Craig Hill
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On this day (Australia): In 1983, Australia II won the America’s Cup
On 26 September 1983, Australia II won the America’s Cup, ending the New York Yacht Club’s 132-year domination of the race. Australia II (KA 6) was an Australian 12-metre-class America’s Cup challenge racing yacht that was launched in 1982 and won the 1983 America’s Cup for the Royal Perth Yacht Club. Skippered by John Bertrand, she was the first successful Cup challenger, ending a 132-year tenure … Continue reading
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On 25 September 1998, there was an explosion at the Esso natural gas plant at Longford in Gippsland. Two workers were killed and eight injured. The Esso Longford gas explosion was a catastrophic industrial accident which occurred at the Esso natural gas plant at Longford in the Australian state of Victoria’s Gippsland region. On 25 September 1998, an explosion took place at the plant, killing two workers and injuring eight. Gas supplies to the … Continue reading
On 24 September 1903, Alfred Deakin became the second Prime Minister of Australia, following the resignation of Edmund Barton. He was Prime Minister three times from 24 September 1903 to 27 April 1904, 5 July 1905 to 13 November 1908, 2 June 1909 to 29 April 1910. He was one of two prime ministers who … Continue reading
On 23 September 1856, the town of Perth in Western Australia was proclaimed a city by letters patent from Queen Victoria. Perth was founded by Captain James Stirling in 1829 as the administrative centre of the Swan River Colony. It gained city status (currently vested in the smaller City of Perth) in 1856 and was promoted to the status … Continue reading
On 22 September 1918, the first direct radio message between London and Sydney was sent. “Send reinforcements, we are going to advance”. That through being “altered in transit” was relayed as “Send three and four pence, we are going to a dance”. Same principle as the parlour game Chinese Whispers. World War One? Apocryphal? Possibly. … Continue reading
On 21 September 2000, French athlete Marie-José Pérec fled the Olympic village without competing in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Pérec claimed that she had been threatened and insulted several times since arriving in Australia and that the Australian press, who were supporting Australian athlete Cathy Freeman, had been trying to sabotage her chances of … Continue reading
On 20 September 1999, Australian troops commanded by Peter Cosgrove arrived in East Timor as a part of INTERFET peackeeping operations. The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took place in East Timor from 1999–2000 until the … Continue reading
On 19 September 2003, construction of the Alice Springs to Darwin rail link was completed. This completed the link for the Ghan, a train trip connecting Adelaide to Darwin, nd the line was opened in January 2004. The Ghan is known for travelling through remarkable scenery on its transcontinental journey The Ghan is an Australian experiential tourism passenger train … Continue reading
On 18 September 1981, Australian motorcycle stuntman Dale Buggins died in Melbourne. He had built a national and international reputation by the age of 20. At 17, Buggins broke a world record previously held by American stuntman Evel Knievel when he jumped 25 cars with a Yamaha dirt bike, in 1978. Buggins was born in 1961 to parents Jan … Continue reading
On 17 September 1950, the first Australian forces landed in Korea, during the war. Australian casualties numbered more than 1,200, of whom 340 were killed. Only five years after the end of the Second World War, Australia became involved in the Korean War. Personnel from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), … Continue reading
On 16 September 1956, Australian television began. Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with radio stations 3DB and 3UZ, and 2UE in Sydney, using the Radiovision system by Gilbert Miles and Donald McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Brisbane in 1934. Mainstream television was launched on 16 September 1956 in Willoughby, New South Wales with Nine Network station TCN-9-Sydney. The new medium was introduced by advertising executive Bruce Gyngell with the … Continue reading
On 15 September 1870, work began on the Australian Overland Telegraph Line linking Port Augusta to Darwin. The Australian Overland Telegraph Line was a 3,200 km (2,000 mi) telegraph line that connected Darwin with Port Augusta in South Australia. Completed in 1872, the Overland Telegraph Line allowed fast communication between Australia and the rest of the world. An additional section was added in 1877 with the … Continue reading
On 14 September 1957, the British nuclear tests at Maralinga entered their second phase as Operation Antler began. These were the last British tests on mainland Australia. British nuclear tests at Maralinga were conducted between 1956 and 1963 at the Maralinga site, part of the Woomera Prohibited Area in South Australia about 800 kilometres (500 mi) north west of Adelaide. A total of seven nuclear … Continue reading
