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Nicole Townsend

@townsend-nic.bsky.social

500 followers 250 following 250 posts

Historian. Lecturer @ UNSW Canberra. Archaeology nerd. Researching Australia's relations with the Middle East, and the Second World War. Also Afghanistan and Iraq wars. All views my own

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Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · Aug 15

In this article for The Conversation, I outline the key WWII-related findings of our recent surveys as part of the War Studies Research Group at UNSW Canberra.

Check it out here: theconversation.com/new-research...

New research shows WWII dominates Australians’ knowledge of military history. But big gaps remain

A new national survey shows the second world war dominates Australians’ understanding of their military history, but knowledge is limited to the Pacific War.

theconversation.com

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Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · 20h

Welcome in advance! We've got a great crew up here.

Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · 3d

Three months ago, our house flooded in the middle of the night. Suddenly moving meant leaving behind my magpie brood, well before I was ready.

We visit the area when we can, and they fly to me immediately, warbling the familiar song that woke me each morning for several years. I miss them greatly.

A family of five magpies (three juveniles and two adults), standing on wooden tiles in a courtyard.

Two magpies sit on a plastic raised planter bed.

Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · 3d

Something I was pondering myself earlier this week.

David M. Andrews @davidmandrews.bsky.social · 3d

Palantir, Anduril, Valinor...I feel certain that #Tolkien would have absolutely loathed his work being used to name defence technology firms. It's all rather Saruman-ish.

Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · 3d

With the unseasonably warm weather, interspersed with soaking rain, my tomatoes and zucchini have gone bonkers. These were planted as small seedlings ~3 weeks ago!

A vegetable garden bed with tomatoes and flowers and zucchini plants growing in it.

A vegetable garden bed with tomatoes and flowers plants growing in it.

Reposted by Nicole Townsend

Mia Martin Hobbs @miamh.bsky.social · 6d

The Special Issue of AJPH on ‘Australia and Vietnam: the Fifty Year Legacy’ is finally out! 🥳🥳🥳

#VietnamWar #history #auspol

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14678497...

Special Issue: Australia and Vietnam: The Fifty Year Legacy: Australian Journal of Politics & History: Vol 71, No 3

Click on the title to browse this issue

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Nicole Townsend

Dr. Sarah Parcak @indyfromspace.bsky.social · 6d

I get a lot of joy out of being a compassionate professor. Helping students improve their writing and knowledge is a blessing. My classrooms are happy, fun, at times serious, intense, respectful places of learning. The right will never understand, because for us, teaching is a form of love, not hate

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Reposted by Nicole Townsend

Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 7d

From 1939-1945 German officers also listened to speeches from civilians about how the laws of war didn’t apply to them. And then they participated in the Holocaust, starved millions of prisoners of war, destroyed villages and cities, and were defeated.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d

Hegseth: "We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also don't fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement."

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Reposted by Nicole Townsend

Douglas Guilfoyle @djag2.bsky.social · 6d

Job alert! We have a 5 year fixed term teaching-focussed position in our new Indo-Pacific Studies program. Can highly recommend UNSW Canberra as a place to work.

IPS is an emerging field, so applications welcome from cognate disciplines.

Details: external-careers.jobs.unsw.edu.au/cw/en/job/53...

Lecturer, Indo-Pacific Studies

Share your knowledge and expertise in Indo-Pacific Studies with our cohort at UNSW Canberra.

external-careers.jobs.unsw.edu.au

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Reposted by Nicole Townsend

Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 8d

If you listened closely to Hegseth and Trump, they were saying that the US military should be more like the Russian military--unaccountable for its actions, using lethality in favor of intelligence, and where training can be used to abuse recruits.

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Reposted by Nicole Townsend

Hannah McCann @binarythis.bsky.social · 9d

Just delighted that Geraldine Fela won in the history category. Her postdoc ends next year. Hire this historian people!!!

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

Prime Minister’s Literary awards 2025: Michelle de Kretser wins $80,000 for Theory & Practice

The Stella prize-winning author used her acceptance speech to call out the Australian government’s response to the war in Gaza, in a ceremony marked by pointed political commentary from the podium

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Nicole Townsend

Kate Littlejohn @kelittlejohn.bsky.social · 10d

#PhD research callout!

