Comments for The Resident Judge of Port Phillip

Comment on The Resident Judge Wonders 12/11/09 by residentjudge

residentjudge — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:56:30 +0000

Is your guard armed? As much as anything, it’s the visual menace of the gun that I find uncomfortable, and I feel that way even seeing the police patrolling the streets with their guns clearly visible. I don’t like the normalization of the fact that, at any minute, that gun (or a gun handled by someone else) could shoot someone dead, just like that. I know that every minute is contingent, but I don’t need to be reminded of it. A good lurk for the inevitably private security company they’ll award the contract to- and sometimes you wonder about the quality of some of the security guards you see around the place.

Comment on The Resident Judge Wonders 12/11/09 by Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:02:37 +0000

The whole guard business troubles me. While we have a guard for our building at times, it is private property. Railway stations are public property and should be guarded by our police force. Clearly there is not enough of them.

Comment on ‘The Colony’ by Grace Karskens by Jayne

Jayne — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:38:15 +0000

I’ll pop that on the Xmas list for my son, sounds like he’d enjoy it immensely, thanks for reviewing it!

Comment on Magistrates in Port Phillip by Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:38 +0000

I am pleased it has evolved to now be a democratic process. Hasn’t it? Kind of. Interesting read.

Comment on ‘Journey from Venice’ by Ruth Cracknell by residentjudge

residentjudge — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:26:17 +0000

Oh! The remainder bin!!! Very faint praise indeed…

Comment on ‘The Colony’ by Grace Karskens by residentjudge

residentjudge — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:31:53 +0000

Van Diemen’s Land is excellent, although he does have a rather curious, very lengthy appendix attached to the body of the work that examines black/white settler relations- much as Karskens has done here without actually calling it an appendix. It’s almost as if he doesn’t know how to integrate it, and it stands as almost a separate work in its own right. I read it while I was over in Tasmania and it changed my vision of what I was looking at. I hadn’t heard of him at all (I wonder if anyone had) until he wrote a brilliant response to Keith Windschuttle that I think was published in ‘Whitewash’ edited by Robert Manne.
I too have Colonial Ambition and am ashamed to say that I haven’t read it yet- and I really SHOULD with capital letters and will need to before I move onto the Judge Willis as Political Actor chapter of my thesis. I enjoyed Peter’s earlier work on Simpson and his Donkey. I haven’t read Ochre and Rust.

Comment on ‘The Colony’ by Grace Karskens by Lisa Hill

Lisa Hill — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:34:49 +0000

One to add to the library, by the sound of it. I’ve read Dancing With Strangers, and have (as yet unread) Van Dieman’s Land, Ochre and Rust and Colonial Ambition too – all bought as prize winners of some premier’s award somewhere. As an historian, what do you think of these three, Janine?
(I also have 1788 by David Hill and Keneally’s Australians, Origins to Eureka, but these are not written by historians.)

Comment on ‘Journey from Venice’ by Ruth Cracknell by Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:29:05 +0000

I hesitate to make a comment in the face of such learned praise. I found it in a remainder bin somewhere. I loved listening to Ruth talk and her perfomances, but I found the book to be not an entire waste of my time. Damned by faint praise if you like.

Comment on ‘Journey from Venice’ by Ruth Cracknell by Jayne

Jayne — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:28:06 +0000

I loved it when I read it a few years ago; that journey they began in Venice is a love story rediscovered for them both.

Comment on ‘The World Beneath’ by Cate Kennedy by Jayne

Jayne — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:45:45 +0000

Sounds good, I’ll keep an eye out (or request it) at my local library.