On 13 September 2001, Ansett airlines collapsed. The company was founded by Reginald “Reg” Ansett in 1935 as Ansett Airways Pty Ltd. This was an offshoot of his road transport business, which had become so successful it was threatening the freight and passenger revenue of Victorian Railways. This led the state government to legislate to put private road … Continue reading
On 12 September 1854, Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria Charles Hotham opened Flinders Street Station, the first city railway station in Australia. Flinders Street railway station is located on the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1854, the historic station serves the entire metropolitan rail network, as well as some country services to eastern Victoria. Backing … Continue reading
On 11 September 1914, Australian troops land in German New Guinea at Bita Paka (near Rabaul). On 21 September, all German forces in the colony surrendered. German New Guinea consisted of the northeastern part of the island of New Guinea and several nearby island groups and was the first part of the German colonial empire. The mainland part of … Continue reading
On 10 September 1996, Pauline Hanson made her first speech to the Australian House of Representatives. After securing a victory in the Queensland lower house seat of Oxley, Hanson shot to prominence in her first speech when she said: “I believe we are in danger of being swamped by Asians.” Pauline Hanson was elected to … Continue reading
On 9 September 1969, former Australian Democrats leader and senator Natasha Stott Despoja was born. Natasha Jessica Stott Despoja AO is an Australian politician, diplomat, advocate and author. She is the founding Chair of the Board of Our Watch, the national foundation to prevent violence against women and their children, and was previously the Australian Ambassador … Continue reading
On 8 September 2006, motor racing champion Peter Brock died in a race in Perth. He was often known as “Peter Perfect”, “The King of the Mountain”, or simply “Brocky”. Peter Geoffrey Brock AM was born on 26 February 1945 at the Epworth Hospital, Richmond, Victoria, the son of Geoff and Ruth Brock (née Laidlay). The family lived in … Continue reading
On 7 September 1996, National Threatened Species Day was observed for the first time. The date was chosen in memory of the last Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) in 1936. On 7 September each year, many people stop and reflect on the fact that on that same date in 1936, Australia’s Tasmanian tiger, also known as the … Continue reading
On 6 September 1990, the Royal Australian Navy commenced contributions to Operation Damask in the 1991 Gulf War. This was part of a larger international task force that was already underway. On 18 July 1990, following a build-up of diplomatic tension, the President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, charged that neighbouring Kuwait had been stealing Iraq’s … Continue reading
On 5 September 1994, politician John Newman was murdered outside his Cabramatta home. Newman’s death has been described by the media as Australia’s first political assassination. John Paul Newman was an Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1986 until his death. He was 47 when he was shot … Continue reading
On 4 September 2006, Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, died after being stung by a stingray off the coast of Port Douglas, Queensland. Stephen Robert Irwin was born on 22 February1962 in Essendon, Victoria, Australia. He was an Australian wildlife conservationist, television personality, and educator who achieved worldwide fame as the exuberant host of The Crocodile … Continue reading
On 3 September 1901. the Flag of Australia and Australian Red Ensign were adopted by the Government of Australia as official flags, following a national design competition. The flag was first flown from the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne. Australia′s first ′Federal′ flag was chosen from a national flag competition held in 1901. Initially started by … Continue reading
On 2 September 1984, seven people were shot dead in a shootout between rival bikie gangs the Bandidos and Comancheros in the Sydney suburb of Milperra. The Milperra Massacre, Milperra bikie shoot-out or Father’s Day Massacre was a firearm battle between rival motorcycle gang members on 2 September (Father’s Day in Australia) 1984, in Milperra, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. The … Continue reading
On 1 September 1951, the ANZUS Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States was signed in San Francisco. The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is a collective security non-binding agreement between Australia and New Zealand and, separately, Australia and the United States, to co-operate on military matters in the Pacific Ocean region, although today the treaty is taken to relate … Continue reading
