struggling to survive, as well as the depletion of freshwater supplies downstream for millions of people. First celebrated in 2003, International Mountain Day (#MountainsMatter) is to acknowledge mountain conservation as key for sustainable development (part of Goal 15 of the SDGs), to celebrate the rich biodiversity of mountains, to adopt sustainable management practices systematically and to address the threats faced by mountains.

18th December – International Migrants Day The observance of International Migrants Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the contributions of international migrants to both their country of origin and their country of destination. According to the IOM (International Organization for Migration), there are an estimated 272 million people currently living outside their country of origin—approximately 3.5 percent of the world’s population. In 2019, the number of migrants globally reached an estimated 272 million, 51 million more than in 2010. International Migrants Day respects the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration and enables migrants to ignite economies at home and abroad and build more inclusive and resilient societies. Migration is a courageous expression of an

IN T E R N ATIO NAL DAYS

individual’s will to overcome adversity and to live a better life. Mixed with elements of unforeseeability, emergency and complexity, the challenges and difficulties of international migration require enhanced cooperation and collective action among countries and regions.

25th December – Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on 25th December as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. Many people, even if they are not Christian, give each other gifts, prepare special meals and decorate their homes at this time of year. Many aspects of the Christmas festivities originated from winter celebrations in Europe. However as Christmas Day falls in the middle of summer in Australia, celebrations are increasingly influenced by the Australian climate and wildlife.

20th December – International Human Solidarity Day Solidarity, as identified in the Millennium Declaration, is one of the fundamental values of international relations — those who suffer or benefit least deserve help from those who benefit most. In the context of globalization and the challenge of growing inequality, strengthening of international solidarity is indispensable. The Sustainable Development Agenda is centred on people and our planet, underpinned by human rights and supported by a global partnership built on cooperation and solidarity. International Human Solidarity Day is thus to celebrate the unity of our world in diversity, to respect commitments to international agreements, and to strengthen solidarity in achieving the SDG (sustainable development goals). The World Solidarity (trust) Fund gives funds to people with programmes to eradicate poverty and promote human and social development in developing countries, in particular among the poorest segments of their populations.

26th December – Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday in many countries, such as Australia and in the Commonwealth of Nations. It was traditionally a day for employers in England to give bonuses of money, leftover food or old clothing to their employees, or for lords to give agricultural tools and seeds for the coming year to their tenants. These gifts were presented in a box. Some people believe that this is the reason that 26th December is known as Boxing Day. Others think that the origin of the name is related to the box into which parishioners put church donations. In some areas, this box was opened on Boxing Day and the contents were distributed to the poor people of the parish.

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Artificial Intelligence in Journalism by Life Member Dr Ian McCahon If you enjoy tiptoeing through a wonderland of new ideas and new ways of doing something you thought was familiar, come now with other Graduate Union members into the still threatening world of artificial intelligence, and see what a global cohort of diverse underfunded overworked journalists and organisations are doing. They seek to do their work better by using new tools and developing new ways to inform us and protect us in the world as it is today. If you are not a journalist yourself you may wish to just look and learn about these developments, and to leave interaction with them to our Association, and perhaps the Centre for Advancing Journalism and to other journalists.

Who are the prime movers and educators in this field and what are their motives? JournalismAI (JAI) is a branch of POLIS – JournalismAI's think-tank at the London School of Economics and Political Science – and this is supported by the Google News Initiative. JAI offer research reports, training materials, a network for best practice and innovation sharing and much more to journalists anywhere in the world. Their members are from almost every continent, and from many political and cultural contexts. They are building together an environment of innovation, one of efficiency and equality, of respectful collaboration by journalists and newsrooms both large and small. Among other things, they seek to draw useful information from data collected sometimes clandestinely from those who wish to bury it, to provide it to those who may benefit.

F EATU RE

Why is their work important? 1. Augmentation: Most use cases were designed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of JAI empowers Investigative Journalism and the work of human journalists. shines a light on those who prefer to protect their "influence" and who seek to avoid "disclosure". 2. Knowledge gap: There was a shortage of people skilled in AI technologies and, just as important, • Investigative journalism exposes financial a lack of knowledge across news organisations corruption political opportunism bribery about the potential and pitfalls. racism economic exploitation nepotism and other discriminations. It seeks to protect the 3. Strategy: In a fast-moving, highly-pressurised weak from the powerful. industry, there was a lack of strategic thinking. • This is dangerous, and every few months journalists, especially women, are killed What else has been done? Where can I read or see because of what they do. Many Journalists more about this subject? are incarcerated misquoted discredited or h t t p s : / / w w w . l s e . a c . u k / m e d i a - a n d ostracized by their own government to protect communications/polis relationships with allies, tortured, or killed. https://journalismai.com This is the homepage • JAI can illuminate aspects of education government business economics equity justice health and the arts. In the future it may be used to collect and process data to provide information which could enable a better deal for young people, for women, and for the disadvantaged to advance the prospect of societal change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyJyzvs6awU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycXsUswp4lU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NgNgRkt-6o “Data Talks” https://www.journalismaifestival.com/

In what way could Artificial Intelligence benefit the Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne? The possibilities include:

h t t p s : / / w w w. l s e . a c . u k / m e d i a - a n d communications/polis/JournalismAI/Collab this URL will link you to JournalismAI’s work on Loyalty and retention in this context

1. The provision of Information tailored to the needs of members and past members.

h t t p s : / / w w w. j o u r n a l i s m a i f e s t i v a l . c o m / programme#JournalismAI

2. Promotion of engagement and loyalty in the Graduate Union community, as JAI has already worked on subscriber retention and we may be able to learn from this. (Remember that this resource is entirely focused on AI in Journalism and not AI in general).

h t t p s : / / w w w. j o u r n a l i s m a i f e s t i v a l . c o m / programme/welcome-to-the-journalismai-festival

3. To improve members’ access to minutes of meetings and other documents approved by the Board for release, including archives and limited only by the cost of digitizing them. How did JournalismAI venture into this new field - where did they start? From a 2019 global survey about ‘what News Organizations were doing with and thinking about AI technologies’, the Director of JournalismAI, Prof. Charlie Beckett identified three themes:

“HOW TO” NOTE: The above information is most easily accessed if you are reading the online version of the Graduate Union Newsletter. You may then need then to copy the links and paste them into your browser, as they only work directly in Microsoft Word. DISCLAIMER: This article is prepared from publicly available information and seeks to acknowledge in full the work of JournalismAI. I take responsibility for all opinions expressed here. They specifically do not represent the views of JournalismAI or of T he Graduate Union. 11

