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Maritime history prize winners
These two biennial prizes have once again attracted a strong field of nominations across a wide range of topics, including fishing, Pacific exploration, colonial history and biography. The winners demonstrate some of the many ways in which the sea and maritime influences have been central to shaping Australia, its people and its culture.
THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM and the Australian Association for Maritime History (AAMH) jointly sponsor the Frank Broeze Memorial Maritime History Book Prize and the Australian Community Maritime History Prize. We thank our panel of judges – Dr Ross Anderson, Curator, Department of Maritime Archaeology, Western Australian Shipwrecks Museum, and President of the Australian Association for Maritime History; Dr Joanna Sassoon, of Curtin University; and Peter Ridgway, past president of the AAMH, for the considerable time and thought that they gave to judging the latest round of entries.
Frank Broeze Memorial Maritime History Book Prize This prize is awarded for a non-fiction book on any aspect of maritime history relating to or affecting Australia, published in 2017 or 2018 by an Australian citizen or permanent resident. The unanimous winner of the 2019 book prize of $5,000 is Alan Frost for Mutiny, Mayhem, Mythology: Bounty’s enigmatic voyage (Sydney University Press, 2018). The judges commented: Frost’s book is possibly the last word on this wellpublished subject until any new information comes to light. Frost thoroughly investigates and researches the Bligh/Fletcher/Bounty mutiny myths that have become embedded in broader culture. His forensic analysis of previously published research and source documents together with new material exposes how myths about Bligh, Christian and the mutiny have been perpetuated and embellished. The outcome is a solid case for Bligh being not only a bully and brilliant navigator, but a committer of fraud against the Royal Navy and his crew in terms of manipulating supplies for his personal gain, withholding food and ignoring traditional crew rights and privileges. His treatment of Christian drove the latter to despair and made him choose poorly from the limited options open to him. Some impressive research has gone into this wellreferenced work, with genuine scholarly treatment exploring all aspects of the subject, where many recent accounts have been lightweight and novelised. The introduction is so good that one could read just this and no more (but that would be a shame). The first runner-up is Joy McCann for Wild Sea: A history of the Southern Ocean (NewSouth Publishing, 2018), of which the judges said: Writing a history of a sea is a brave thing to attempt. McCann does a fine job of bringing together the natural and cultural histories of this little known, vast area. The Southern Ocean is not universally recognised as an ocean, with its boundaries in dispute. Australia defines it as being up to the southern coast but other countries dispute this, claiming the Indian Ocean extends to Tasmania. The Southern Ocean is likely to become better known now that China is expanding its reach into this ocean (along with Russia and traditional occupiers Australia, New Zealand, France, Chile and the United Kingdom).
Using McCann’s own experiences and journeys to the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic, Wild Sea can be described as a well-researched and well-referenced travelogue. She succinctly describes the many aspects of the Southern Ocean in terms of its contribution to global ocean currents and weather, unique wildlife and history based on explorers and whalers’ logbooks, and scientific research. The second runner-up is Charlie Veron for his autobiography A Life Underwater (Penguin Random House, 2017), which focuses on his career as a natural scientist. The judges noted: This book was selected as a finalist in accordance with the judges’ aim to expand the view of Australian maritime history, as even within the realm of natural science, scientific endeavour is a cultural activity. Although A Life Underwater is by its nature anecdotal, Veron is a significant contributor to both Australian and global marine science, and his account provides a rich source of material for anyone researching the history of marine science in Australia, the development and operation of scientific institutions, and coral science worldwide.
From a museology and taxonomy perspective, A Life Underwater depicts Veron’s pioneering and important work in this area, while also discussing his family and work relationships. The book is engaging, laying bare the tragedies and successes of Vernon’s life and, as he sees it, the problems with environmental science.
The Australian Community Maritime History Prize The prize of $2,000 has been awarded to the Naval Historical Society of Australia for its website, navyhistory.org.au. The society aims to record, preserve and promote the knowledge and awareness of naval history in Australia. Its website, launched in 2018, features events of interest, a research service, profiles of naval heritage sites, information on guided tours and membership, a members’ page and access to more than 2,000 articles. Uncluttered and easy to navigate, the website provides an excellent resource for anyone interested in many aspects of naval history. There were no runners-up in this category. The museum and the AAMH would like to congratulate the winners. Due to COVID-19, it is uncertain whether an award ceremony will go ahead; please check our website for updates. Janine Flew
