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Friday, 4 September 2015

The University of Western Australia extends its deepest sympathy to family, friends and colleagues of distinguished historian Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Bolton, who has passed away in Perth at the age of 83.



A graduate of UWA, Professor Bolton wrote more than 25 books, was General Editor of the five-volume Oxford History of Australia and author of Volume 5: “The Middle Way” which covered the period 1942-1988.


Professor Jenny Gregory, Director of UWA’s Centre for Western Australian History, said Professor Bolton was one of Australia’s most eminent historians who made an extraordinary contribution to our understanding of our nation and state’s history.


“He was a wonderful supporter and mentor to other historians and a kind man of great erudition,” Professor Gregory said. “His loss is inestimable.”


Professor Bolton’s two most recent books, Paul Hasluck: A Life (2014) and Land of Vision and Mirage: Western Australia since 1826 (2008), were published by UWA Publishing. Land of Vision narrated the social, cultural, political and economic development of the most geographically isolated area of the world.


Professor Bolton studied history at UWA where he completed his Honours thesis on Western Australian explorer and politician Alexander Forrest and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts with first Class Honours in 1954. He won a Hackett Research Scholarship to Oxford University, earning a Master of Arts and PhD from Oxford in 1961 before returning to Australia.


He was senior lecturer at Monash University from 1962 to 1965 and Professor of Modern History at UWA from 1966 to 1973 before being appointed Murdoch University’s Foundation Professor of History in 1973, a position he held until 1989.


From 1982 to 1985, Professor Bolton established the Australian Studies Centre at the University of London. In 1989 he took up the inaugural Chair of Australian History at the University of Queensland before returning to Perth in 1993 to establish the history program at Edith Cowan University. He served as Chancellor of Murdoch University from 2002 to 2006.


He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1984 in recognition of distinguished service to Australia for his services to education and awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001 for services to the Centenary of Federation celebrations in WA. He was named WA Australian of the Year in 2006.

Media references

David Stacey (UWA Media and Public Relations Manager)      (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716

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