Craig Hill
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On this day (Australia): In 1974, Cyclone Tracy devastated the city of Darwin, killing 71 people
On 24 December 1974, Cyclone Tracy devastated the city of Darwin. The official death toll was 71. Cyclone Tracy, which mostly hit Darwin in the small hours of Christmas Day 1974, killed 71 people and devastated 80 per cent of the city. In the days and weeks following the disaster, most of the traumatised population … Continue reading
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On 16 December 1948, HMAS Sydney, the first aircraft carrier of the Royal Australian Navy, was commissioned. HMAS Sydney (R17/A214/P214/L134) was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). She was built for the Royal Navy and was launched as HMS Terrible (93) in 1944, but was not completed before the end of World War II. The carrier was sold to Australia in 1947, completed, … Continue reading
On 15 December 1900, upon his arrival in Australia, the first Governor-General, Lord Hopetoun, committed the so-called Hopetoun Blunder. The Hopetoun Blunder was a political event immediately prior to the Federation of the British colonies in Australia. Federation was scheduled to occur on 1 January 1901, but since the general election for the first Parliament of Australia was not to be … Continue reading
On 14 December 1918, the first Victorian Farmers Union member was elected to parliament as a result of the introduction of preferential voting. It was later to become the National Party. The Victorian Farmers’ Union (VFU) was an association of farmers and primary producers formed in 1914 in the Australian state of Victoria. Although initially formed as an … Continue reading
On 13 December 2005, Bradley John Murdoch was convicted of murdering Peter Falconio in the Australian outback whilst travelling with girlfriend Joanne Lees. Bradley John Murdoch is an Australian criminal serving life imprisonment for the July 2001 murder of English backpacker Peter Falconio in Australia. He will be 74 when eligible for parole in 2032. Murdoch is being held in Darwin Correctional Centre … Continue reading
On 12 December 1815, Captain James Kelly set out on circumnavigation of Tasmania, during which important observations were made on the resources of the west coast. James Kelly, Australian mariner, explorer and port official, was born on 24 December 1791 at Parramatta, New South Wales. He was probably the son of James Kelly, a cook in … Continue reading
On 11 December 2005, the Cronulla riots took place. The 2005 Cronulla riots were a race riot in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It began in the beachside suburb of Cronulla on 11 December, and spread over to additional suburbs the next few nights. The riots were triggered by an event the previous Sunday, when an altercation turned physical between a group of youths … Continue reading
On 10 December 1817, bushranger Michael Howe ws caught, but escaped after killing his captors. Michael Howe was a British convict who became a notorious bushranger and gang leader in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania), Australia. Howe was born in 1787 at Pontefract, Yorkshire, England, son of Thomas Howe and his wife Elizabeth. He served two years on a merchant vessel at Hull before deserting to join the navy as … Continue reading
On 9 December 1906, Pastor “Doug” Nicholls, of the Yorta Yorta people, and Governor of South Australia, was born. Sir Douglas Ralph Nicholls, KCVO, OBE was a prominent Aboriginal Australian from the Yorta Yorta people. He was a professional athlete, Churches of Christ pastor and church planter, ceremonial officer and a pioneering campaigner for reconciliation. Nicholls was the first Aboriginal Australian to be knighted when … Continue reading
On 8 December 1988, Mabo v Queensland (1988) in the High Court of Australia found that the Queensland Coast Islands Declaratory Act, which attempted to retrospectively abolish native title rights, was not valid. Mabo v Queensland (No 1), was a significant court case decided in the High Court of Australia on 8 December 1988. It found that the Queensland Coast Islands … Continue reading
In 1838, Thomas Bent was born in Penrith, New South Wales. Sir Thomas Bent KCMG was an Australian politician and the 22nd Premier of Victoria. Bent was born in Penrith, New South Wales the eldest of four sons and two daughters of James Bent, a hotel-keeper. He came to Melbourne with his parents in 1849. He went to school in the Melbourne suburb … Continue reading
O 6 December 1956, the Blood in the Water water polo match between Hungary and the USSR was played at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The “Blood in the Water” match (Hungarian: melbourne-i vérfürdő lit. Blood bath of Melbourne; Russian: Кровь в бассейне, romanized: Krov’ v basseyne, lit. ‘Blood in the swimming pool’) was a water polo match between Hungary and the USSR at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The match took place on … Continue reading