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Melbourne city

Gewürzhaus spice shop on Lygon street

Merri Creek

Radhika Agarwal

F EATU RE

Melbourne beginnings Exploring Down Under by Resident Member Radhika Agarwal

I stepped out of the airport and soaked in my first sunshine in Melbourne. With two suitcases and Bryson’s Down Under—a travelogue about Australia— in hand, this is how my story began… For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to travel far and wide. I was inspired by Vikram Seth’s From Heaven Lake where he described his hitchhiking adventures while studying abroad in China. When I got an opportunity to study abroad in Australia, I went through many travel blogs and YouTube videos — they all were unanimous in their praise for the pristine beauty of Australia’s landscapes and exotic wildlife. When I finally landed in Melbourne in the summer of 2019, I already had a bucket list — run the Great Ocean Road marathon, scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef, climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, cuddle a koala, and travel to Rottnest Island to take a selfie with a ‘quokka’, world’s happiest animal! Travelling however took a backseat once I started a PhD at Melbourne Law School. The pressure of submission deadlines made it difficult for me to strike a balance between my studies and my desire to travel — I kept delaying travelling thinking that I will do it some day out of the four years that I would be in Melbourne. 2019 went and 2020 came. The pandemic happened. The city went into lockdown. The resulting isolation and confinement to my studio apartment were soulcrushing. I started to crave a chance to go out and meet my friends over meals and a game of ping-pong. One by one, my friends also moved away. Loneliness started to set in. Due to the strict five-kilometre travel restriction in place, I did not have much choice but to go for walks by myself. It was then that things started to change.

I started exploring places nearby. One day, I chanced upon Gewürzhaus— a quaint shop selling spice blends from different parts of the world — in the heart of Lygon. This piqued my culinary curiosity, and I ended up speaking at length to the shopkeeper about the delights of Indian cuisine. It amazes me to think of how many times I have passed Gewürzhaus on my way to Woolworths without even glancing at the shop. Another day, I visited the Queen Victoria market and found a shop which sold customised journals and passport wallets. The sheer beauty of the journals inspired me to buy one and start journaling about the interesting places that I was discovering in Melbourne during the lockdown. Around the same time, I also bought a bicycle and started exploring cycling trails in the city. Cycling along the Capital City Trail became a daily ritual for me — I ended up discovering many serene places along the way such as Merri Creek, CERES Community Environment Park, Collingwood Children’s Farm and Dights Falls. In the one year that I had been in Melbourne before the lockdown, I had no idea that places of such breathtaking beauty were minutes within reach of where I lived. My experience of travelling in Melbourne helped dispel my belief that one needs to set aside time and money to travel. It also made me see the city in a new light; for me, Lygon Street is no more just a street lined with trendy restaurants and coffee shops. Queen Victoria market is much more than just a place to buy groceries. And Melbourne is way more than just a city of impressive architecture, highly enthusiastic sporting culture and the world’s best coffee. While I ended up not doing anything on my bucket list, I am happy to have done many things outside of it. If not for the pandemic, I would not have discovered Melbourne the way I did. This, for me, has been the silver lining of this pandemic. 13

VALETE

Elizabeth Irma Sevior Life member, 1986

We were informed of the death of Life member Elizabeth Sevior on 25th September 2021 (age 90). Elizabeth became a member of The Graduate Union in 1986. A regular patron of our collegiate events, Elizabeth was actively involved in the Women’s Forum discussions. She would drop in regularly to Graduate House when she was in the Carlton area. Her last Women’s Forum was in June 2021. We are thankful to Elizabeth’s family for sharing the video link of her funeral service where members and friends were able to watch and reflect on her long and productive life, as told by family members in their eulogies. In her daughter, Madeleine’s words, “My mother maintained her intellectual and academic spirit to the end.” Elizabeth will be missed here at Graduate House. We remain grateful to have had the opportunity to be a small part of her existence.

Elizabeth Creswell was born on 8th April, 1931 in Toorak, Melbourne. In 1933, her family moved to the country town of Ararat, following her father’s new job position as chief engineer. Elizabeth attended Ararat Grammar School and then went on to board at the Clyde School for Girls in Woodend. She studied at the Conservatory of Music, The University of Melbourne where she boarded at Janet Clark Hall residential college and made lifelong friends. They all managed to catch up this year. Upon completion of her music degree, Elizabeth undertook a teaching qualification and in the early 1950s, began her career as a primary school music 14

teacher in various schools in Western Victoria. She lived in a boarding house at Castlemaine and it was there that she met her husband-to-be, Maurice Sevior who had just graduated from Geelong Teachers’ College . They were married in July 1956 and have four children. In 1959, her family moved to Bulleen, a new suburb at that time. Her family then moved to Mount Beauty in 1974, for Maurice’s first posting as high school principal and Elizabeth taught at Mount Beauty Primary school. Her family returned to Bulleen in 1977 and Elizabeth worked as a roving music teacher in Carlton District Primary schools.

VALET E

She was passionate about native plants and birds and joined numerous conservation organizations. She spent many hours weeding and planting trees with family and the friends of Westerfolds Park. Among her interests was a project to re-introduce koalas and she took her family on successful koala spotting trips along the Yarra.

In latter years with her mind bright, Elizabeth did everything she could to keep up her fitness. She performed morning Tai-Chi in her garden and went to weekly exercise. She thoroughly enjoyed her 90th birthday party with family and friends in April this year.

Elizabeth was proud of her whole family. She in particularly admired her grandfather, Admiral Sir William Creswell, who was widely regarded as the Father of the Australian Navy. She went to numerous Navy events and always looked to honour his memory.

Her recent weeks in hospital were hard with no visitors but she thoroughly enjoyed phone calls with her family and friends. During her short stay in respite care she was completely delighted during a video chat with her family.

After Maurice’s passing in 1997, Elizabeth threw herself into even more interests and causes. She made donations to many worthwhile charities and particularly enjoyed her connection with Janet Clark Hall, Trinity College and The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne. She loved and supported the Botanic Gardens, the Australian Opera and the Australian Ballet and had great pleasure attending these with her daughter and grandchildren.

Here is the video link to the funeral service. https://youtu.be/CE8woGLRTuU

Elizabeth persisted in learning new technology. She Both Maurice and Elizabeth retired around the mid would often make Uber trips to Graduate House and 1980s and Elizabeth found more time to pursue her visit friends. She particularly enjoyed her Graduate interests and enjoyed more time with her children Union events and always gave a detailed account of and grandchildren. Maurice and Elizabeth were the interesting presentations during weekly dinners founding members of Ed Ski and Elizabeth enjoyed with her family. Although lockdowns were hard on many trips to the Lodge at Mt. Baw Baw to go cross- her, she embraced video chats and had great fun talking to her friends and family around the world. country skiing.

Rest in peace, dear Elizabeth.

Elizabeth re-embraced national and international travel in this time. Her first international trip was actually back in 1953 which included a visit to her family in South Africa. After Elizabeth stopped driving, she fully embraced public transport and took great delight in describing her complex routes across Melbourne. She was really impressed with the Smart Bus system and completed the whole route around Melbourne from Mordialloc to Werribee just for the fun of it. She often took swims at St Kilda beach, was a weekly guide at the Shrine of Remembrance, attended the Women’s Forum regularly at Graduate House, frequented the National Gallery and attended Canterbury Fellowship services at The University of Melbourne on Sunday morning. All on public transport.

