The scale of the human tragedy there, especially with so many children killed, was almost beyond belief. – ABC’s Papua New Guinea correspondent Sean Dorney   In the years before the Boxing Day Tsunami wrought havoc across the Indian ocean, and Fukushima was demolished by enormous waves, Australia was alerted to these dangers by a disaster closer to home. (more…)

  This is not a quick fix program. There are no expensive gym memberships or equipment. You don’t need to find your “inner self” or walk on burning coals. – Dr Bryce Fleming (B.Chiro.SC M.Chiro) (more…)

  However modern we might feel, corruption is a pre-existing and ongoing fact of Sydney life. Certainly this is the implication of Lesley Muir’s marvellous book. – Elizabeth Farrelly (more…)

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ERNEST SCOTT HISTORY PRIZE Over a century before the Mabo case recognised Native Title and rejected the doctrine of Terra Nullius, Aboriginal land rights were briefly acknowledged in two Australian colonies. Paved with Good Intentions, reveals the many strong declarations in favour of Aboriginal land rights in early Colonial times, and shows how this language was twisted…

A History of the Manning Valley This area lies about 300km north of Sydney, where the earliest European settlers first arrived in the late 1820s. The Manning River runs through this rugged, isolated terrain, and this was to become the region's main highway throughout the 19th Century. It is a valley with a rich history, a hidden gem with a…

LIFE’S A RISK. BUT HOW TO CALCULATE IT? What are the risks we incur in life?  How much is attributed to lifestyle? How much is pure chance?  Is there anything we can do to minimise risk? Risk analyst Robert Phillips may have the answers. (more…)

Centennial Park is a priceless haven in our city, a carefully tended patch of 'wilderness'. As we enjoy its many pleasures, we should appreciated how hard-won they are. And we should never take them for granted. —Susan Wyndham, Literary Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald. (more…)

John Stokes is a poet of light and water and the sound of women’s cries. He has a thing for the Australian landscape. —Kate Llewellyn (more…)