Audio on demand

This lecture highlights the new directions being explored by important Australian artists around 1913 - many of whom are little-known today - and examines the role of arts and crafts in 1913 society and Australian reactions to new art movements in Europe.

Canberra historian Matthew Higgins tells a story of adventure and discovery by three young men, Percy Sheaffe, Harry Mouat and Freddie Johnston, working in Australia’s rugged mountain country to mark the national capital and its surrounding territory.

Historian Dr Nicolas Brown reflects on the emerging world of modernity of Australia in 1913, and the world lost to looming international pressures and the threat of war.

Hubert Opperman (1904-1996), or ‘Oppy’ as he was known, was one of the greatest cyclists of his time. Curator Daniel Oakman reflects on why Opperman became a national hero and how his cycling feats transformed popular understandings of human endurance.

Techniques for handling, storing and conserving precious textile objects, with demonstrations based on 1913-era hats and shoes, in conjunction with the exhibition Glorious Days: Australia 1913.

The Governor-General highlighted the role of women in Australia and the importance of Indigenous culture as portrayed in the exhibition as she took a retrospective look at where we have come from in 100 years and where we may go in the next 100 years.

Photographer Peter Eve reflects on an expedition into the remote southern Simpson Desert that he shared with archaeologist Dr Mike Smith. Peter praises Mike’s ability to bring the buried landscapes and humanities of deep time to life.

An introduction to the work of pioneering desert archaeologist Dr Mike Smith by Andrew Sayers, Director of the National Museum of Australia, followed by a reading by Mark O’Connor of his poem ‘Desert Archaeology’.

Peter Stanley chairs an open mike session as a tribute to Mike Smith. Short contributions were made from Calogero Santoro, a colleague from Chile, other colleagues and students who have worked with Mike, with the day finishing with comments by Mike Smith.

A tribute to pioneering desert archaeologist Dr Mike Smith. Speakers June Ross, John Mulvaney, Barry Cundy, Giles Hamm and Chris Turney reflect on their time teaching and working with Mike, and the developing field of desert archaeology in Australia.