Elizabeth celebrating her 90th birthday in April this year, with her children and grandchildren

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November Monthly Luncheon Heartstrings aching for the absent boy : Reappraising Australia’s Commemoration of WWI

by Dr Ross McMullin In August 2014, the centenary of the start of the Great War was commemorated in numerous events. But it was not just the anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict that made early August a strikingly appropriate time to reflect on Victorian losses during the war. Many Victorian casualties resulted from the offensive at Gallipoli in early August 1915, notably at Lone Pine and the Nek. Early August 1916 was the middle of one of the worst months in Australian history, when immense casualties were being amassed in repeated attacks at Pozieres. And in early August 1918, Australians spearheaded an immense assault that was so comprehensively successful that General Ludendorff concluded that only one side could now win the war, and it was not his. But another result of this decisive assault was, inevitably, many more Victorian losses. Moreover, in early August 1917, artillerymen in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) were being hammered at Ypres and incurring substantial casualties. And while that was happening, numerous Victorian families were still struggling to cope with the aftermath of the disaster of Fromelles. This was the utterly futile attack on 19th July 1916 that produced in one catastrophic night 5,533 Australian casualties — dead, wounded, taken prisoner or missing. A large proportion of these casualties were Victorians, perhaps as many as 40 percent. There were a lot of Victorians missing after Fromelles. Many of 16

them were still classified as missing over a year later. In early August 1917, then, many Victorians were still in desperate anguish about their soldier’s fate and were clinging desperately to the faint hope that he might have somehow survived that fiasco more than twelve months earlier. How did the bereaved at home cope in these circumstances? Some, of course, did not. A stark example concerned the family of a talented 22-yearold officer, Major Tom Elliott, who was originally from Sydney, excelled at Duntroon Military College, and distinguished himself in the AIF in a Victorian unit before becoming a casualty at Fromelles. His mother, Mary Elliott, was officially informed that Tom was wounded, then officially informed that he was missing, and only later officially informed that he was dead. She concluded from this sequence of events that the authorities were not certain about Tom’s fate, so she kept hoping that he might be alive. To Mary, abandoning hope meant abandoning him. She kept pressing the authorities for clarification: ‘it is an awful thing to leave a mother in doubt… the suspense is awful’, she told them. ‘I can’t make anything of the war but that it is wrong, wrong, wrong, from beginning to end’. The strain, the relentless suspense, was overwhelming. Mary struggled to cope. She resorted to alcohol, and

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Major Thomas Patrick Elliott

Major Geoff Gordon McCrae

beer became her crutch though she did not like it much. As she wrote, ‘it saved me from going mad when I was terribly depressed and worried’. But then she began to have delusions about Tom. Eventually she was placed in an asylum for the insane. She died there of Spanish Flu in mid-1919. Tom’s brigadier, General ‘Pompey’ Elliott, knew Tom for only four months. In that time, he formed the view that Tom was the finest natural soldier he had ever met and an officer of immense potential who would be crucial to Australia’s future. Pompey kept describing Tom as potentially an Australian Kitchener, which was an extraordinary accolade in the context of Kitchener’s immense prestige in 1916; moreover, Pompey was an insightful assessor, and not one to throw around compliments lightly. When Pompey concluded — correctly — that the proposed attack at Fromelles would prove a disaster, he even tried to keep Tom out of the battle because he believed he was so precious to Australia’s future. But Tom ended up participating at Fromelles and he was killed. The story of Tom Elliott and his family is told in my book Farewell, Dear People: Biographies of Australia’s Lost Generation. So too are other stories I’ll refer to today. When Tom died, he was second-in-command of the 60th AIF Battalion. The commander of that

unit was Geoff McCrae, who was killed — like Tom — leading his men forward at Fromelles. McCrae also exemplifies Australia’s gifted lost generation of World War I and the story of his life is another of 17

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the extended biographies in Farewell, Dear People. In fact, the book’s title comes from Geoff’s final letter home on the day of the battle of Fromelles: Today I lead my Battalion in an assault on the German lines, and I pray to God I may come through alright and bring honour to our name. If not, I will at least have laid down my life for you and my country which is the greatest privilege one can ask for. Farewell, dear people, the hour approacheth. A few hours later Geoff McCrae was dead. He was a product of Melbourne’s best-known creative dynasty — his grandmother was Georgiana McCrae. His father, George, was a noted poet who also wrote prose and liked sketching. Geoff and George were particularly close. When Geoff was young, tall George and small Geoff were often seen happily together with their fingers intertwined. The story of the McCraes’ bereavement was very different from the uncertainty that Tom Elliott’s family had to endure. There was no doubt about Geoff’s fate at Fromelles. His body was collected for burial in a nearby cemetery.

with the title Soldier, My Soldier! they captured the mood of the moment, and were popular with soldiers and those they left behind. Dorothy did not hide the identity of her soldier: she dedicated the book to Geoff and included a poem called ‘Geoffrey’, which disclosed that when he enlisted the McCraes had been ‘smitten down by grief’. In 1915 another volume of Dorothy’s verse was published entitled The Clear Call. It included a poem called ‘Tribute’, which eulogised the deaths of Australian soldiers: ‘Oh noble end! Glad sacrifice!’ Such a gallant death, her poem claimed, could assuage the bereaved: ‘Pride dries the tears in yearning eyes’. Geoff’s death epitomised the kind of heroic sacrifice that Dorothy had in mind as a poet. But she felt very differently as a sister. When her soldier died, her tears were not dried. She suffered from depression for the rest of her life.

On 6th August 1915 three officers from Bendigo shared a special meal at Gallipoli. One of them, 24year-old Lieutenant Gil Dyett, had just received from a friend in Egypt a collection of preserved fruit and other delicacies, which constituted a sumptuous Geoff died when he was only 26, whereas George was contrast to their usual diet of unappealing bully beef then 83. George’s full life of personal and intellectual and teeth-shattering biscuits. fulfillment contrasted with the abbreviated span Dyett, who had arrived at Gallipoli in June with of his youngest son. But in 1916, George still had a batch of reinforcements, invited two fellow another decade and more of alert life ahead of him. lieutenants from Bendigo, Noel Edwards and ‘Curly’ He devoted much of it to commemorating Geoff. Symons, to consume these delicacies with him. Both This obsessive devotion reflected the intensity of the father’s never-ending grief. It was as if he could in some way maintain the connection of those intertwined fingers by turning Geoff’s bedroom into a perpetual shrine, by cherishing his medals and mementos, by installing a memorial window (at their local church in Hawthorn), by compiling commemorative verse, by seeking his personal effects, by sketching his faraway grave, by locating the cemetery site, by pursuing posthumous awards and by spending hours and hours transcribing Geoff’s wartime diary and letters — even re-sketching the accompanying drawings.

