Over more than thirty years, Tom Griffiths has plumbed memories, land, and archives to reveal the complexities and richness of Australia’s cultural and environmental history. An insightful and graceful storyteller, his work has ranged across land and communities in country Victoria, histories and cultures of fire and ice, ecology and climate, biography and public history, heritage and memory, Indigenous and Settler Australia, and the craft and discipline of history itself. He has been a generous mentor to many students and has been a leading advocate for history and the humanities in the public sphere, in universities and national institutions.

This symposium is convened to honour Tom’s move from full-time academic life to a full-time writing life. Papers from eminent Australian historians will reflect on Tom’s career and contributions to Australian historiography, and papers from some of Tom’s many students and collaborators will perform histories in the artful spirit he has always advocated for the discipline of history. The symposium will conclude with a conversation between Tom and leading Australian critic, journalist, and editor, Morag Fraser.

Speakers include: Graeme Davison (Monash University), Grace Karskens (University of New South Wales), Andrea Gaynor (University of Western Australia), and Mark McKenna (University of Sydney).

Registration is essential as spaces are strictly limited.

Lunch will be provided upon arrival. The event will conclude with a reception from 5pm.