ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND TALK BY PROF NICK BROWN
9 September 2025
The CDHS AGM will be preceded by a talk by PROFESSOR NICHOLAS BROWN
The AGM papers have been sent to financial members.
'The "Canberra Bubble" from an historical perspective – or at least over the shoulders of two of its blowers: J.G. Crawford and F.H. Wheeler'
These two men are integral members of that group of senior public servants who secured great influence and authority within and around the CPS from the 1940s until the 1970s, and who in their careers and characteristics become central to images of 'Canberra' in that period. They represented a marked expansion in the reach, standing and professionalism of policy formulation in Australia. Crawford was, physically, certainly one of Menzies' 'seven dwarfs'; Wheeler was perhaps the most enduring exemplar of their shared ethic of independence and 'frank and fearless advice'. That public story is familiar enough.
But what might a more a more biographically-informed perspective offer to that image? And in what ways was Canberra itself integral to what they achieved, and who they were? I hope to offer some fresh light on such questions, and benefit from some shared reflections.
The meeting is in the Vercoe Room, Wesley Centre, Forrest. The doors open 5pm for 5.30pm start. Free parking from 5pm. Donation to cover venue hire appreciated.
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