Edwards and Symons had enlisted at the start of the war and had been promoted from the ranks after distinguishing themselves in action. As they tucked into Dyett’s pears, cherries and figs, they discussed the imminent August offensive at Gallipoli. All three admitted that they did not expect to survive it.

Not long afterwards their battalion was directed to the ferocious fighting at Lone Pine. Noel Edwards, a revered and inspirational officer, was again exceptional until an enemy bullet found him. Dyett was hit too. Gravely wounded with concussion and multiple serious injuries including spinal damage, he was carried down to the beach, where his lifelessness Geoff’s sister Dorothy was another of the McCrae resulted in a blanket being placed reverently over him poets. At the start of the war, she wrote a series of prior to burial. Then someone noticed him move. poems about enlistment, departure and the anxiety Meanwhile Curly Symons was summoned by his of severance. These poems unequivocally upheld the colonel, Pompey Elliott, who sent him to a vulnerable righteousness of the cause. Published as a collection 18

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spot where numerous others had been hit, with this heartfelt exhortation: ‘Goodbye Symons, I don’t expect to see you again, but we must not lose that post’. Symons shook hands, saluted, and led his party of men away, only to be immediately bowled over by an exploding bomb, which would have maimed him if a comrade had not managed to curb its impact by flinging a couple of sandbags on it just in time. Symons picked himself up and continued on towards the vulnerable post. Elliott did end up seeing Symons again. The Eaglehawk-born lieutenant survived the inferno at Lone Pine, unlike many others, and for the gallantry he displayed in ensuring that post was retained, he was awarded the VC (Victoria Cross). The men with Noel Edwards thought he should have been awarded a posthumous VC as well, but that did not eventuate. Gil Dyett survived — just as well someone saw that blanket move — returned to Bendigo to recuperate, and eventually became national president of the organisation now known as the Returned and Services League (RSL) for 27 years. There was an unexpected development when King George V presented Symons with his VC at Buckingham Palace. During the ceremony, the King engaged Symons in conversation and they exchanged a few pleasantries. The King’s politeness encouraged Symons to get something off his chest. Curly Symons from Bendigo proceeded to tell the King bluntly that it was incomprehensible that Pompey Elliott had received no decoration when his battalion’s fine record included four VCs and he was an outstanding, brave, front-line leader who had seen much action and been wounded in the process. Harold Edwards, Noel’s brother, enlisted and was on the scene north of Villers-Bretonneux when the famous Baron von Richthofen was shot down by Australian machine-gunners in 1918. Harold survived the war, and much else — he died at the age of 102. His mother, Blanche was delighted by Harold’s safe return from the war but she wrote a poem after the Armistice that underlined her enduring grief about Noel’s death at Lone Pine three years earlier: How I shall miss him when from oversea The Anzacs come amid shouts of victory; When eager voices answering smiles awake

And hands press hands for old remembrance sake. Full many a face will wear a mask of joy, With heartstrings aching for the absent boy. This poignant verse from the mother of a brilliant but little-known officer, who was reputedly the first to enlist in Bendigo, encapsulated widespread sentiment, the last line in particular — ‘heartstrings aching for the absent boy’. These were years of anguish. Worrying about your soldier being in or near a danger zone and hoping he was still all right. Being notified that your soldier was officially classified as missing, and the anguish of desperately hoping that he might somehow have survived — Mary Elliott. The anguish of bereavement, the torment that never subsided — George McCrae, Blanche Edwards, in fact much of the population of Victoria. Perhaps the best-known example of an anguished, grief-stricken Victorian is H.B. Higgins. Henry Higgins was publicly prominent in politics and the law, and widely admired for his principled adherence to progressive ideals. He was immensely fond and proud of his son Mervyn, who was his only child. Mervyn managed to survive the notorious charge at the Nek — which was depicted in Peter Weir’s wellknown film Gallipoli that will be familiar to all of you — but he was killed at Maghdaba in December 1916. The widespread awareness of Henry’s profound emotional investment in Mervyn and his future accentuated the pronounced gloom and sense of dread that the news of this particular casualty engendered. That these empathetic sentiments were spot on was confirmed by Henry Higgins himself. ‘My grief has condemned me to hard labour for the rest of my life’, he admitted. He became ‘preoccupied’ with the tragedy that a generation of young men of ‘high character’ was being sacrificed to ‘re-create a world’ that they ‘had not been responsible for shattering’. Higgins was not only consumed by his paternal grief for Mervyn. He was also gripped by another kind of anguish, stemming from the realisation that some of these losses were irreplaceable — not just irreplaceable to their immediate families and loved ones, but irreplaceable more broadly. All the dead are equal in their ultimate fate, of course, 19

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and to highlight the reality that some were simply irreplaceable in a broader context is not to detract from that fundamental truth that they were all equal in death. It did not take long after the Gallipoli landing for awareness to spread that the new nation was losing Australians of exceptional talent whose loss was irreplaceable. A striking example in Victoria was Clunes Mathison. He was a marvel, the Florey or Macfarlane Burnet or Gus Nossal that Australia missed out on because he was fatally wounded early at Gallipoli, aged 31 while serving as a battalion doctor. Mathison had already established himself as an internationally acclaimed medical researcher after growing up in Victoria. He received the most glowing accolades from medical scientists of the highest international renown. Among them was Charles Martin, a revered physiologist and pathologist who was the director of the Lister Institute in London: ‘No man I have ever known possesses the genius for research so highly as Mathison. He always seems to know by instinct the essential difficulties of a problem and how to tackle them’. Moreover, Mathison was a revered personality as well as a renowned researcher. ‘Barney’ Allen, who knew him well at Melbourne University, put it this way: Of Dr Mathison as a scientist, let others speak. I speak of him as a friend, and as a friend he was wonderful … He never flagged: the variety of his interests was remarkable. I have been with him on all sorts of occasions … yarning, cricketing, camping, canoeing, fishing, ski-running—and it was always the same: whether it was a question of scientific knowledge, or of academic diplomacy, or the value of a book or a picture or a piece of music, or the fastening of a ski-binding, it was always “Ask Mathie” … His cheery, chubby figure was welcome everywhere; he knew every Professor and every policeman in London, and was equally at home hobnobbing with either. Mathison’s parents were both schoolteachers, and widely admired. They had six children, but Clunes was the only one to reach the age of 10. Furthermore, his father died painfully at home of illness when Clunes was 12. He clearly experienced a great deal 20

There was no greater individual loss to Australia in World War I than Clunes Mathison, an internationally acclaimed medical researcher

of death and suffering in his family during his childhood. Considering that he had such wideranging interests across the humanities as well as the sciences, the conclusion seems inescapable that the sickness and sadness around him as he grew up influenced his decision to pursue a career as a researcher of medical science. Essentially, what he felt driven to do was to make scientific discoveries that would help sick people get better. And he was remarkably good at it. As Professor W.A. Osborne of Melbourne University put it, each topic Mathison ‘took up he knew inside out … he seemed to know where every investigator resided, what his facilities were, what his capacity was, and what he was doing at that particular time. And this is not true only of physiology and allied sciences, but of pathology, medicine and surgery’. In April 1915, at the very time Mathison was preparing for the Gallipoli landing, he was appointed the inaugural director of the newly established Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of medical research in Melbourne, a position tailor-made for his unique talents. Mathison landed at Gallipoli with his battalion on 25th April 1915 and performed magnificently in the chaos of the first few days. He was cheerful and brave, capable and irrepressible.

