Bobbie Oliver – författare

When the Government Railway Workshops at Midland closed on 4 March 1994, Western Australia lost a major trainer and employer of skilled tradespeople and much of its heavy industry.  Former workers feared that their history of industrial achievements on the factory floor and through union action would also be lost. Despite expending considerable resources and promising to honour a “proud history” and create an “exciting future”, the development authorities have done little to redevelop the site. A Natural Battleground is the story of the fight to save the buildings from demolition and dedicate space in them for a rail heritage centre to preserve the Workshops’ history.  The first aim was achieved, the second is merely a hope. As the author says, “Somewhere in these buildings, decency dictates, there must be space to tell the whole story of what happened here, including what happened to those workers whose lives were irrevocably changed by their closure.” Whether you are interested in the history of trade unions,  heritage or railways this book will engage and inspire you.

Radical Perth, Militant Fremantle tells 34 fascinating stories of radical moments In the cities’ past, from  as long ago as the 1890s and as recent as Occupy: the revolutionary  theatre of the Workers Art Guild;  the riot of unemployed workers outside the Treasury building; rock concerts inside St Georges Cathedral; bodgies and widgies cutting up the dance floor at the Scarborough Beach Snake Pit; the Point Peron women’s peace camp, and many more.

This revised 2nd edition bring four new tales: student radicalism at Curtin University (then WAIT),  Perth’s very-own Green Bans; Perth solidarity with the famous strike of Aboriginal pastoral workers; and the unknown tale of striking Chinese seamen on the Fremantle waterfront, who faced brutal repression, but won support from Fremantle unionists.

This engaging, inspiring book charts Perth and Fremantle’s radical past, uncovering the obscure and neglected, reframing the better known, opening new windows on Perth and Fremantle’s history. It is structured as three  self-guided walking and driving tours, so readers can visit the very places and buildings where these hidden histories took place.

''I am nearly insane .... I cannot take much more.'' Dennis O''Donnell enlisted when he was balloted into National Service in 1967, but, like others, was sickened by the training. When his application for exemption as a conscientious objector was rejected he went absent without leave, was arrested, court martialled and imprisoned. Treatment of military prisoners included solitary confinement, and deprivation of sleep, light, food and bathing facilities. Another resister, Simon Townsend, was detained in a tiny cell and woken by guards every half hour. What crimes did Simon and Dennis commit? They did not want to be trained to kill people with whom they had no quarrel. Their experiences sparked questions in federal parliament about the treatment of military prisoners, and helped the change the law. 

Using court transcripts, private correspondence and other unpublished records, Hell no! We won''t go! records the stories of many young men and their supporters who opposed military conscription in Australia during two National Service schemes: 1950 to 1959 and 1964 to 1972. While resistance to military conscription during Australia''s involvement in the Vietnam War is better known, the 1950s scheme also had many opponents. Hundreds of young men applied for exemption as conscientious objectors. While some were successful, others experienced similar treatment to O''Donnell and Townsend when they refused to enlist.

Some stories feature household names: Bill White, a teacher, who was dragged from his home by police; the Mowbray triplets, who were not balloted in but chose to make a stand on behalf of others; Michael Matteson who remained underground for 14 months while ''making a monkey out of cops'' with public appearances on TV and at university campuses. Others were almost unknown. They had many different reasons for their resistance, but they all had one thing in common: they refused to be conscripted, whether or not Australia was involved in a war.

Ultimately, their resistance, culminating in massive protests during the Vietnam War, changed public opinion and changed Australia forever.