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My
family’s pioneering background gave me the incentive and –
through a large network of local contacts and relations – the
capacity to pursue the research that culminated in my honours
dissertation, ‘Bunbury in 1936 – Its Centenary Year’.
The extensive bibliographic and archival research which I had
to undertake for this original work gave me a grasp of the resources
and the potential for a much larger history.
I then applied for and won – in conjunction with Dr Anthony
J. Barker of the History Department of the University of Western
Australia - the contract to write an extensive history of the
Bunbury area for the Bunbury City Council.
This book, which is entitled Excellent
Connections: Bunbury
1836-1990, has approximately 180,000 words and 440 pages, which
include over 100 relevant illustrations.
It was published in March 1992 and was short-listed in the
‘Historical and Critical Studies’ Section of the 1992
Premier’s Literary Awards.
I
then branched out on my own and have since researched and written
three more histories of a similar size.
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The first of these was a history of the Cranbrook district,
commissioned by the Shire to celebrate the Centenary of the
Cranbrook township.
Entitled
Franklind to the Stirlings:
A History of the Cranbrook Shire, this work covers the
period from the first sightings of the area by Europeans through to
Western Australia’s 150th birthday in 1979.
The finished article, which has 198 pages [approximately
60,000 words] and about 150 photographs was published in 1994.
In
1993 and 1994 my historical work centred around the research and
writing of a history for the Moora Shire entitled Tracks
Through the Midlands: A
History of the Moora District. This
book, containing 100,000 words and over 100 relevant photographs,
was published by the Shire in November 1995.
Following this I undertook a larger project for the City of
Belmont.
This work,
which was commissioned to commemorate the centenary of local
government in the area, has 550 pages, which include a large number
of illustrations, end-notes, bibliography, etc.
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Entitled Ever Flowing
Forward: The Story of
Belmont, this book was published by the City in conjunction with
the Fremantle Arts Press in August 1999.
During
this period two smaller histories were completed in conjunction with
my daughter Jacqueline. These
were Ten Decades, a
pictorial history of the Town of Cottesloe, which also included a
smaller amount of text, and South
Perth Primary School: Serving a Community
for 100 Years, which was released in July 1998.
Since that time I have also researched and written Striving for
the Highest: Penrhos College 1952-2002 (2003) and A History
of Jolimont Primary School and its Community 1905-2005 which was
published in October 2005.
Since 2001 I have also been involved in Oral History. My work in
this area includes commissions by four separate local government
authorities to carry out specific projects in their districts, as
well as a number of private family histories.
Please contact Maxine for
a quote or more
information |
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Local
Government Histories