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Early in May the 2nd AIF Brigade was transferred south to Helles, and ordered to charge towards the village of Krithia. These Victorians dashed forward with extraordinary bravery against a hail of Turkish bullets as intense as any rifle and machine-gun fire that the AIF encountered in the whole war. Enthralled observers likened it to the legendary Charge of the Light Brigade. Inevitably, though, casualties were devastating. The medical personnel were flat out. Again, Mathison’s assiduous and courageous contribution in the forward area during the ghastly aftermath for the AIF was long remembered. He made it known that ‘wherever I am wanted, just tell me, and I will try to go’. Next day though, a Turkish bullet found him. It was fired from afar, not aimed specifically at him but happened to strike his head, and he lost consciousness immediately. He was carried to a hospital ship, but his wound proved fatal, and he died on 18th May. So a unique genius precious to Australia was thrown away in an utterly senseless operation, and the initial director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute never took up the position. The tributes to Mathison contained extraordinary accolades. An internationally renowned British Professor, E.H. Starling, was referring to Mathison’s death when he wrote that ‘for the science of medicine throughout the world, the loss is irreparable’. Similarly, the (London) Times History of the War lamented Mathison’s death as the loss of ‘a life which had been judged infinitely precious’. It was, of course, ‘an overwhelming calamity’ for his mother. Mary Mathison had been an exceptional teacher in various Victorian state schools. She was ‘as near to perfection as is humanly possible’, a departmental inspector declared; ‘I know of no better teacher’. But she had endured more than her share of sorrow, with five of her children dying young and her husband dying prematurely as well. Even so, the death of her brilliant son was the most terrible blow of all, resulting in ‘the most desolate hours of my life’. Mathison’s friends and admirers in Melbourne decided to commemorate him by funding the establishment of recurring memorial lectures in medical science. In 1947, the lecturer was Reginald Webster, who had worked alongside Mathison in 1913. Webster captured his essence superbly,

Bob Bage on his way back to Australia after more than two years’ outstanding service with Douglas Mawson’s expedition to Antarctica

describing Mathie as ‘a man of brilliant attainments, radiant promise and endearing personality’. It was Macfarlane Burnet’s turn in 1953. He depicted Mathison as an Australian equivalent of Rupert Brooke. Robert Bage had much in common with Mathison. They overlapped at Melbourne University where they knew each other and had many mutual friends. Bage, like Mathison, followed a fine university degree with conspicuous achievement, and — again like Mathison — enlisted in the first month of the war. Bage was a talented engineer who became a senior colleague of Douglas Mawson’s at Antarctica and performed outstandingly there, but he is another who is practically unknown today. Mawson’s expeditioners, having based themselves at the windiest place on the planet, came to know each other very well while they were cooped up in their hut as the blizzards swirled around them. Among Bage’s comrades was John Hunter, a scientist from Sydney, who did not know Bage before their time together at Antarctica. Hunter quickly developed a very high regard for Bage, as his diary attests: Bob Bage … is the best liked man on the expedition and personally I think he is the best man we have. He is an untiring worker … ever ready to help 21

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HMS, The Aurora, 1913

anybody. Personally he is a fine fellow and of jovial spirit and smiling countenance … [T]here is no one that I have met that I have greater respect for than Bob: in fact he is an ideal fellow and I hope our friendship will long continue. After they had endured months of ferocious blizzards, Mawson arranged for his men to embark on various exploring operations, and he placed Bage in charge of a particularly daunting sledging expedition. Despite encountering the most violent hurricanes, Bage and his two colleagues ventured more than 300 miles south across rough terrain where noone had been before. Along the way they made regular geographical, meteorological and magnetic measurements, because they were exploring to gain new knowledge and understanding; they were in fact not far from the South Pole, but as far as they were concerned, this was not a superficial exercise of getting to some target just for what they saw as the shallow glory of being the first to plant a flag there. They were doing it for scientific research. It was an exceedingly dangerous expedition, and Bage and his comrades only just managed to survive their harrowing return journey. But their remarkable feat was little known at the time, and it is even less known now. All the sledging expeditions returned to the hut that was the home base for Mawson’s men within a couple of days of Mawson’s deadline, except one — the threeman party led by Mawson himself. The ship that was to take all the expeditioners back to Australia, the Aurora, had arrived with its irascible captain, 22

J.K. Davis. He was known as ‘Gloomy Davis’, but his concern about delay was understandable, as ships had limited seasonal scope to manoeuvre in these icy waters. Several days later, with Davis increasingly tense and still no sign of Mawson, six expeditioners, including Bage, were selected to stay on for another winter in case Mawson’s party belatedly turned up. Eventually Davis decided he could not wait any longer and the Aurora departed, only for Mawson to materialise later that very day in an emaciated state with the harrowing news that the two comrades with him had died. Those remaining managed to send a wireless message to the Aurora asking for it to return, which it did — with great reluctance from Gloomy Davis — but the sea was too wild for Mawson, Bage and the others to be collected. They were waiting on the shore knowing that Davis would be growing increasingly agitated about this further delay. In the end, he decided he could linger no longer, and the Aurora departed again. So the hopes of Bage and his shore-based companions were shattered. They had to endure another year of isolation — and limited amenities, unvaried food, apocalyptic weather, and no women — before they could be collected. A sinister surprise further drained morale when one of them went mad. Bage became wary of even conversing in the hut, as this troubled colleague would bizarrely misinterpret even the most innocuous remarks. When the Aurora reappeared all those months later in December 1913, the jubilation ashore was