On 5 December 195, construction of Stage I of the Sydney Opera House began. The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the banks of the Sydney Harbour, it is often regarded as one of the world’s most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th century architecture. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, but … Continue reading
On 4 December 1976, the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of Grumman Tracker aircraft was destroyed by arson at Nowra, New South Wales. On that day, a hanger, home to 12 Grumman Tracker aircraft was intentionally set on fire, destroying all but three aircraft. Six were totally destroyed, three were damaged beyond repair. Two were capable … Continue reading
On 3 December 1854, the Eureka Stockade took place. It was a rebellion of goldminers near Ballarat. On 30 November 1854 miners from the Victorian town of Ballarat, disgruntled with the way the colonial government had been administering the goldfields, swore allegiance to the Southern Cross flag at Bakery Hill and built a stockade at … Continue reading
On 2 December 1972, Gough Whitlam became Prime Minister, leading the first Labor government in 23 years. The new government proved to be resolutely reformist and enacted an unprecedented amount of legislation that would do much to create a new Australian identity for the next decades. The Whitlam government, however, was short-lived, being controversially dismissed … Continue reading
On 1 December 1982, the Commonwealth introduced the Freedom of Information Act. The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI) is Australian Commonwealth Freedom of Information legislation which gives members of the public rights of access to official documents of the Government of the Commonwealth and of its agencies. Members of the public have certain rights of access. These include the … Continue reading
On 30 November 1878, Advance Australia Fair was first sung publicly at the Highland Society of NSW’s annual Scottish concert in the Protestant Hall, Sydney. “Advance Australia Fair” is the national anthem of Australia. Written by Scottish-born composer Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, sung in Australia as a patriotic song. It first replaced “God Save … Continue reading
On 29 November 1988, the four acts granting the Australian Capital Territory self-government were given royal assent. Indigenous Australian peoples have long inhabited the area in what is now the ACT. Evidence indicates habitation dating back at least 25,000 years. It is possible that the area was inhabited for considerably longer, with evidence of an Aboriginal presence … Continue reading
On 28 November 1903, the Petriana spilled 1,300 tonnes of crude oil in Port Phillip Bay. It was Australia’s first recorded major oil spill. SS Petriana was an iron screw steamer built in 1879 that was converted into an oil tanker. On 28 November 1903, while transporting 1,300 tonnes of petroleum from Borneo to Australia, it struck a reef near Point Nepean, Victoria, outside of Port Phillip … Continue reading
On 27 November 1979, the first day-night ODI cricket international was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World Cup, … Continue reading
On 26 November 1987, the National Party deposed Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen as party leader, but he refused to resign as Premier of Queensland. He was not present at the caucus meeting. Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen KCMG was an Australian conservative politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during which time … Continue reading
On 25 November 1910, the Royal Australian Navy was officially established by the Naval Defence Act. The Commonwealth Naval Forces were originally established on 1 March 1901, with the amalgamation of the six separate colonial naval forces, following the Federation of Australia. The Royal Australian Navy initially consisted of the former New South Wales, Victorian, Queensland, Western … Continue reading
On 24 November 1934, the ANZAC War Memorial in Sydney was opened. The Anzac Memorial is a heritage-listed war memorial, museum and monument located in Hyde Park South near Liverpool Street in the CBD of Sydney, Australia. It is also known as Anzac War Memorial, War Memorial Hyde Park and Hyde Park Memorial. The Art Deco monument was designed by C. Bruce Dellit, with the exterior adorned with monumental figural reliefs … Continue reading