On 31 August 1945, the Liberal Party of Australia was founded by Robert Menzies. The Liberal Party of Australia is a major centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Australia Party. The Liberal Party is the largest and dominant party … Continue reading
On 30 August 1992, the Sydney Harbour Tunnel officially opened. The Sydney Harbour Tunnel is a twin-tube road tunnel in Sydney, Australia. The tunnel was completed and opened to traffic to provide a second vehicular crossing of Sydney Harbour to alleviate congestion on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is one of two tunnels under the harbour, the other being a … Continue reading
On 29 August 2001, Graeme “Shirley” Strachan, lead singer of Australian 1970s rock group Skyhooks, was killed in a helicopter accident. Graeme Ronald Strachan was born in Malvern, Victoria on 2 January 1952 and grew up in Mount Waverley. He was the older brother of three sisters, the children of Ronald Strachan, a carpenter and former World War II … Continue reading
On 28 August 1933, the Brisbane newspaper, The Courier-Mail, first appeared. The Courier-Mail is a right leaning newspaper with four editorial endorsements for the Coalition to one for Labor in the period 1996–2007. The Courier-Mail generally supports free market economic policies and the process of globalisation. It supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The history of The Courier-Mail is through four mastheads. The Moreton Bay Courier later became The Courier, then … Continue reading
On 27 August 1908, Australian cricketer Sir Donald George Bradman was born in Cootamundra, NSW. Nicknamed “The Don”, the Australian international cricketer, is widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman’s career Test batting average of 99.94 has been cited as the greatest achievement by any sportsman in any major sport. The story that the young Bradman practised alone with … Continue reading
On 26 August 1768, Captain James Cook left Plymouth, England, on the ship Endeavour for his first voyage. This trip would eventually lead him to discover the east coast of Australia. James Cook’s first voyage circumnavigated the globe in the ship Endeavour, giving the botanists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander the opportunity to collect plants from … Continue reading
On 25 August 1824, with Governor Brisbane presiding, the Legislative Council (Australia’s first Legislative body) held its first meeting at the then NSW Government House. The first Act, a Currency Act, was passed by the Council on 28 September 1824. In 1823 the British Parliament passed an Act “for the better administration of Justice in … Continue reading
At dawn on 24 August 2001, a 20-metre wooden fishing boat, the Palapa 1, with 438 (369 men, 26 women and 43 children) mainly Hazara from Afghanistan, became stranded in international waters about 140 km north of Christmas Island. On 26 August, Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) Australia, which had been aware of the vessel’s distress, possibly through Coastwatch surveillance, requested all … Continue reading
On 23 August 1966, led by Vincent Lingiari, 200 Gurindji stockmen, domestic workers and their families initiated a seven-year strike at Wave Hill station in the Northern Territory. Negotiations with the station owners, the international food company Vestey Brothers, broke down, leading to a seven-year dispute. This eventually led to the return of a portion … Continue reading
On 22 August 1930, the two spans of the Sydney Harbour Bridge were joined, making the bridge self-supporting and allowing the cables to be removed. With the span complete, vertical hangers were attached to the arch and from these the bridge deck could be built. The deck was completed in June 1931. The road, rail, water, … Continue reading
On 21 August 1943, Enid Lyons and Dorothy Tangney were the first Australian women elected to the Australian House of Representatives and Senate respectively. In 1902 Australia became the first nation to introduce equal federal suffrage. The enactment of the Commonwealth Franchise Act in that year allowed women to both vote and stand for election. However, despite … Continue reading
On 20 August 2003, politicians Pauline Hanson and David Ettridge were sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of electoral fraud in Queensland. The charges were later overturned. Hanson and Ettridge were each sentenced to three years jail without parole under the Criminal Code (Qld). In handing down the sentences, District Court Chief Judge … Continue reading
On 19 August 1961, Four Corners, an Australian investigative journalism/current affairs documentary television program, premiered on ABC TV. It is the longest-running Australian television program in history. The program is one of only five in Australia inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame. Four Corners is based on the concept of British current affairs program Panorama. The program addresses a single … Continue reading