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understandably intense. Bage was thrilled to be really going home this time after more than two years of outstanding service to Australia at Antarctica. Their arrival in Australia in February 1914 was a celebrated event. Bage returned to the family home in East St Kilda. Six months later, when Australia found itself at war, Bage enlisted straightaway. Now 26, he became the deputy leader of one of the original companies of engineers, and landed with his men on 25th April 1915. During the chaos of the first few days ashore, Bage and his company did the kind of things that engineers did — they widened roads, strengthened trenches, constructed loopholes, excavated emplacements for the artillery, and so on. Bage spent the morning of 7th May surveying. The young men with him paused for a bit of lunch. Bage strolled to the adjacent AIF position, perhaps intent on getting something to eat there himself. As it happened, the commander of the AIF’s 1st Division, Major-General William Bridges, was there. Bridges had been appraising the tactical options in the local area and had just come to a decision about what he wanted. When Bage materialised along the trench, Bridges blurted out ‘Here’s the man!’ Bage was startled. He was not used to being addressed in such fashion by a Major-General. But then he found out why he was the man, and he became seriously perturbed. Bridges had decided that he wanted the infantry to occupy a forward post, and he wanted a reliable engineer to mark out the position beforehand, so that the infantry would know exactly where Bridges wanted them to dig in. And Bage of course fitted the description reliable engineer exactly, which was why Bridges had declared ‘Here’s the man!’ However, what Bridges desired would involve Bage venturing out 150 yards in front of the existing Anzac position and banging in some marker pegs in view of the Turks — and Bridges wanted this done straightaway. Bage respectfully pointed out that this would be a very risky undertaking, and the best chance of carrying it out effectively would be to do it at night. But Bridges was adamant. He wanted it done that afternoon — that is, in broad daylight and in full view of the Turks. Bob Bage was a loyal officer. He knew that an order was an order. Bage was also a highly capable

and insightful officer. He was well aware that his prospects of surviving such a venture were slim. He resigned himself to his probable fate, and arranged for the dispersal of his belongings. Bage did his utmost to carry out the task. He was hammering in a marker peg where Bridges wanted when he was killed by a fusillade of fire from numerous Turkish riflemen and at least five machine-guns. News of Bage’s death reached Australia unofficially well before his family was notified officially. The delay in the official confirmation exacerbated the distress of his mother, Mary Bage, in particular. ‘His death is a great loss to Australia’, Douglas Mawson declared. Australians have tended to be critical of incompetent British generals whose ineptitude led to the deaths of regrettably many Australians — understandably critical, in the case of commanders like General Haking, who was culpable for the death of Geoff McCrae and thousands of others at Fromelles in the worst 24 hours in Australian history, and also General Hunter-Weston, who was culpable for the appalling fiasco at Krithia that resulted in the death of the irreplaceable Clunes Mathison. But what happened to Bob Bage at Gallipoli on 7th May 1915, when his life was cavalierly imperilled by General Bridges and he predictably died, confirms that inept decisions by generals that led to the deaths of Australians with the most outstanding potential were made by AIF commanders sometimes as well as by British ones. Some observers well placed to evaluate Australian soldiers with such potential concluded that an officer from Ballarat was second to none. Harold Wanliss was a talented and inspirational leader who was so dedicated to his nation’s future that while on leave, he had intensively researched new industries suitable for post-war Australia and for its disabled soldiers. Some admirers sensed he was destined to become Prime Minister. Harold’s father, Newton Wanliss, was a devoted parent, not unlike Henry Higgins in that he was also a lawyer with a profound emotional investment in the expansive future of his only son. He was much less publicly known than Higgins, but no less devastated by grief when Harold was killed in September 1917. Newton felt impelled to research and write a history of Harold’s battalion as a tribute to him, and it proved 23

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to be of such impressive quality that no better history of any Australian unit was published between the world wars.

that this unorthodox toe had neither perturbed him nor prevented him from becoming one of the fastest and most brilliant footballers in the nation.

A year before Harold Wanliss’s death, the news of a certain fatality had caused profound anguish around Melbourne. This was confirmed even in interstate newspapers. The Adelaide Advertiser reported that ‘Expressions of regret were heard yesterday all over Melbourne when it became known that George Challis had fallen in France’.

The aftermath confirmed the absurdity of his military rejection. After being ruled out by the army doctors, Challis lined up for Carlton again in 1915 and proceeded to enjoy his best season. Carlton ended up winning the premiership, and if there had been a prestigious medal in 1915 for the best player in the Grand Final, as there is now, it might well have gone to Challis.

George Challis was a household name because of his popularity and exploits as a footballer for Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL), the suburban competition in Melbourne. He was admired for his pace and grace, his dashing skills, and the attractive way he played the game. His sunny nature was evident — during matches he was often seen smiling. The VFL was already very popular; indeed it was estimated that before the war, no fewer than one in every ten men, women and children in Melbourne attended a VFL match each Saturday afternoon. Challis was widely liked, and not only by Carlton supporters. He had tried to enlist at the start of the war, but was ruled ineligible by the medical authorities because one of his toes curled up over its next-door neighbour. Football enthusiasts understandably regarded this rejection as ludicrous, bearing in mind

Meanwhile, he had kept trying to enlist. With medical standards becoming more flexible in response to the increasing need for reinforcements after the casualties at Gallipoli, Challis was eventually accepted. He left Australia not long after the 1915 Grand Final. Challis’s war experience was brief. Just a few days after his unit made its front-line debut, a big long-range shell killed him. There was not much of him left to bury. But admirers of the battalion favourite ensured that he would at least have a grave by collecting what they could of his remains in a blanket. The news of Challis’s death happened to reach Melbourne during the 1916 football finals. For his many admirers in Victoria, it was particularly poignant timing. Many reflected that just a year earlier Challis’s brilliant play had been crucial to Carlton’s premiership, and now, in the lead-up to the 1916 Grand Final, his team-mates were wearing black armbands and the football public was mourning his death. Carlton played in that 1916 Grand Final, but without Challis, they lost to Fitzroy. This result underlines how extraordinary that final series was. The VFL had become a truncated and lacklustre version of the immensely popular competition that Challis had adorned. This affected Victorians and the home front in a big way. Because of the war, only four teams participated in the VFL in 1916. So they all ended up in the finals. Fitzroy won only two matches before the finals, so they were well behind in last place. How the same side then managed to overcome all its rivals to win three finals in a row — and the premiership — remains one of those inexplicable mysteries.

Captain Harold Wanliss

But there was no mystery about the effect of Challis’s death on his parents and siblings, and on many others

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advent of welfare measures and innovations in public policy that confirmed Australia’s emergence as a relatively cohesive society based on egalitarianism and democratic mechanisms such as the secret ballot. The extent of the harmony and cohesion should not be over-emphasised — some employers who were not imbued with sweetness and light vigorously resisted these social advances, and there were bitterly contested industrial disputes during this period — so it is a relative measure. Still, national confidence and buoyant optimism were evident and reflected in the progressive measures that prompted some analysts to conclude that Australia was leading the world in such initiatives. In fact, Europeans who kept an eye on these things and cared about them crossed the globe to scrutinise what they saw as an advanced social laboratory taking shape in Australia.

