Understanding old age in Australian history as a foundation for improved social and economic policy. My history of old age in Australia since 1860 will provide the first book which maps our experiences of growing old in the past, as a foundation for improved social and economic policy. The national government's 'Inter-generational report' has started a process of review and planning at a time of dramatic demographic change. However, developing strategies for 'ageing well, ageing productively' d ....Understanding old age in Australian history as a foundation for improved social and economic policy. My history of old age in Australia since 1860 will provide the first book which maps our experiences of growing old in the past, as a foundation for improved social and economic policy. The national government's 'Inter-generational report' has started a process of review and planning at a time of dramatic demographic change. However, developing strategies for 'ageing well, ageing productively' depends on an informed understanding of previous and current expectations about and attitudes to ageing in Australia. The history of old age is a complex rather than simple story, and successful policy development will require a solid historical foundation.Read moreRead less
THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY OF DEATH AND BEREAVEMENT IN AUSTRALIA AND ENGLAND, 1914-1980. Death, bereavement and old age come to us all, but their history has been neglected for twentieth century Australia and England. I aim to write two substantial books and several articles on this vitally important subject, explaining how and why emotional and expressive death practices and attitudes were often transformed after 1918 into a silence about death, with minimal ritual and privatised grief. Th ....THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY OF DEATH AND BEREAVEMENT IN AUSTRALIA AND ENGLAND, 1914-1980. Death, bereavement and old age come to us all, but their history has been neglected for twentieth century Australia and England. I aim to write two substantial books and several articles on this vitally important subject, explaining how and why emotional and expressive death practices and attitudes were often transformed after 1918 into a silence about death, with minimal ritual and privatised grief. This comparative project has crucial outcomes for our understanding of the histories of medicine, war, religion and the family, as well as policy implications for current issues such as euthanasia, suicide, aged care, cancer and palliative care.Read moreRead less