Peter Spearritt

Peter Spearritt's books include Sydney's Century (2000), Where History Happened: The Hidden Past of Australia's Towns and Places (2018), and as co-author, The Twentieth-Century Historic Thematic Framework (2021).

Peter Spearritt reviews 'Making a Life' and 'Constructing a Culture' edited by Verity Burgmann and Jenny Lee

June 1988, no. 101 • 01 June 1988

The title A People’s History of Australia is certainly a grand one. Its multi-volume predecessors have more modest titles, such as Clark’s disarmingly simple A History of Australia or the eleven-volume Australians: a historical library. The People’s History’s aspirations go beyond content to embrace audience. This is refreshing to see as many Australian scholars still regard their colleagu ... (read more)

Peter Spearritt reviews 'The Australian Legend' by Russel Ward and 'The Australian Legend Re-Visited' edited by J.B. Hirst

June 1979, no. 11 • 08 August 2022

I am writing this review in a cafe in the main street of Gympie, a town founded on gold discoveries in 1867. It is 200 kilometres north of Brisbane and seventy kilometres from the coast. Frontier types abound in a town population of 11,000 and in farming communities around. Rough, craggy, sunburnt faces, wizened facial muscles, arms creased by years of hard work and a determined walk. In their eve ... (read more)