'Paul Keating’s speechwriter, Don Watson, once remarked that his boss couldn’t resist needling his opponents on the legacy of Robert Menzies. Keating never wavered, Watson said, from the view that Menzies’ “only use was the same as a bit of rag with a cat fur on it thrown to a pack of dogs”.' (Introduction)
'Once an event escapes from living history its memories become open to confection. When these events are legends, in their loss of connection to actuality they can become vehicles for sentimentality or the mythic embodiment of values society chooses for points of self-identification. The Anzac legend is a classic example, of fortitude against the odds, against the stupid decisions of the brass, of mates standing up for mates, of the pragmatic know-how of the everyman trumping the pretensions of the nobs.' (Introduction)
'Theatre is a difficult art form to write about. Because of its evanescence it’s especially challenging to describe a production for those who haven’t seen it. One can write about a text, but how can one give the flavour of the acting and direction?' (Introduction)