On 23 November 1932, the statue of The Dog on the Tuckerbox was unveiled at Gundagai, New South Wales by Prime Minister Joseph Lyons. The Dog on the Tuckerbox is an Australian historical monument and tourist attraction, located at Snake Gully, approximately five miles (eight kilometres) from Gundagai, New South Wales as described in the song of the same name. The inspiration … Continue reading
On 22 November 1956, the Summer Olympics opened at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, in Melbourne, Victoria. They were the first Olympic Games held in Australia. Melbourne was selected as the host city over bids from Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Montreal, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and San Francisco at the 43rd IOC Session in Rome, Italy on … Continue reading
On 21 November 1789, James Ruse became the first convict to receive a land grant. James Ruse, pioneer and smallholder, was born on 9 August 1759 at Launceston, Cornwall, England. At the Cornwall Assizes in 1782 he was convicted of burglarious breaking and entering; his capital sentence was changed to transportation to Africa for seven … Continue reading
On 20 November 2002, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said that Australia would begin withdrawing its 150 commandos from Afghanistan later that month. The Australian contribution to the war in Afghanistan has been known as Operation Slipper (2001–2014) and Operation Highroad (2015-2021). Australian Defence Force (ADF) operations and the size of the forces deployed have varied and ADF involvement has included two major … Continue reading
On 19 November 1941, the cruiser HMAS Sydney was involved in a mutually destructive battle with the German ship Kormoran off Western Australia. All 645 aboard Sydney died. The battle between the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran (“cormorant’) was a single-ship action that occurred on 19 November 1941, off the coast of Western Australia. Sydney, with Captain Joseph … Continue reading
On 18 November 1941. Operation Crusader, the third, and ultimately successful attempt to relieve the Siege of Tobruk, began. Operation Crusader was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (with Australian, Comonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) against the Axis forces (German and Italian) in North Africa commanded by Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel. The operation ran … Continue reading
On 17 November 1954, Melbourne underworld criminal figure, writer, and actor Chopper Read was born. Mark Brandon “Chopper” Read was an Australian convicted criminal, gang member and author. Read wrote a series of semi-autobiographical fictional crime novels and children’s books. The 2000 film Chopper is based on his life. Read was born on 17 November 1954 to a … Continue reading
On 16 November 1952, Lang Hancock discovered iron ore deposits in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Langley Frederick George “Lang” Hancock was an Australian iron ore magnate from Western Australia who maintained a high profile in the spheres of business and politics. Famous initially for discovering the world’s largest iron ore deposit in 1952 and becoming one of the … Continue reading
On 15 November 1972, the first aircraft hijacking in Australia happened on Ansett Airlines flight 232 from Adelaide to Alice Springs. Ansett Australia Flight 232 was a trip from Adelaide, South Australia aboard a Fokker Friendship bound for Alice Springs, Northern Territory. It was Australia’s first aircraft hijacking (after an attempted hijacking in 1960), and resulted in the perpetrator’s death by suicide. … Continue reading
On 14 November 2005, bomb threats were made to the Brisbane public transport system. As a result, Brisbane’s CBD was evacuated and public transport systems throughout Brisbane were shut down. On the 14th, three calls were made to police warning of bombs on buses and trains in Brisbane. All bus and train services in the … Continue reading
On 13 November 1934, singer and recording artist Kamahl was born in Malaysia. Kandiah Kamalesvaran CM, AM, better known by his stage name Kamahl, is a Malaysian-born Australian singer and recording artist. His highest charting Australian single, “Sounds of Goodbye” (1969), reached the top 20 on the Kent Music Report singles chart. Another single, “The Elephant Song” (1975), peaked at number one … Continue reading
On 12 November 1919, Keith and Ross Macpherson Smith set out to fly a Vickers Vimy, G-EAOU, from England to Australia, the first flight between these two places. They arrived in Darwin on December 18. In early 1919, the Commonwealth Government of Australia offered a prize of £A10,000 for the first flight from Great Britain … Continue reading
