Seminar "Australia in Spain, 1936 - 1939"

by

Introduction by Carmen Castelo,
The Spanish Heritage Foundation

This Seminar is organized by the Friends of the International Brigades and supported by Manning Clark House, the Spanish Heritage Foundation, the National Europe Centre, the Australian National University, the ACT Spanish Migrants Coordinating Committee and the ACT Labor History Society.

This Seminar concerns itself with the period 1936-1939, the Spanish Civil War, and the Australian presence at that tragic event in the form of the young men who went to Spain to join the International Brigades in defence of the Spanish Republic, and of the young women who went to work in the hospitals, nursing the wounded.

Although there were only 57 Australians in the International Brigades, compared to at least 50.000 from 53 other countries worldwide, their generous contribution and their memory are honoured by Spaniards and Australians. We honour them every year at their Memorial in Lennox Park near the Lake and this seminar is another way of saying thank you.

The Spanish Civil War is still, after 65 years, a very emotional and controversial subject which may make some of us go back to our history books and ponder as to what if… We now know the Spanish Republic did not stand a chance but those young brigadists believed at the time they could make a difference and I put it to you that even though the Civil War was lost, the fact that we still honour them today means they did make a difference, as they inspired not just their generation, but many others to come.

Manning Clark House is a fitting venue because although he was not directly involved, the young Manning Clark attended meetings and debates on the Spanish Civil War; he listened to both sides, the Republican side defended by Nettie Palmer, a brilliant speaker of the left, and the militant Catholics denouncing the Republic represented by B.A. Santamaria at the Melbourne University Debating Club.

Manning Clark’s memories of that time were typically expressed by him saying that he “felt inadequate in the presence of true believers”.

In 1938 he was in Bonn, Germany and his thoughts of Spain were thus stated: “The Civil War in Spain was almost over. Franco was about to win. Nothing in my scheme of values, my faith in who would win in the struggle between capitalism and socialism explained why this was so. Stalin, it was rumoured even in Germany, had lost interest in the Spanish Republic. My mental map of the future, yes, and my map of the present, would have to be re-drafted.”

The Speakers:

Judith Keene – The Spanish Republic

Prof. Judith Keene of the Dept. of History, University of Sydney, presented a paper about the Spanish Republic. Dr. Keene is a specialist in Spanish Civil War studies. She holds a PhD from the University of California and lectures in modern European history at the University of Sydney. She has published several books and articles on the subject.

Jeremy Pyner – The ideological viewpoint

Jeremy Pyner is best known as the Secretary of the Trades and Labor Council in Canberra. He has been very active in promoting understanding between indigenous Australians and other Australians, and closely connected with the movement towards a treaty. He is an active member of the Cuba Friendship Society and champions a number of other worthwhile causes.

Tas Bull – The Union’s view of the Spanish Civil War from Australia

Mr. Tas Bull has had a lifelong commitment to the union movement and held many positions of great responsibility in the WWF, the ACTU and the International Workers Federation.

He is President of APHEDA, Union Aid Abroad, the ACTU overseas aid organization and the Cuban Children’s Fund which raises money to assist the children’s cardiac hospital in Havana.

Mr Bull has written several books.

Bill Tully – The war in Spain as seen from Canberra

Bill Tully is a Librarian at the NLA and an historian. He is editor of the often-controversial “Blast”, and a dedicated community broadcaster. Mr. Tully is also an active member of the Socialist Alliance and of the Canberra and District Historical Society.

John Andres Garcia – The Spanish refugee camps in the South of France and the International Brigades

John Andres Garcia is an architect who graduated from the University of Sydney. He was born in a Spanish refugee camp in the South of France.

He was a founding member of the Spanish Democratic Centre in Sydney in 1966 and is a Trustee of the Spanish Heritage Foundation.

John has had a lifelong interest in the Spanish Civil War and the Spanish refugees and exiles.

Amirah Inglis – Australians in the Spanish Civil War

Amirah was born in Europe and came to Australia as a child. She is a graduate of the University of Melbourne and of the Australian National University.

She has been a librarian, a teacher, a research assistant and a writer, and is currently completing a book about the Spanish Civil War.