On 18 August 1986, Janine Haines become the leader of the Australian Democrats and Australia’s first female party leader. Janine Winton Carter was born on 8 May 1945 in Tanunda, South Australia. She was an Australian politician who was a Senator for South Australia from 1977 to 1978 and again from 1981 to 1990. She represented the Australian Democrats, and … Continue reading
On 17 August 1980 nine-week-old Azaria Chamberlain was taken by a dingo from a tent at Uluru. Her death led to one of Australia’s biggest legal and media events. It was not until 2012, at a fourth coronial inquest, that a certificate was finally issued stating her true cause of death. Northern Territory Coroner Elizabeth … Continue reading
On the night of 15 August 1998, Sergeant Gary Silk, 34 and Senior Constable Rodney Miller, 35 were seconded to Victoria Police Armed Robbery Squad operation named Operation Hamada investigating a series of armed robberies committed at at least ten restaurants over a seven-year period, starting on 20 February 1991. Silk and Miller, operating an … Continue reading
On 15 August 1969, Bernard Fanning was born. He would go on to become the lead singer of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger. Born and raised in Toowong, Brisbane, Fanning was taught the piano by his mother at an early age. At the age of 15, while attending St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace, he began writing music. Upon … Continue reading
On 14 August 1984, the racehorse Fine Cotton was the centre of a substitution scam at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane, Queensland. A horse called Bold Personality had run the race disguised to resemble Fine Cotton, to deceive bookmakers for millions. Wagers on sporting events have always attracted undesirables looking for a way to cheat and … Continue reading
On 13 August 1940, three members of the Australian Cabinet were killed, along with the Chief of the General Staff of the Australian Army, in the Canberra air disaster. The 10 people killed included distinguished World War I veterans. There were also four Royal Australian Air Force crew on board the Hudson Bomber. The three … Continue reading
On 12 August 1900, Frederick Lane won the men’s 200 metre freestyle at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. He was the first person to represent Australia in swimming. Frederick Claude Vivian Lane was born in Manly, New South Wales on 2 February 1880. He was four years old when his brother saved him from drowning … Continue reading
On 11 August 1989, Australia’s domestic pilot’s started working 9-5 in protest at stalled wage increase demands. This later developed into a full scale strike that crippled domestic air travel in Australia, and from which Australia has never completely recovered. The 1989 Australian pilots’ dispute was one of the most expensive and dramatic industrial disputes in Australia’s … Continue reading
On 10 August 1853, a Jubilee Festival was held in Hobart to mark the cessation of convict transportation to the colony. To avoid it being closed down, organisers told the government it was to celebrate 50 years of settlement in Tasmania. The Jubilee anthem rang out across Launceston’s Princes Square and the people sang: “Our land … Continue reading
On 9 August 1942, HMAS Canberra was sunk in the Battle of Savo Island, one of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Despite the loss of this battle, the allies went on to win the Battle for Guadalcanal. HMAS Canberra was one of two 10,000 ton County Class Heavy Cruisers ordered by the Australian Government as part … Continue reading
On 8 August 1895, the steamship SS Catterthun struck Seal Rock, New South Wales, and foundered, killing fifty-five people. The Catterthun disaster remains one of the worst shipping tragedies to have occurred on the New South Wales coast. The steamer left the Eastern and Australian Steamship Company’s wharf in Sydney during the afternoon of 7th August, 1895, … Continue reading
On 7 August 1975, David Hicks was born in Adelaide, South Australia. He would go on to become a prisoner of the United States Government at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. He attended Al Qaeda’s Al Farouq training camp in Afghanistan, and met with Osama Bin Laden during 2001. He was then detained by the United States in Guantanamo Bay detention camp from 2002 until 2007. Guantanamo Bay … Continue reading
Most Viewed Pages On This Blog (Last 48 hours)
Most Recent Posts From My Blog About China: China News
Chinese Arctic incursion spooks US lawmakers
China declares all cryptocurrency transactions illegal
China plans tax crackdown on richest entertainers, including online influencers
Xi Jinping’s effort to return to socialism
China is financing infrastructure projects around the world – many could harm nature and indigenous communities
China’s military has an Achilles’ heel: Low troop morale
Cadence Column: Asia, September 20, 2021
China adds powerful new ship to maritime patrol fleet
A lesson in political economy on investments in China
Are China’s climate promises just a load of hot air? (Yes!)
