TIMELINE

An easy, "all-in-one" summary of the bit of Australian history we have covered so far. Links will take you to relevant blog entries.

Feb 2009 - "Black Saturday" - the worst bushfire in Oz history

2008 - Kevin Rudd apologises

2000 - Sydney Olympic Games

1992 - Native Title Act (Aboriginal Australians reclaim their sacred lands)

1970s-80s - boom of independent cinema ("Ocker" films)

1976/78 - battle between two iconic cars: Ford XB Falcon vs. Holden Commodore

1974 - Cyclone "Tracy" destroys Darwin and claims many lives

1973 - Sydney Opera House

1967 - referendum grants Aboriginal Australians electoral representation

1966 - The Battle of Long Tan (most significant battle ANZAC were involved in Vietnam)

1950s - Cultivated pearls industry starts in Broome

1948 - The Shool of the Air broadcasts first lesson

1942 - Darwin bombings (WWII) - the largest military attack against Australia ever

1936 - last Tasmanian Tiger dies in Hobart Zoo

1929 - 1933 - Great Depression

1928 - beginning of Royal Flying Doctor Service

1915 - The Battle of Gallipoli (WWI) - the birth of ANZAC identity and "Aussie voice"

1869 - 1969 - "Stolen Generations"

1913 - construction of Canberra commenced, it becomes actual capital city of Australia

1907 - Bondi Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club becomest world's first surf lifesaving service

1901 - 1907 - No 1 Rabbit Proof Fence finished to protect WA pastures against rabits

1st January 1901 - FEDERATION: The Commonwealth of Australia is founded

1880 - Ned Kelly executed at Melbourne Gaol

1879 - Royal National Park founded (world's second oldest national park, after Yellowstone)

1859 - 10 Rules of Australian Footbal (AFL) first written down

1854 - Eureka Stockade (Australia's only revolution)

1851 - Gold Rush in New South Wales

1840 - Edmund Strzelecki explores Snowy Mountains and names Mount Kosciszko

1814 - Matthew Flinders first introduces the name of the continent - Australia

1793 - first free settlers arrive

1788 - 1850 - total of 162,000 convicts were transported to Australia on 806 ships

1788 - First Fleet arrives at Bottany Bay and establishes first settlement in Port Jackson

1770 - James Cook lands at Bottany Bay and claims the "new land" for the British Crown

17th century - European exploration

1606 - Dutch merchant Willem Jans lands at Cape York

1300 - explorer Marco Polo describes "Southern Land"

Time of Creation - Dream Time: Aboriginal ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings form the land

60,000 - 40,000 BC - Aboriginal tribes colonise the continent of Australia

Thursday class

Hi all,

I've been getting messages that most of you will not be present in the class tomorrow. Since there is no real point in me giving a class to a handful of people (and I'd still have to catch up on all that with others), let's just do the class "virtually".

So:

1. You don't have to come to the classes tomorrow.
2. But please study the materials I will post later today, and I mean STUDY them - watch all clips and read linked articles.

Deal?

So, there we go:




1. Sport

"Australian sport deserves quality piss taking or none at all."

Australians are a nation of active people and they like to joke that they spend more on excercising than on education, but it doesn't mean that they are going to worship their sportsmen and sportswomen blindly. They always retain a healthy dose of irony and humour.

Asked about cricket, they would say something like that:

Cricket is a game that moves about as fast as a Jamaican on valium. It involves watching 11 men in white clothes stand around a field for a few hours, then break to have lunch, stand around, then break again to have a cup of tea, stand around, then go home. The same thing occurs for another 4 days, and then after all that effort, both teams call the whole thing a draw...

Remember, "Australian sport deserves quality piss taking or none at all." So true ;-)


Australians pride themselves on inventing football. That's correct. Football. (see the link under science). However "footy" may mean different games in different states. More on that here.

AFL



2. Talking about sport, we can't possibly forget about Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.















But the main point is to be able to have fun.

Have a listen to this commentary. Pay attention to how Polish audience react to Aussie scoring goals, and how the commentators react to the goal scored by Poland. A bit eye-opening, eh?




3. Science and the inventive Australian mind.

Have a look at the long list of Aussie inventions.

Here is the history of one of them:



4. Subcultures

This is a trailer of a film that not only started off the great career of Russell Crowe but at that time was a very important voice in the discussion about Australian youth.




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Tomorrow the mysterious letter "T"

Yes, I know we're skipping "S" for the time being, don't worry, we'll go back to it later.

What you'll need tomorrow is just general knowledge and ability to make associations. That's also your chance to score a lot of points for your team.

