Leslie Lloyd Robson (1931-1990) was an Australian historian and academic at the University of Melbourne. He pioneered new techniques of quantitative history, [1] and wrote A History of Tasmania, a two volume work on the history of Australia's island state. [2]
Robson was born in Ulverstone, Tasmania, on 24 July 1931. His parents, George Leslie Robson, and Laurel Grace (née Revell) were farmers, and Robson grew up on a farm at West Pine, near Penguin. [2] He was educated at Devonport High School and the University of Tasmania, [1] where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in 1953, and a Master of Arts in 1955. [2]
During the 1950s Robson undertook postgraduate study at the University of London, where he met and married his first wife, Margaret Ilona Horden. [2] He completed a Ph.D. at the Australian National University in 1963, supervised by Manning Clark and W. D. Borrie. [2] His thesis examined convicts transported to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land in 1787–1852. It was later published as The Convict Settlers of Australia (1965). [2]
Robson worked at the University of Melbourne from 1964 until his retirement. [1] There he taught mostly Australian history, and supervised students undertaking higher degrees by research. [2] He pioneered techniques of quantitative history, [1] as evidenced in his doctoral thesis and his later work, The First AIF (1970). [1]
He was a significant protagonist in the Australian history wars, [3] which debated the interpretation of the colonisation of Australia, especially in regards to the impact on Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders.
Robson died of cancer aged 59, on 22 August 1990 in Fitzroy, Victoria. The funeral was held at the Uniting Church, Penguin, Tasmania, and he was buried in the old cemetery overlooking the town. [2]
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a separate colony in 1825. Its penal colonies became notorious destinations for the transportation of convicts due to the harsh environment, isolation and reputation for being inescapable. Macquarie Harbour and Port Arthur are among the most well-known penal settlements on the island.
Walter Burley Griffin was an American architect and landscape architect. He designed Canberra, Australia's capital city, the New South Wales towns of Griffith and Leeton, and the Sydney suburb of Castlecrag.
Port Arthur is a town and former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula, in Tasmania, Australia. It is located approximately 97 kilometres (60 mi) southeast of the state capital, Hobart.
Sir John Greig LathamGCMG PC QC was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the fifth Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1935 to 1952. He had earlier served as Attorney-General of Australia under Stanley Bruce and Joseph Lyons, and was Leader of the Opposition from 1929 to 1931 as the final leader of the Nationalist Party.
Geoffrey Norman Blainey, is an Australian historian, academic, best selling author and commentator.
The West Coast of Tasmania has a significant convict heritage. The use of the west coast as an outpost to house convicts in isolated penal settlements occurred in the eras 1822–33, and 1846–47.
William Lloyd Warner was a pioneering anthropologist and sociologist noted for applying the techniques of British functionalism to understanding American culture.
William Sorell was a soldier and third Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land.
Owen Michael Roe is an Australian historian and academic, focusing on Australian history.
John Warham was an Australian and New Zealand photographer and ornithologist notable for his research on seabirds, especially petrels.
Michael Veitch is an Australian author, actor and broadcaster, best known for his roles on the sketch comedy television shows The D-Generation, Fast Forward and Full Frontal, as well as for his books on World War II aviation, marine science and travel.
Robert Carl Sticht was an American metallurgist and copper mine manager, active in Colorado and Montana, U.S.A. and in Tasmania, Australia. Sticht was the developer of the first successful purely pyritic smelting in the world. He was also an important book and art collector, a large part of whose collections were acquired by the Public Library of Victoria and the National Gallery of Victoria in the 1920s.
Tasmania, for its size and population, has a flourishing literary culture. Its history offers an eventful literary background with visits from early explorers such as the Dutchman Abel Tasman, the Frenchmen Bruni d'Entrecasteaux and Marion du Fresne and then the Englishmen Matthew Flinders and George Bass. Colonisation coincided with deteriorated relations with indigenous Aboriginal people and a harsh convict heritage. These events in Tasmanian history are found in a large number of colonial sandstone buildings and in place names. Environmentally, the landscapes and changeable weather provide a vivid literary backdrop. Tasmania's geographical isolation, creative community, proximity to Antarctica, controversial past, bourgeoning arts reputation, and island status all contribute to its significant literature. Many fiction and non-fiction authors call Tasmania home, and many acclaimed titles are set there or written by Tasmanians. The journal of letters Island magazine appears quarterly. Tasmania's government provides arts funding in the form of prizes, events and grants. Bookshops contribute book launches and other literary events. Tasmania's unique history and environment gave rise to Tasmanian Gothic literature in the 19th century.
James Blackburn was an English civil engineer, surveyor and architect best known for his work in Australia, where he had been transported as a sentence for forgery. According to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Blackburn "has claims to be considered one of the greatest engineers of his period in Australia, and his architectural achievements established him as Tasmania's most advanced and original architect." He was key to the formation of the Department of Public Works in 1839, serving as one of its core members under Alexander Cheyne.
Marilyn Lee Lake, is an Australian historian known for her work on the effects of the military and war on Australian civil society, the political history of Australian women and Australian racism including the White Australia Policy and the movement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander human rights. She was awarded a personal chair in history at La Trobe University in 1994. She has been elected a Fellow, Australian Academy of the Humanities and a Fellow, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
Peter John Frazer Coutts was an Australian archaeologist who was first director of the Victoria Archaeological Survey (VAS), the precursor to the Heritage Branch of Aboriginal Affairs Victoria.
Laurence Thomas Hergenhan was an Australian literary scholar.
Isle of the Dead is an island, about 1 hectare in area, adjacent to Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia. It is historically significant since it retains an Aboriginal coastal shell midden, one of the first recorded sea-level benchmarks, and one of the few preserved Australian convict-period burial grounds. The Isle of the Dead occupies part of the Port Arthur Historic Site, is part of Australian Convict Sites and is listed as a World Heritage Property because it represents convictism in the era of British colonisation.
The Barbara Ramsden Award was administered by Fellowship of Australian Writers and awarded annually to an author and editor in recognition of the efforts of both parties to produce a quality fiction or non-fiction book. The winners receive a memorial plaque. It was established in 1971 and was awarded annually until 1992. It was reestablished in 2006 with sponsorship from Society of Editors (Victoria) Inc. The award was named after Australian editor Barbara Ramsden (1903–1971). It was cancelled in 2016.
Chin Kaw, also known as Ah Kaw or Ah Caw, was a prominent Chinese Australian storekeeper, philanthropist, and mining entrepreneur in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, who recruited workers from China for the Tasmanian tin-mining industry and thereby helped Chinese immigrants settle in Australia.
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