The inside story of the lives of 25 of Australia's sporting greats, written by sports broadcaster, Peter Meares. His friendships have allowed him unprecedented access to their lives and the secrets of their success. Includes profiles on Greg Norman, Leigh Matthews, Greg Chappell, Pam Burridge, Margaret Court and David Campese.
The Swimsuit: Fashion from Poolside to Catwalk documents the modern swimsuit's trajectory from men's underwear and circus/performance wear to its unique niche in world fashion. It emphasizes the relationship between fashion, media, celebrity, sport and the cultivation of the modern body. This fascinating book provides an historical, sociological and cultural context in which to view how the swimsuit - and Australia, the country that significantly influenced its modern form - migrated from the cultural and colonial periphery to the centre of international attention. In addition, the book offers new perspectives on national histories of the swimsuit and investigates how traditional European fashion centers have opened up to new markets and modes of living, bringing together influences from around the globe. The Swimsuit is essential reading for students, scholars, and the general reader interested in fashion, popular culture, history, media, sport, and gender studies.
Volume 19 of the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB) contains concise biographies of individuals who died between 1991 and 1995. The first of two volumes for the 1990s, it presents a colourful montage of late twentieth-century Australian life, containing the biographies of significant and representative Australians. The volume is still in the shadow of World War II with servicemen and women who enlisted young appearing, but these influences are dimming and there are now increasing numbers of non-white, non-male, non-privileged and non-straight subjects. The 680 individuals recorded in volume 19 of the ADB include Wiradjuri midwife and Ngunnawal Elder Violet Bulger; Aboriginal rights activist, poet, playwright and artist Kevin Gilbert; and Torres Strait Islander community leader and land rights campaigner Eddie Mabo. HIV/AIDS child activists Tony Lovegrove and Eve Van Grafhorst have entries, as does conductor Stuart Challender, ‘the first Australian celebrity to go public’ about his HIV/AIDS condition in 1991. The arts are, as always, well-represented, including writers Frank Hardy, Mary Durack and Nene Gare, actors Frank Thring and Leonard Teale and arts patron Ian Potter. We are beginning to see the effects of the steep rise in postwar immigration flow through to the ADB. Artist Joseph Stanislaw Ostoja-Kotkowski was born in Poland. Pilar Moreno de Otaegui, co-founded the Spanish Club of Sydney. Chinese restaurateur and community leader Ming Poon (Dick) Low migrated to Victoria in 1953. Often we have a dearth of information about the domestic lives of our subjects; politician Olive Zakharov, however, bravely disclosed at the Victorian launch of the federal government’s campaign to Stop Violence Against Women in 1993 that she was a survivor of domestic violence in her second marriage. Take a dip into the many fascinating lives of the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
As Sydney prepares to host the 2000 Olympic games, this study assesses the cultural impact of sport on the Australasian countries. Here, as in other parts of the world, sport is taken as an assertion of both individual and group identity, a demonstration of modernity and a source of personal, local and regional esteem. This collection explores the political, social and aesthetic influence of modern sport, attitudes to the body and the evolution of specific Australasian visions of sport.
Two Good Rounds–Superstars: Golf Stories from the World’s Greatest Athletes is the second book in the Two Good Rounds series. This book explores the very special connection between golf and professional athletes from around the world and various sports disciplines. These well-known athletes give us an inside look at their attraction to golf and the fun, feel-good golf lifestyle. This book highlights a variety of athletes from a wide array of professional sports and organizations—from John Smoltz to Tony Romo, Andy Roddick, Julius Erving, and so many more! The book helps answer the questions posed to the athletes regarding how they got started playing golf; what their favorite course is; their best memories and golf shot; favorite charity golf events they play in or host; favorite drink; and much more. Golf is an international sport and one where people often get together and socialize during a round and after. The book, like a great nineteenth hole or favorite clubhouse, is a way to share golf memories with family and friends. This book is a tribute to the great international athletes and their love of golf. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. In addition to books on popular team sports, we also publish books for a wide variety of athletes and sports enthusiasts, including books on running, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, martial arts, golf, camping, hiking, aviation, boating, and so much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
This is the first part of a reflective account of my experiences in Thailand over the past seventeen years. It is an account of someone who has journeyed two different paths; that of a professional diving instructor and, later, a whoremonger. It is a story of a journey from an initially carefree, idyllic, adventurous lifestyle in an island paradise, to the harsh reality of the urban environments of Bangkok and Pattaya. It is a story of a journey into the dark side of life in Thailand and a realization that there’s a hardness and ruthlessness in that dark side which, when you’ve lived here for seventeen years offers you nothing in return except a world largely devoid of integrity, honesty and sincerity. It is my story and it is, like those of so many other foreigners who settle in this land, a story of a roller coaster ride through adventure, hardship and endurance. It’s also a story of mateship, something which is a rare commodity in this day and age. I make no apologies for what you’ll read beyond this page. You may be humored, shocked and even angered but, ultimately, you’ll come to realize that there is no other country in the world like the Land Of Smiles. These are the LOS diaries.
