Between the Flags: One Hundred Summers of Australian Surf Lifesving – JAGGARD (PHR)

JAGGARD, Ed (Ed). Between the Flags: One Hundred Summers of Australian Surf Lifesving. Sydney: UNSW Press, 2006. 262p. Resenha de: CORNWALL, Jennifer. Public History Review, v.14, 2007.

Ed Jaggard, in the editorial introduction to Between the Flags: one hundred years of Australian surf lifesaving, acknowledges that, with a few exceptions, the ninety or so Ed largely amateur individual histories of surf lifesaving clubs produced to date have kept to ‘a familiar script’ of self-affirmation – ‘progress, mateship, self-help, legendary stories, competition success and notable acts of bravery’. While celebratory in part, this history of the surf lifesaving movement, the largest volunteer-based organisation in Australia, offers a comprehensive examination and critique of the subject. The book is a collection of chapters exploring particular themes of the movement’s history, including its origins in the emergence of Australian beach culture, the development of surf lifesaving techniques and technologies, courageous rescues, the place of surf lifesaving as a national and international sport as well as an examination of club culture.

The eleven contributors represent an impressive line up of academics and other writers either involved in the lifesaving movement or with an interest in Australian beach culture and sport. Among them are Professor Douglas Booth, who has written extensively about the history of Australian beach culture, and Nancy Cushing, a lecturer in Australian history at the University of Newcastle (one of the three female writers). Leia Mais