On 11 November 1975, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr during the Australian constitutional crisis and Malcolm Fraser was appointed the twenty-second Prime Minister of Australia. The 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, also known simply as the Dismissal, culminated on 11 November 1975 with the dismissal from office of the Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam of the Australian … Continue reading
On 10 Nevember 1960, Don Chipp entered federal politics in a by-election as the Liberal member for Higinbotham. He would go on to be one of the most recognisable figures in Australian political history. Donald Leslie Chipp, AO was born on 21 August 1925 in Melbourne. He was an Australian politician who was the inaugural leader of … Continue reading
On 9 November 1942, serial killer Edward Leonski was hanged at Pentridge Prison in Melbourne. Edward Joseph Leonski was an American soldier and serial killer responsible for the strangling murders of three women in Melbourne, Australia. Leonski was known as The Brownout Strangler, given Melbourne’s wartime status of keeping low lighting (not as stringent as a wartime blackout). His self-confessed motive for the … Continue reading
On 8 November 1907, the Harvester Judgment was delivered by H. B. Higgins, giving rise to the legal requirement for a basic wage which dominated Australian economic life for the next 60 to 80 years. Ex parte H.V. McKay, commonly referred to as the Harvester case, is a landmark Australian labour law decision of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and … Continue reading
On 7 November 1940, Bass Strait was closed to shipping following the sinking of British steamer Cambridge by a mine. On 15 June 1940 a Nazi raider named the Pinguin embarked on a mission to capture and destroy as many allied merchant ships as possible. Between June 1940 and May 1941 the Pinguin’s Captain Kruder … Continue reading
On 6 November 1999, Australians voted to keep the British monarch as their head of state in the Australian republic referendum. The Australian republic referendum was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. The first question asked whether Australia should become a republic with a President appointed by Parliament following a bi-partisan appointment model which had been approved by a half-elected, half-appointed Constitutional Convention held in … Continue reading
On 5 November 1950, 3RAR successfully assaulted and held crucial hill during the Battle of Pakchon in the Korean War. The Battle of Pakchon, also known as the Battle of Bochuan, took place ten days after the start of the Chinese First Phase Offensive, following the entry of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) into the Korean War. The offensive reversed … Continue reading
On 4 November 1930, Phar Lap won the Melbourne Cup for the first time. Phar Lap is a legend of Australian sporting history. His sensational rise from humble beginnings captured the public’s imagination during the difficult years of the 1930s Great Depression. Phar Lap won 37 races from 51 starts, including the 1930 Melbourne Cup. His … Continue reading
On 3 November 1995, after a six month trial, David Harold Eastman was convicted by a jury of the assassination of AFP Assistant Commissioner Colin Winchester. On 10 January 1989, at about 9:15 pm, Colin Winchester was shot twice in the head with a Ruger 10/22 .22-calibre semi-automatic rifle fitted with a silencer. Winchester was murdered as he parked his police … Continue reading
On 2 November 1922, QANTAS bagan its first scheduled flights, between Charleville, Queensland and Cloncurry, Queensland. Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia and its largest airline by fleet size, international flights and international destinations. It is the world’s third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded in November 1920; it began international passenger flights in May 1935. Qantas is … Continue reading
On 1 November 1945, Australia became a founding member of the United Nations. Australia played an important role in the establishment of the United Nations. The countries involved hoped that the UN’s formation would prevent a repeat of the Second World War, the horrors of which were still very fresh in their minds. ‘Doc’ Evatt, … Continue reading
On 31 October 1851, the New South Wales Legislative Council voted unanimously against transportation “in any form whatsoever, to any part of Her Majesty’s Australian possessions”. The anti-transportation movement was one of the first and strongest political movements that bound the people of Sydney. Henry (later Sir Henry) Parkes cut his political teeth in the anti-transportation … Continue reading
On 30 October 1988, Expo ’88 drew to a close after running for six months. Australia was approaching its bicentennial celebrations, and after Brisbane’s success hosting the 1982 Commonwealth Games, Brisbane City Council and the Queensland State Government were confident they could win the bid to hold the next World Exhibition. Brisbane won the right to … Continue reading