Most Recent Posts Post on My Blog About China: China News
Chinese Arctic incursion spooks US lawmakers
China is using the Arctic and seas only miles away from Alaska as a staging area to undermine U.S. national security, top lawmakers and experts say. Newly released images reveal a fleet of Chinese warships conducting operations in American waters off the coast of Alaska, prompting Coast Guard vessels to track and communicate with the […]
China declares all cryptocurrency transactions illegal
China intensified its crackdown on cryptocurrency on Friday, declaring all financial transactions involving cryptocurrencies illegal and issuing a nationwide ban on cryptocurrency mining, the power-hungry process in which vast computer networks compete for newly created crypto tokens. Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, dropped as much as 7 percent, to around $41,100, on the news, but […]
China plans tax crackdown on richest entertainers, including online influencers
China is set to conduct regular tax investigations into top entertainers including online influencers, promising serious punishment for offenders amid a deepening crackdown on the entertainment industry and lucrative culture of fandom. High-income celebrities who self-report offences by the end of the year, however, may receive reduced penalties or exemptions, the country’s taxation authorities said […]
Xi Jinping’s effort to return to socialism
For decades life in China had evolved around its home-grown version of let-it-rip capitalism. Despite being technically a “communist” country, the government had put its faith in trickle-down economics, believing that allowing some people to become extremely rich would benefit all of society by dragging it out of the disastrous quagmire of Chairman Mao’s Cultural […]
China is financing infrastructure projects around the world – many could harm nature and indigenous communities
China is shaping the future of economic development through its Belt and Road Initiative, an ambitious multi-billion-dollar international push to better connect itself to the rest of the world through trade and infrastructure. Through this venture, China is providing over 100 countries with funding they have long sought for roads, railways, power plants, ports and […]
China’s military has an Achilles’ heel: Low troop morale
The Chinese Communist Party has unintentionally revealed weaknesses of the country’s military. One indication came with the building of facilities for launching new intercontinental ballistic missiles in an inland desert region. The other was a series of further attempts to increase childbirths, including measures to help reduce the costly burden of educating children. Behind these […]
Cadence Column: Asia, September 20, 2021
China steps up expansion via Hong Kong elections. Seven editors are banned from Wikipedia on concerns of not acting in good faith and with relation to China. The US sails through the Taiwan Straight again, this time a destroyer. Taiwan wants more backup runways for fighter jets. Escalations only continue and no side shows any […]
China adds powerful new ship to maritime patrol fleet
China has added a new powerful ship to its fleet of maritime patrol vessels in the South China Sea, state media has reported. The 5,560-ton Hai Xun 03 was launched on Tuesday and will become the largest ocean patrol ship under the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration (MSA), the official China News Service reported, adding that […]
A lesson in political economy on investments in China
Paul Krugman, the eminent Nobel laureate in economics, recalls how companies are different from nations and their reasons. Business managers have different perspectives. It is economists – not managers – who place the question of foreign trade, the balance of payments and the exchange rate at the center of their reflections. Since 1989, China and […]
Are China’s climate promises just a load of hot air? (Yes!)
China is prepared to hold its cooperation on climate issues hostage to Western concessions elsewhere. Few cities in China represent the country’s addiction to coal more than Tianjin, where Alok Sharma travelled this week to talk about cooperation on climate issues. It sits on the coast of one of China’s most polluted regions, and its […]
