The third volume in a series dealing with the production of coal and electricity in Queensland, this compehensive account covers the workings of a substantial number of regional collieries, and the lives and work practices of their miners. The text is supported by numerous tables, maps and photographs, a bibliography, and an appendix detailing annual coal production in Queensland.

This second edition has been reviewed and expanded to include some of Australia’s best qualified historians and researchers in Aboriginal history. Many of these authors continue to campaign for more research into First Nations history and the Frontier Wars. This second edition of Brisbane: The Aboriginal Presence now comprises a foreword which examines recent research in Aboriginal studies, and seven instead of six papers on race relations in the Brisbane region between 1824 and 1860. It covers the convict and early settlement periods until the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in late 1859. The papers provide overviews of race relations during each of these periods, and highlight various themes, including: • Aboriginal occupation before European settlement • The impact of European settlement • Reciprocal attitudes and relations • Aboriginal resistance and European repression • Sexual relations between Aborigines and Europeans • The role of law, administration and the press • Aborigines in the local economy • The failure of assimilation • The fate of local clans These themes are illustrated by numerous incidents and case studies including: • The observations of explorers, missionaries and administrators • Convict, runaway and settler experiences • Violent clashes on Stradbroke Island in 1831–32 • Aboriginal hangings between 1841 and 1859 • Unrest in the ‘suburbs’ during the late 1840s to 1850s • Squatters, Governor Gipps and the Kilcoy poisonings between 1841 and 1843 • The white raid on Yorks Hollow camp in 1846 • The police attack on Breakfast Creek camps in 1846 These papers are based on detailed research of primary sources by experienced historians who are distinguished for the originality and calibre of their work. This attractive and informative volume is for everyone interested in race relations generally and Brisbane in particular, including students, teachers, schools, libraries, academics and the general reader.

All around Australia, former WRANs and navy men regard the woman they know as Mrs Mac with a level of reverence usually reserved for saints. Yet today no-one has any idea of who she was and how she rescued Australia's communication systems in World War II. Winner, Best 2020 Non-fiction, ACT Notable Awards As you climbed the rickety stairs of an old woolshed at Sydney harbour in 1944, you would hear the thrum of clicks and buzzes. Rows of men and women in uniforms and headsets would be tapping away vigorously at small machines, under the careful watch of their young female trainers. Presiding over the cacophony was a tiny woman, known to everyone as 'Mrs Mac', one of Australia's wartime legends. A smart girl from a poor mining town who loved to play with her father's tools, Violet McKenzie became an electrical engineer, a pioneer of radio and a successful businesswoman. As the clouds of war gathered in the 1930s, she defied convention and trained young women in Morse code, foreseeing that their services would soon be sorely needed. Always a champion of women, she was instrumental in getting Australian women into the armed forces. Mrs Mac was adored by the thousands of young women and men she trained, and came to be respected by the defence forces and the public too for her vision and contribution to the war effort. David Dufty brings her story to life in this heartwarming and captivating biography. '[An] incredible and inspiring life... Dufty's new biography captures her unwavering dedication in the face of adversity.' - Professor Genevieve Bell, Australian National University 'A cracking story about the famous Australian radio engineer you've never heard of.' - Dick Smith, entrepreneur and philanthropist

History of early European exploration and settlement of Rockhampton and district.