George David Challis was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 1910s.

as well. His mother, Margaret Challis, was rarely able to talk about her eldest son without tears for decades afterwards. The anguish of loss arose then, in more than one way. There was the anguish felt by so many thousands of Victorians about lost loved ones in their own families, and the anguish felt by so many Victorians about notable losses outside their own families, such as George Challis and Clunes Mathison. There was also another kind of anguish concerning perceptions of the nation. Australia’s social development in the lead-up to 1914 had been impressive. The young nation was relatively progressive, forward-looking and advanced (and Henry Higgins had been a prominent contributor to this state of affairs). Many Victorians welcomed the

Victorians who kept an eye on these things and cared about them were dismayed by what the war did to them. The divisiveness of the war years ruptured the relative social cohesion that had underpinned Australia’s social progress. Admittedly, it is true of course that the focus of many Victorians was overwhelmingly on the micro, just getting by day-today while remaining anxious about family members in the trenches, and this was much more important to them than whatever interest or awareness they might have had of the macro, of declining Australian national cohesion. All the same, though, there were Victorians who became increasingly concerned about the macro, as the bitterness of the recruitment and conscription campaigns kept escalating, sectarianism kept intensifying, and Billy Hughes kept ranting and raving in recklessly inflammatory boots-and-all fashion as he ran the nation ‘in an atmosphere of almost perpetual crisis’. The war years constitute surely the most divisive period in our history since European settlement. For Victorians who welcomed their nation’s progressive tendencies, to see these tendencies ruptured by the war was a shattering disaster. To those who felt this way, this was yet another anguishing loss. During the centenary of the war, it was often claimed that the war ‘made’ Australia in a positive sense. It was said that the ‘baptism of fire’ at Gallipoli, and Australia’s substantial contribution in the grim and gruelling years that followed, created enduring 25

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national traditions that remain widely esteemed — endurance, resourcefulness, comradeship and so on.

mother Jessie, an indefatigable and widely admired social welfare activist, had a nervous breakdown.

It is true that these traditions were highlighted during the war, and were esteemed, and still are esteemed, and do connect back to what the AIF did in the Great War.

Another brother, Kenneth Henderson, was teaching at Melbourne Grammar School in 1915. During a lesson, he was handed a message that told him about his brother’s fate at Gallipoli; he turned white and It is true, too, that there was a vacuum that Gallipoli rushed out of the classroom in distress. We know was perfectly timed to fill. At the start of the war there this because one of the students in that classroom was a discernible yearning among Australians for was Keith Hancock, and he referred to the incident their newly federated nation to do something special in an autobiography he wrote decades later after he on the international stage. A talented 20-year-old had become a renowned historian. Victorian lieutenant, Alan Henderson, exemplified Hancock also described the effect on his own family this attitude in a letter he wrote home as his troopship in Melbourne of his brother Jim becoming a casualty approached Gallipoli on 24th April 1915: ‘It is going at Pozieres. The Hancocks were told that Jim was to be Australia’s chance and she makes a tradition missing. According to Keith, his mother Elizabeth out of this that she will always look back on … ‘was close to losing her reason because of her The importance of this alone seems stupendous to continual fretting over Jim’. Shades of Mary Elliott. Australia while the effect of success on the war itself Keith Hancock ‘felt the strain too’, and ‘for many will be even greater’. years afterwards’ had ‘a horrible dream in which Jim It is also true that some who had previously came back to us mutilated and mad’. Years later Keith seen themselves primarily as, say, Tasmanians was told that Jim ‘had been obliterated by a shell’, or Queenslanders came to see themselves more like George Challis. Keith ended up concluding that as Australians because of the war. This applied if ‘the authorities had felt able to report him killed particularly to soldiers, but probably to a good many instead of missing they would have acted more humanely, for the suspense prolonged and poisoned back home as well. my mother’s grief’. So, with these elements in play, it is possible to see why the claim is made that the war ‘made’ Australia in Mary Mathison, Blanche Edwards, Margaret Challis, a positive sense. But the combined effect is swamped Elizabeth Hancock, Mary Bage, Jessie Henderson, by the ghastly magnitude of the losses. The 60,000 Mary Elliott, George McCrae, Henry Higgins, dead, all the maimed as well, the loss of so many of Newton Wanliss — ten bereaved parents. Yet our brightest and best, together with the damaging Australia lost 60,000 dead! And besides the parents rupture of Australia’s cohesion and optimism — there were also, of course, all the bereaved wives, the losses overwhelm any sense that the war was a fiancées, girl-friends, sisters and children. positive for us. In conclusion, switching from the micro back to the In fact, the war could be said to have made Australia macro, the emphasis on Australia being allegedly in a negative sense more than a positive one. Historian ‘made’ by the war has meant that alternative national Bill Gammage has compellingly captured the war’s traditions, worthwhile potential traditions, have been aftermath in Australia: ‘Dreams abandoned, lives overlooked. If we had made a priority of focusing without purpose, women without husbands, families on the tradition of Australia, the progressive nation without family life, one long funeral for a generation leading the world before 1914, maybe our history over the last century might have unfolded differently. and more after 1918’. The experience of Alan Henderson’s family in Melbourne could perhaps be seen as Australia’s experience in microcosm. Alan Henderson died of wounds at the Gallipoli landing, his even more talented brother was killed a fortnight later, and their 26

Thank you, Dr. Ross McMullin for a sensational presentation! To learn more about Ross McMullin’s historical and biographical publications visit http://www. rossmcmullin.com.au.

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Universities of Melbourne, Manchester and Toronto Alliance For post-COVID university landscape Student exchanges, joint research projects and mutual bids to work with some of the world’s biggest businesses and funders will be part of a new post-COVID alliance between the Universities of Melbourne, Manchester and Toronto. Announced on 16th November, the Alliance sees the Universities – which have a combined 187,000 students, 45,000 staff and are all in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings top 50 – commit to collaborate more closely than ever, drawing on joint expertise and resources, and capitalising on new ways of studying, working and collaborating that have emerged during the pandemic. For students, this means global classroom programs that provide interaction with world-leading teachers and researchers on three continents via lectures, seminars, and practical classes.

There will be exchanges providing global experiences to boost career prospects and dual PhD programs with opportunities to visit the third institutions. Researchers will also gain access to specialist facilities and the opportunities to work on joint research programs on areas of interest such as environmental sustainability, cancer treatment and advanced materials. Several of these are already in place. This will be supported by access to global experience in funding, links to industry and researchers at the other member institutions. There will also be support for mutual sabbaticals, exchanges, visits, and residencies between the Alliance members. Source: https://about.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/ n e w s / 2 0 2 1 / n ov e m b e r / n e w - m e l b o u r n e , manchester-and-toronto-alliance-for-post-coviduniversity-landscape 27

N EWS F R OM GRADUAT E H OU SE

Congratulations Molina! Congratulations to Cr Molina Asthana on being reelected to the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) Council and declared the President Elect for 2022, the first woman of South Asian background to be elected to this position in the LIV’s 162 years of history and perhaps the first on any Law Society in Australia. Cr Molina Asthana is also Chairperson of Governance and Nominations subcommittee of The Graduate Union.

Diwali Lunch at Graduate House Bringing the festival of light atmosphere to Graduate House, the culinary team prepared a Diwali themed lunch menu of carrot and cardamom soup for starters; Tandoori chicken, Palak paneer, spiced roasted vegetables with choices of basmati rice and naan bread for mains, and Halwa for dessert that was enjoyed by all. Graduate House thanks all who attended the Diwali lunch on 4th November and is grateful for their continued support and patronage.

