Talks@Willoughby Online presents Matt Murphy - Rum

Could the Rum Rebellion have been averted if Major Johnston wasn't hungover? Would the Eureka Stockade have been different if the rebels weren't pissed? How were the prisoners to get drunk if Macquarie closed the only pub in the gaol? And why should sailors under fourteen be deprived of their sixteen shots of rum per day?

These are just some of the questions raised in Rum: A Distilled History of Colonial Australia. Brimming with detailed research and irreverent character sketches, Rum looks at not just how much was drunk in colonial Australia (a lot!), but also the lengths people went to get their hands on it, the futile efforts of the early governors to control it, and the often disastrous and/or absurd consequences of its consumption. 

Matt Murphy will be in conversation with Eric Dodson from Lane Cove Library. This event is brought to you with the support of NSW Public Libraries Association.

Available soon in the Library and from all good booksellers such as the Constant Reader.

New to Zoom? Check out our Zoom FAQs here.

When

Location

Online event.