On 29 October 1914, the War Precautions Act, which gave the Government of Australia special powers for the duration of World War I and for six months afterwards, was passed by the Parliament of Australia. It was held by the High Court of Australia in Farey v Burvett that during wartime, the scope of the federal Government’s power under Section … Continue reading
On 28 October 1834, the Battle of Pinjarra took place in the Swan River Colony in present-day Pinjarra, Western Australia. Between 14–40 Aborigines were killed by British colonists. The Pinjarra massacre, also known as the Battle of Pinjarra, occurred on 28 October 1834 at Pinjarra, Western Australia when a group of Binjareb Noongar people were attacked by a detachment of 25 … Continue reading
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India’s offensive against China should be in the grey zone
Grey zone is not a fixed concept but a hypothetical place between peace and war. While I was writing this article, a never heard of development was taking place in the Indian state of Punjab. The Indian Prime Minister was stuck on a bridge for 20 minutes since the highway was blocked by the protesters. […]
Cadence Column: Asia, January 10, 2022
Lithuania has become the “Taiwan of Europe”. Since WWII, Americans never again struggled with the concept that a problem abroad is a problem at home. This is how we Americans can vote to interfere around the world that we know so little about. We think every squeal from another continent indicates a personal assault on […]
Is China ready to host the Winter Olympics?
Chinese officials have promised that the 2022 Winter Olympics — to be held Feb. 4 to 20 and followed by the Paralympics March 4-13 — will be a “safe, streamlined and splendid” global event. But that won’t be easy. With less than four weeks to go, China is struggling to enforce its strict zero-covid policy […]
Crystal Gazing 2022: India and The World
If we thought 2019 and 2020 presented uncertainties then 2022 is here to surprise all of us. It could be remembered as one of the most complex, unpredictable, and potentially dangerous years in the recent past. COVID-19, oil crossing $100/barrel, Iran-US nuclear talks, Iran-Israel tension, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, cryptocurrency, and militarization of outer […]
Japan looks west to guard against a rising China
Japan signed on Thursday a new security treaty with Australia, a fellow middle power that is similarly aligning against an increasingly assertive China. The blandly-branded Reciprocal Access Agreement, which was signed virtually by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, marks the conclusion of a process that started in 2014, when […]
Cadence Column: Asia, January 3, 2022
Taiwan is on the rise. With chip shortages, stock is booming. You know how graphics cards are astronomically high? A lot of that money is going into Taiwan. Meanwhile, China found an excuse to order a real estate developer to demolish 39 freshly, new-built “luxury apartments”—something about the building permit being illegal and violated zoning. […]
Cadence Column: Asia, December 27, 2021
Japan is on the scene in the Pacific. While Japanese athletes will attend the Olympics, Japanese officials will not. China doesn’t want Japan to “politicize” the games. But, consider 2008, the one-hour opening ceremony about nothing but China’s history, with President Xi marching in to a one-world dream at the end. For Beijing, hosting the […]
Cadence Column: Asia, December 20, 2021
The US is hitting China hard over treatment of Uyghurs. Nearly all imports from Xinjiang will be banned. At the same time, the US bolsters the call to bolster Taiwan’s military defense. However, Taiwan has the seeds of the same tyranny; it just doesn’t materialize into anything alarming because Taiwan remains small. The most obvious […]
When India goes to war with China
It is an open secret that China challenges everything India sets its eyes on, be it cooperation with Quad partners (the United States, Australia, Japan), international organizations like United Nations, WHO, or designating a terrorist organization. India, a Quad member and a close ally of the United States, has become the biggest eyesore for China. […]
How US may get dragged into maritime clash with China
As China-US tensions ratchet up, the unthinkable – a military clash – becomes ever more likely. While neither likely wants a military confrontation, a perfect storm of circumstances could turn a relatively minor incident into a wider clash. While China’s intimidation of Taiwan has captured the most attention as a potential flashpoint, Beijing’s aggressive actions […]
Craig Hill 