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Melbourne Forum gives you access to the highest level of expertise and real-world lessons that our conversation leaders – all with a reputation for excellence – bring to the table under the Chatham House rule.
We are committed to providing a platform for, and the increased visibility of, diverse voices.
With varied formats (in-person or virtual; conversation leader or members engaging with each other; learning from experts or new experiences) there are multiple ways to participate.
Explore our upcoming program of events and forums.
Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place
Non-Fiction Forum
Hosted by:
Peter Lamell
Tony Nippard
July 28, 2025 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
FreeWhat does it mean to be on land taken from others?
This is the key question that underpins Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place.
Now that we know how the taking was done, what do we do with that knowledge?
Kate Grenville is no stranger to the past. Her success and fame as a writer exploded when she published The Secret River in 2005, a bestseller based on the story of her convict ancestor, an early settler on the Hawkesbury River.
More than two decades on, and following the defeat of the Voice referendum, Grenville is still grappling with what it means to descend from people who were, as she puts it, “on the sharp edge of the moving blade that was colonisation”.
So she decides to go on a kind of pilgrimage, back through the places her family stories happened, and put the stories and the First People back into the same frame, on the same country, to try to think about those questions.
This gripping book is the result of that journey.
Join us on Zoom for this Non-Fiction Forum. For a more informed discussion please read the book before the event. The enjoyment of participating in these intimate member-only discussions is that everyone who attends gets to comment on the book we’ve read, exchange ideas with fellow readers and share their perspectives.
Here’s the full reading list for the year.
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