Members and their guests enjoying Diwali lunch

From left: Cr Molina Asthana, Cr Keith Ryall, Howard Hutchins, Cr Muan Lim, Chairman of Council Vincent Mirabelli and guest.

N EWS FR O M G R A D UATE HO U SE

Rotary Club of Carlton The Rotary Club of Carlton held their first face-to-face luncheon meeting (since lockdown) on 9th November. It was a pleasure to see many familiar faces back at Graduate House. Held in the Stillwell room, the luncheon was attended by 29 Rotary members. A surprise birthday cake was organised for Cr Keith Ryall, who

is the current President of the Carlton Rotary Club. Cr Keith Ryall is also ViceChairperson of Council and Chairperson of Membership and Marketing subcommittee of The Graduate Union. Happy Birthday Keith, from all of us at Graduate House!

Monthly Luncheon Our first Monthly Luncheon since reopening (also the last luncheon for 2021) was held on 10th November. It was a hybrid event with awardwinning historian and biographer Dr Ross McMullin as guest speaker. He is our Remembrance Day speaker for the fifth time. Dr Ross McMullin gave a wonderful presentation via Zoom. The full review of the presentation is on page 16. 29

G U COL L EGI ATE

Join us every Wednesday in December for Christmas themed Lunch and Dinner at Graduate House 1st December

8th December

15th December

Lunch - 12.00pm to 2.00pm

Dinner - 6.00pm to 7.30pm

Members $12.00, Student $13.00 Loyalty Card Holders $15.00 Non-Members $20.00

Members $15.00, Student $16.00 Loyalty Card Holders $18.00 Non-Members $20.00

To book, call 03 9347 3428 or email admingh@graduatehouse.com.au 30

Members’ Christmas Party

G U COLLEGIAT E

Friday, 10th December 2021 6:00PM arrival for a 6:30PM start Graduate House 220 Leicester Street, Carlton

Table service is 50/50

Entrée Prawn, mango and avocado salad (gf ) Herb crusted beef with dijon cream sauce (gf ) Pumpkin, feta and leek quiche (v) (vegetarian option)

Main Course Seasoned turkey breast with apricot and macadamia stuffing served with roasted root vegetables and gravy (gf ) (df ) Miso maple glazed salmon served with cauliflower mash and green beans (gf ) Butternut pumpkin lasagne with bechamel sauce (v) (vegetarian option)

Dessert Plum pudding with custard and brandy sauce (v) Mixed berry pavlova (gf ) (v) Summer fruit salad (v+) (gf ) (gf) gluten free (v) vegetarian (v+) vegan (df) dairy free

$59.50 non-resident Members RSVP: Tuesday, 7th December 2021 E: admingh@graduatehouse.com.au $70.00 non-members $61.50 non-member concession P: (03) 9347 3428 Free for Resident Members 31

PROMOTI O NS

FUNCTION MENU 2021

( G F ) G L U T E N F R E E ( V ) V E G E TA R I A N ( V+ ) V E G A N ( D F ) D A I RY F R E E

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS MENU

Set menu for lunch or dinner Table service is 50/50 Entrée Smoked salmon with prawns, horseradish cream & lime viniagrette (gf) Peking duck salad (gf) (df) Braised mushroom with creamy polenta (gf) (v) (vegetarian option)

Main Course Seasoned turkey breast with apricot and macadamia stuffing served with roasted root vegetables and gravy (gf) (df) Rib eye fillet steak seasoned with rosemary and garlic served with roasted baby chat potatoes and red wine gravy (gf) Roasted vegetable stack with saganaki (v) (vegetarian option)

Dessert Plum pudding with custard brandy sauce (v) Mixed berry pavlova (gf) (v) Summer fruit salad (v+) (gf)

Two courses: $59.50 per person | Three courses: $70.00 per person Minimum 15 guests.

PR O M OT IO NS

FUNCTION MENU 2021

( G F ) G L U T E N F R E E ( V ) V E G E TA R I A N ( V+ ) V E G A N ( D F ) D A I RY F R E E

CHRISTMAS SUMMER BARBEQUE MENU Set menu for lunch or dinner in the Graduate House courtyard

Main Course Porterhouse steaks (gf) (df) Lamb chops (gf) (df) Gourmet sausages Tandoori chicken tikka thighs (gf) Vegetarian burgers (v) Grilled summer vegetable platter (v+) (gf) Onions (v+) (gf) Selection of summer salads (v) (gf)

Dessert Blueberry pavlova (v) (gf) Fruit salad and cream (v) (gf)

$62.50 per person. Minimum 15 guests.

PROMOTI O NS

GRADUATE HOUSE

a residential college for undergraduates and Graduates, Meeting and Function services and more... The safest place to stay in Melbourne. Graduate House provides high quality college-like accommodation for undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as for graduates of all universities, disciplines, backgrounds and life stages. We offer variable stay durations from just one night to weeks, months, semesters or years at a time.

G ( t U

M F

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F o r a l l e n q u i r i e s , p l e a s e c o n t a c t u s a t p h o n e : + 61 3 9 34

PR O M OT IO NS

. • Single room private bathroom • Double room private bathroom • Apartments with double room, separate lounge and private bathroom and laundry • Fully furnished studio apartments • Breakfast and weekday dinners included

• • • •

Bed linen Weekly housekeeping Wi-Fi Utilities (electricity, gas, water) included in rent • Short term accommodation – one night, a few weeks • Long term accommodation – months, semesters, years

Graduate House is located close to public transport stops (trams, buses), and with on-site secure bike and car parking, they are a short walk away from Melbourne’s CBD, The University of Melbourne and RMIT. We offer the following: MEETING AND FUNCTION SERVICES • flexible and tailored room configurations for 2 to >100 people; • ‘hybrid’ meeting capability – good audio and video; • excellent catering and service – delicious and healthy food, friendly, welcoming and professional staff; • standard Wi-Fi (suitable for web browsing and emails) is provided for free; • membership options for greater affordability; • car parking – secure and cheap with online booking/payment and contactless automatic car plate recognition;

• accommodation – interstate and regional delegates can book to stay for a few nights in a clean, safe, quiet college room, with breakfast and weekday dinners included.

OFFICE RENTALS • offices to rent temporarily – to enable onsite event/function preparation in a clean, quiet and convenient ventilated space. • Book a day, a week, a month or the hours you need! • Included in the rental fees are reception services, inform services, Internet Wi-Fi (upgrade options), meeting and breakout spaces, office services (e.g., printing), café bar and vending machine.

3 9 3 47 3 4 2 8 o r e m a i l : a d m i n g h @ g r a d u a t e h o u s e . c o m . a u 35

THE GRADUATE UNION of The University of Melbourne Inc.

220 Leicester Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia Telephone: +61 (0)3 9347 3428 Australian Business Number: 55 610 664 963 Incorporated Association Registration Number: A0023234B