12 March 2020
by Mary Sheehan
Comments Off on Were these the good old days?

Were these the good old days?

Watching the rapid spread of the Coronavirus today seems like a re-enactment of events a century ago. But then too, many things were very different in 1919 when the ‘Spanish’ influenza virus arrived in Australia. The nation was recovering from … Continue reading →

30 August 2017
by Mary Sheehan
Comments Off on Celebrating nationhood

Celebrating nationhood

Friday 1 September is Wattle Day. Celebrated for more than a century on this date, Wattle Day has encouraged generations to identify with the unique aspects of Australia that sets the nation apart from other nations, especially the Mother Country. The … Continue reading →

25 May 2017
by Mary Sheehan
1 Comment

Spanish flu in Melbourne

Have you ever developed a sense of friendship for someone who doesn’t know you; say, a television or sports star? You feel you really know them, but they’ve never heard of you. You might pass them on a busy street or at a crowded airport, and … Continue reading →

15 August 2016
by Mary Sheehan
Comments Off on Cambridge Summer School

Cambridge Summer School

Two weeks have flown. Trite as it may sound, it seems only yesterday that I walked along the tree-lined avenue to Clare College, and stopped on the bridge to watch a family of ducks glide by on the River Cam … Continue reading →