Doctor of Philosophy / This thesis is concerned with an examination and re-assessment of the establishment, operation and management of the Female and Male Orphan Schools, in the first half of the nineteenth century in New South Wales. The chaplains and governors in the early penal settlement were faced with a dilemma, as they beheld the number of children who were ‘orphaned’, neglected, abandoned and destitute. In order to understand the reasons why these children were in necessitous circumstances, the thesis seeks to examine the situations of the convict women, who were the mothers of these children. Governors Philip Gidley King and Lachlan Macquarie respectively in 1801 and 1819 established the Schools, which provided elementary education, training and residential care within a religious setting. Researching the motives underlying the actions of these men has been an important part of the thesis. An examination of the social backgrounds of some of the children admitted to these Schools has been undertaken, in order to provide a greater understanding of the conditions under which the children were living prior to their admissions. Information about family situations, and the social problems encountered by parents that led them to place their children in the Schools, have been explored. The avenues open to the girls and boys when they left the Schools, has formed part of the study. Some children were able to be reunited with family members, but the majority of them were apprenticed. A study of the nature of these apprenticeships, has led to a greater understanding of employment opportunities for girls and boys at that time. In 1850 the Schools were amalgamated into the Protestant Orphan School at Parramatta. By examining the governance and operation of the Schools during their last two decades as separate entities, we have more knowledge about and understanding of these two colonial institutions. It is the conclusion of this thesis that some of the harsher judgements of revisionist social historians need to be modified. It was the perception that more social disorder would occur if action was not taken to ‘rescue’ the ‘orphaned’ children, usually of convict parentage. However genuine charity, philanthropy and concern was displayed for the children in grave physical and moral danger. The goals of the founders were not always reached in the Orphan Schools, nevertheless they performed an invaluable service in the lives of many children.

Doctor of Philosophy / This thesis is concerned with an examination and re-assessment of the establishment, operation and management of the Female and Male Orphan Schools, in the first half of the nineteenth century in New South Wales. The chaplains and governors in the early penal settlement were faced with a dilemma, as they beheld the number of children who were ‘orphaned’, neglected, abandoned and destitute. In order to understand the reasons why these children were in necessitous circumstances, the thesis seeks to examine the situations of the convict women, who were the mothers of these children. Governors Philip Gidley King and Lachlan Macquarie respectively in 1801 and 1819 established the Schools, which provided elementary education, training and residential care within a religious setting. Researching the motives underlying the actions of these men has been an important part of the thesis. An examination of the social backgrounds of some of the children admitted to these Schools has been undertaken, in order to provide a greater understanding of the conditions under which the children were living prior to their admissions. Information about family situations, and the social problems encountered by parents that led them to place their children in the Schools, have been explored. The avenues open to the girls and boys when they left the Schools, has formed part of the study. Some children were able to be reunited with family members, but the majority of them were apprenticed. A study of the nature of these apprenticeships, has led to a greater understanding of employment opportunities for girls and boys at that time. In 1850 the Schools were amalgamated into the Protestant Orphan School at Parramatta. By examining the governance and operation of the Schools during their last two decades as separate entities, we have more knowledge about and understanding of these two colonial institutions. It is the conclusion of this thesis that some of the harsher judgements of revisionist social historians need to be modified. It was the perception that more social disorder would occur if action was not taken to ‘rescue’ the ‘orphaned’ children, usually of convict parentage. However genuine charity, philanthropy and concern was displayed for the children in grave physical and moral danger. The goals of the founders were not always reached in the Orphan Schools, nevertheless they performed an invaluable service in the lives of many children.

