THE AUSTRALIAN ARK – A History of Wine | 1900–1982
THE AUSTRALIAN WINE INDUSTRY WAS ON THE CUSP OF CHANGE
Two hundred years earlier, the year 1783 had been a turning point on several fronts. On the 3rd of September that year, the American War of Independence ended with the Treaty of Paris. Britain’s floating prison hulks were at breaking point, and the country was looking for alternative means of dealing with the ever- growing number of convicts. On the 24th of August 1783, under the guidance of Sir Joseph Banks, American loyalist and crewmember on board Cook’s voyage to Australia, Joseph Matra, presented ‘A Proposal for Establishing a Settlement in New South Wales’, which historian Alan Atkinson noted was the blueprint for establishing the colony. Matra wrote that the soils of such a vast country would provide everything a new colony could wish for and that it was ideal for a free-settler colony also comprising American loyalists, Chinese, and South Sea Islanders. Looking back on those two hundred years, his visions have been realised and more. Those soils and diverse landscapes have become the essence of the Australian wine industry’s modern identity and the source of inspiration for a new generation of wine people. This volume finishes here in 1983 because it marks, in many respects, the end of an era and the beginning of contemporary times, where memory and history intertwine. A new mood surrounding the Australian wine industry was gathering momentum just as I was joining the 1983 intake at Roseworthy Agricultural College in South Australia. That year started with bushfires, floods, locust plagues, and a change in the federal government. It was a time for fresh outlooks and new horizons. My career in Australian wine was also just beginning, and I became a firsthand observer, participant, or casual onlooker of the industry’s progress. This next volume takes a different approach in which my own experiences, observations, and recollections are intertwined throughout. The intent is to bring colour, light, and shade to these contemporary times and to highlight the international flavour of being involved in a unique and wonderful wine industry. Ultimately, it is the people who create meaningful ambitions, build on the efforts of previous generations, and make a difference. Inevitably there will be omissions and personal perspectives that may not resonate, but I am hopeful that Volume 3 will become a useful reference for future wine historians when our times are consigned to the past.
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