I am seeking History teachers in NSW for a short interview about NSW History 7-10 syllabuses. If you have taught History in NSW and are interested, please enter your details into this form.

forms.office.com/r/cvf5QfLrLb

Ethics approval: H16788

Please share!

Seeking: NSW History Teachers. Have you taught History 7-10 in NSW? Are you interested in taking part in an online interview for a PhD study at WSU about the representation of women in the NSW history syllabuses? Please enter your details into the form below for further details. https://forms.office.com/r/cvf5QfLrLb Contacts: Kate Littlejohn, Kay Carroll

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Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · 11d

That has to be the most blatant non-call I have seen not only this season, but potentially ever #AFLGF

Greg Jericho @grogsgamut.bsky.social · 11d

lol the umpiring now is just insane #AFLGF

Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · 11d

Also, this particular one had me cackling when "I've had the time of my life" kicked in.

Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · 11d

For some unknown reason, my Instagram feed has me stuck on a French algorithm, which means I get to enjoy the humour and ridiculousness that works only in French.

Let me introduce you to "le Poisson Steve".

a cartoon drawing of a fish with the name steve above it

ALT: a cartoon drawing of a fish with the name steve above it

media.tenor.com

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Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · 11d

They just love to play for them. Very quick to throw the arms out in the hopes of attracting one.

Reposted by Nicole Townsend

Dr Cathryn Pearce @cathrynpearce.bsky.social · 12d

A useful video for students to learn how to read and annotate academic articles, by a history PhD student. #AcWri www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FUi...

How to Read & Annotate an Academic Article Like a PhD Student

YouTube video by Kaelyn Grace Apple | TheRedHeadAcademic

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Nicole Townsend

rax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 13d

well meaning people love to be like ‘aren’t you scared of being left behind if you don’t start using AI in your work’ and from the bottom of my heart: no, im not scared of that. i would rather go back to restaurants for the rest of my life than publish AI ‘books’

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Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · 13d

Great to see my latest article published on AJPH today!

“It Is Vital That We Should Not Keep It to Ourselves”: The Rats of Tobruk Association and the Siege of Tobruk in Australian National Memory

It's open access, too, so you can give it a read here: doi.org/10.1111/ajph...

“It Is Vital That We Should Not Keep It to Ourselves”: The Rats of Tobruk Association and the Siege of Tobruk in Australian National Memory

The siege of Tobruk is one of the most well-known Australian actions of the Second World War, enjoying special attention on Anzac Day. Its elevation within Australian national memory is by no means a...

doi.org

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Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · 18d

They whacked the cats earlier in the season though, when they were in similar form to now.

Here's hoping they do. Can't stand the Cats (esp. Smith).

Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · 18d

They're also probably the only team left that beat the Cats—at least, here's hoping!

Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · Sep 7

Our new house has a fully functioning kitchen, which means we finally got to cook a vegan lasagna for the first time in ages—and it turned out amazing!

Layers of rice pasta sheets, roasted eggplant, zucchini and pumpkin, and homemade marinara sauce. All topped off with vegan cheese.

Aced it.

A glass baking dish filled with lasagna sits on a metal tray on a blue towel. The top is covered in cheese and gooey.

A glass baking dish filled with lasagna sits on a metal tray on a blue towel. The view is from the side, showing the layers of sauce and pasta

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Reposted by Nicole Townsend

Dave Andress @davidandress.bsky.social · Sep 6

I look at all this “Department of War” crap, and I remember that 2459 US military personnel were killed, and 20,769 wounded in action, in twenty years of war in Afghanistan, and in a deal signed on February 29, 2020, the Trump regime sold the entire country out to the Taliban.

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Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · Sep 6

Highly recommend the black forest cake, and the small passionfruit entremets.

Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · Sep 6

I'll be in Syd quite a bit over the next year, so I think I'll be a regular there 🫣

I also forgot to recommend GingerSnap Pattiserie in West Melbourne. We got some of their cakes for our wedding because they're so amazing. The picture is their mocha layer cake.

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Nicole Townsend @townsend-nic.bsky.social · Sep 6

I've often considered a spur-of-the-moment day trip to Sydney for their Yuzu sourdoughnuts alone 😅

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