This book looks at boxing in Australia from early European settlement to the present day. Packed with stories, you can read about the first recorded fight; the racially charged match between a white and a black man; the travelling boxing shows; the Indigenous champions, including Lionel Rose; women boxers; and modern-day winners such as Jeff Fenech, Anthony Mundine and Kostya Tszyu. It is full of fabulous images, text boxes with additional snippets of information and profile boxes with vital statistics for key boxers.
'Heads and Tasker, legends themselves, set out to write a book that would continue the trail laid by early-days sporting scribes of long ago. I could not put it down.' John Coates AC, President of the Australian Olympic Committee 'I know readers will enjoy the many stories and anecdotes that Heads and Tasker have accumulated over more than a century combined in journalism.' Ian Chappell, former Australian cricket Captain. Australia enjoys a rich sporting heritage. Our small population has yielded a disproportionate number of champions. These sports stars have become known worldwide as fierce combatants and honourable competitors, achieving soaring victories, but also heart-pounding near-wins and humbling defeats. Veteran Australian sports journalists Ian Heads and Norman Tasker have seen it all. In these 65 original stories, we hear of the explosive introduction of World Series Cricket in 1977, which turned a genteel endeavour into a high-octane contest, and the clash of the titans as Packer and Murdoch squared off over the Super League war. We see Rugby Union become a battleground for race and the Olympics an arena for sublime acts of courage and achievement. We get an insider's perspective on every kind of sporting endeavour - from boxing to tennis, cricket to AFL, athletics to rugby league - and not just the action on the field, but the change room gossip and clubhouse politics as well. Written with wit, insight and a wealth of knowledge, Great Australian Sporting Stories is an enthralling expedition into the combative, collegiate, entertaining and always exciting world of Australian sport.
Publisher: University of Queensland Press(Australia)
ISBN: IND:30000079565440
Category: Australia
Page: 372
View: 786
The Australian Legend and Its Discontentsexplores the narrative construction of Australia, and those storylines preferred by Australians when describing themselves and their nation. How do Australians figure in literature, film and television, the visual arts, and daily conversation? As an introductory reader, The Australian Legend and Its Discontentsis an indispensable tool for students and all those with a general interest in the nation and its people. The book is complemented by electronic study and other notes for those who wish to explore further the issues of what it is to be Australian- (apinetwork.com).
For many Australians, there are two great passions: sport and ‘taking the piss’. This book is about national identity – and especially about Australia’s image as a sporting country. Whether reverent or not, any successful national image has to reflect something about the reality of the country. But it is also influenced by the reasons that people have for encouraging particular images – and by the conflicts between differing views of national identity, and of sport. Buffeted by these elements, both the extent of Australian sports madness and the level of stirring have varied considerably over time. While many refer to long-lasting factors, such as the amount of sunshine, this book argues that the ebb and flow of sporting images are strongly linked to current views of national identity. Starting from Archer’s win in the first Melbourne Cup in 1861, it traces the importance of trade unions in the formation of Australian Rules, the success of a small rural town in holding one of the world’s foremost running races, and the win-from-behind of a fat arsed wombat knocking off the official mascots of Sydney 2000. This book was based on a special issue of Soccer and Society.
What is the historical appeal of football? How diverse are its players, supporters and institutions throughout the world? What are its various traditions and how are these affected by pressures to modernize?? In what ways does the game help to reinforce or overcome social differences and prejudices? How can we understand football’s subcultures, especially football hooligan ones? The 1994 World Cup Finals in the United States have again demonstrated the conflicts which exist around football over its international future. The multi-media age beckons new audiences for top-level matches, but worries remain that the historical and cultural appeal of football itself may be the real loser. The global game? has a breadth of skills, playing techniques, supporting styles and ruling bodies. These are all subject to local and national traditions of team play and fan display. Modern commercial influences and international cultural links through players and fan styles, are accommodated within the game to an increasing extent. Yet, football’s ability to differentiate remains: at local, regional, national and even continental levels. In some cases the game’s traditions ensure that these differences are becoming as oppositional today as is modern football hooliganism. But, the overall picture is one of a game without frontiers - rich in historical and cultural detail, pluralistic in its traditions and identities. This volume brings together essays by leading academics and researchers writing on world football. Their studies draw on interdisciplinary researches in England, Scotland, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Argentina and Australia. The book will be of interest to students of sports science, cultural studies and social science and to all those who simply enjoy football as the world's greatest sporting passion.