Good luck and see you in the class :)

The Letter "R"

Tomorrow we'll be focusing on the following topics:

1. Radio

We have already seen what the wireless was like at the beginning of 20th century, with its aspiration to become the "new BBC". Follow the link above to learn more.








I'm not that much interested in names, dates and details. Instead concentrate on the impact that radio has had on the community in a country where many citizens live in very remote areas.

2. Religion

3. The Rabbit Proof Fence (the history of introducing new species: sheep and rabbits)

4. rocks and mountains

5. rivers (Murray-Darling)


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Call to arms!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we need to get most things done for the Open Day.

When you finish your classes please come upstairs to our four classrooms - I'll be there from 1:15 pm.

Just a quick reminder who is doing what:

NATIONAL PARKS (210)
Paulina Majka
Kasia Smajdor
+ me

DEADLY ANIMALS (207)
Gosia Zwolennik
Ania Owsianka
Ania Kowalik
Kasia Adamek
Gabi Wójs

AUSSIE RULES (211)
Alicja Strączek
Agnieszka Joniec
Marta Citak
Adam Motyka
Mirek Zaręba
Grześ Szwala

ABORIGINAL ART (209)
Kinga Bołoz
Agnieszka Damasiewicz
Sylwia Grzegorzek
Justyna Schabińska
Asia Gragas

POSTERS
Karolina Starostka
Ania Gardoń

FOOD CORNER
Diana Lisowicz


I'm sure I've omitted somebody, so please add your name in the comments section. Thank you :)

If you want to start earlier (but on the sole condition that your teacher agrees ;) ) our materials are in rooms 004 and 107.

If you need me for anything, I'll be in 107 (8:00 - 9:30), 209 (9:30 - 11:00) and 210 (11:30 - 13:00)

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OPEN DAYS - SOME LINKS

1) What it was like in the past:

"Australian corner" photos here (taken by me)
Lots of photos here (taken by Ms Bogacz)

2) DOT PAINTING:

Aboriginal symbols - 1
Aboriginal symbols - 2 (lots of galleries - left hand side menu)
Aboriginal symbols - 3 + a bit of history
Aboriginal symbols - 4
Aboriginal symbols - 5 (animal traces and fruit/vegetables)

3) AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL

AFL rules nowadays - from Wikipedia
MCG (the "G") - a programme about the Melbourne Cricket Grounds and Aussie Rules history

4) Dangerous Animals - less typical ;)



will be continued ;)

Man dies after knock during football game...

This sometimes happens... :(

A POPULAR West Australian amateur footballer has died in hospital after collapsing during a match.

Josh Henderson, aged in his early 20s, was playing a C-grade Australian Rules match for Mosman Park Football Club in their first game of the year today when he was knocked as he went for the ball during the second quarter.

"It was in the course of the game, a bump, going for the ball, nothing untoward and he died of a heart attack at the hospital about an hour later," club president Ian Earl said.

"It wasn't even a big bump to speak of. They went for the ball, he stood up, and took two steps and went down."
Mr Earl said the club was devastated by the news.

"Everybody's mortified," he said.

Mr Henderson had been a popular member of the club, where he had been playing for four years, and was among the top five players.

"Without any shadow of a doubt, he would be the fittest, strongest, biggest bloke in our club and he was playing reserves because he had been injured and he was only playing reserves because that's the sort of bloke he was," Mr Earl said.

"He was a big strong young man, very popular young man.

"He was just everybody's friend, a complete guy, a wonderful character, one of the most popular guys in the club."

Deaths during Australian Rules matches are not common, but nor are they rare, with three deaths reported last year.

Last September, Melbourne man Shaun Bergin died after being knocked unconscious in a suburban Melbourne match 16 days earlier.

The 26-year-old had been in a coma after hitting his head on the ground following a mid-air collision while playing for Balwyn in an Eastern Football League semi-final.

His death came three weeks after another Victorian teenager, Nathan Prince, died following a match in Ballarat.

The 17-year-old went into cardiac arrest after receiving a knock to his body during a game on August 20.

He died in hospital on August 31, with an existing but previously undetected medical condition believed to have contributed to his death.

Another young man, Kyle Thomas, 25, died of head injuries after colliding with another player during a match in Perth last September.

He was placed on life support in hospital but died the following day.

Police said at the time that Mr Thomas had a pre-existing medical condition and had been warned about the dangers of continuing to play.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/football-match-knock-kills-young-wa-man/story-e6frfkxi-1226326591068#ixzz1s1I5oD7A