The Melbourne model is looking rather anorexic

Slashing traditional subjects won't bring the academic goals closer.

Uni history school staff face the axe

THE staff budget at Melbourne University's embattled historical studies school should be slashed by more than a third and academics who teach subjects with low student numbers should be targeted for redundancies, a confidential report recommends.

Rsvp

Science-fiction meeting Seeking attendees of the earliest meetings of science-fiction readers in NSW and material predating the 1952 Sydney convention. Findings will be discussed at the Sydney Freecon in November and shared with the historical group, Meteor Inc. Contact Garry Dalrymple, PO Box 152, Bexley North, 2207.

A Sanguine Passion

THERE'S something about Fort Scratchley that gets into your blood, according to Fort Scratchley Historical Society president Bill Hopkins (pictured).

Wrong Blurb Can Ruin A Novel's Future

IT IS a salutary lesson for a first-time novelist: Be careful who you get to provide the glowing endorsement to splash across the cover. That is the mistake Sherry Jones made when she suggested who might write a few warm words to promote her book, The Jewel of Medina, a historical romance about A'isha, the child bride of Muhammad, before its publication.

A Victorian Iceman

Louis Nowra insists his new novel about a 19th-century entrepreneur be read as fiction even though it is solidly based on the story of a historical character, writes Stella Clarke. Ice By Louis Nowra Allen & Unwin, $32.95

Historical Fantasy Skates On Thin Ice

Ice By Louis Nowra Allen & Unwin, 323pp, $32.95

History Tells The Story

Forget the fluctuations - in the end, the historical average usually prevails.

Genghis - The Early Years

MONGOL (MA) Starring: Tadanobu Asano Director: Sergei Bodrov * * * 1/2 Screening: Greater Union Wollongong In terms of epic films about celebrated historical figures, Mongol will do for Genghis Khan what Braveheart did for William Wallace.

Venture Back In Time

Immersing yourself in a historical novel can bring the past to life, writes Lili Wilkinson.

Women's Warm Welcome For A Chilly Dip

THE change of season has brought the Merewether Mackerels back to the baths with a historical change in composition.

A Boy With An Expression

A boy with an expression perhaps beyond his years carries a historical

Things Can Only Get Better, Howard Tells Party Faithful

JOHN HOWARD told the Liberal Party it needed to keep a sense of historical perspective about its current woes, out of office federally and in every state and territory.

Howard Tells His Former Colleagues To Hang In There

JOHN Howard told the Liberal Party it needed to keep a sense of historical perspective about its current woeful state, in which the party is out of office federally and in every state and territory.

Old Area Inspires New View

VISITORS to the John Paynter gallery at the Lock-Up will enjoy a new exhibition featuring works that offer a contemporary take on a historical area.

Leave Museum Alone

I KNEW about the plight of the historical museum last week and I am glad the Mercury has decided to expose this travesty of justice.