Doctor of Philosophy / This thesis examines the material correlates of religious behaviour. Religion is an important part of every culture, but the impact religion has on structuring material culture is not well understood. Archaeologists are hampered in their reconstructions of the past because they lack comparative methods and universal conventions for identifying religious behaviour. The principal aim of this thesis is to construct an indicator model which can archaeologically identify religious behaviour. The basis for the proposed model stems directly from recurrent religious phenomena. Such phenomena, according to anthropological and cognitive research, relate to a series of spatio-temporally recurrent religious features which relate to a universal foundation for religious concepts. Patterns in material culture which strongly correlate with these recurrent phenomena indicate likely concentrations of religious behaviour. The variations between sacred and mundane places can be expected to yield information regarding the way people organise themselves in relation to how they perceive their cosmos. Using cognitive religious theory, stemming from research in neurophysiology and psychology, it is argued that recurrent religious phenomena owe their replication to the fact that certain physical stimuli and spatial concepts are most easily interpreted by humans in religious ideas. Humans live in a world governed by natural law, and it is logical that the concepts generated by humans will at least partially be similarly governed. Understanding the connection between concept and cause results in a model of behaviour applicable to cross-cultural analysis and strengthens the model’s assumption base. In order to test the model of religious behaviour developed in this thesis it is applied to a regional archaeological matrix from the Blue Mountains National Park in New South Wales, Australia. Archaeological research in the Blue Mountains has tentatively identified ceremonial sites based on untested generalised associations between select artefact types and distinctive geographic features. The method of analysis in this thesis creates a holistic matrix of archaeological and geographic data, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative measures, which generates a statistical norm for the region. Significant liminal deviations from this norm, which are characteristic indicators of religious behaviour are then identified. Confidence in these indicators’ ability to identify ceremonial sites is obtained by using a distance matrix and algorithms to examine the spatial patterns of association between significant variables. This thesis systematically tests the associations between objects and geography and finds that a selective array and formulaic spatiality of material correlates characteristic of religious behaviour does exist at special places within the Blue Mountains. The findings indicate a wide spread if more pocketed distribution of ceremonial sites than is suggested in previous models. The spatial/material relationships for identified religious sites indicates that these places represent specialised extensions of an interdependent socio-economic system where ceremonial activity and subsistence activity operated in balance and were not isolated entities.

Doctor of Philosophy / This thesis examines the material correlates of religious behaviour. Religion is an important part of every culture, but the impact religion has on structuring material culture is not well understood. Archaeologists are hampered in their reconstructions of the past because they lack comparative methods and universal conventions for identifying religious behaviour. The principal aim of this thesis is to construct an indicator model which can archaeologically identify religious behaviour. The basis for the proposed model stems directly from recurrent religious phenomena. Such phenomena, according to anthropological and cognitive research, relate to a series of spatio-temporally recurrent religious features which relate to a universal foundation for religious concepts. Patterns in material culture which strongly correlate with these recurrent phenomena indicate likely concentrations of religious behaviour. The variations between sacred and mundane places can be expected to yield information regarding the way people organise themselves in relation to how they perceive their cosmos. Using cognitive religious theory, stemming from research in neurophysiology and psychology, it is argued that recurrent religious phenomena owe their replication to the fact that certain physical stimuli and spatial concepts are most easily interpreted by humans in religious ideas. Humans live in a world governed by natural law, and it is logical that the concepts generated by humans will at least partially be similarly governed. Understanding the connection between concept and cause results in a model of behaviour applicable to cross-cultural analysis and strengthens the model’s assumption base. In order to test the model of religious behaviour developed in this thesis it is applied to a regional archaeological matrix from the Blue Mountains National Park in New South Wales, Australia. Archaeological research in the Blue Mountains has tentatively identified ceremonial sites based on untested generalised associations between select artefact types and distinctive geographic features. The method of analysis in this thesis creates a holistic matrix of archaeological and geographic data, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative measures, which generates a statistical norm for the region. Significant liminal deviations from this norm, which are characteristic indicators of religious behaviour are then identified. Confidence in these indicators’ ability to identify ceremonial sites is obtained by using a distance matrix and algorithms to examine the spatial patterns of association between significant variables. This thesis systematically tests the associations between objects and geography and finds that a selective array and formulaic spatiality of material correlates characteristic of religious behaviour does exist at special places within the Blue Mountains. The findings indicate a wide spread if more pocketed distribution of ceremonial sites than is suggested in previous models. The spatial/material relationships for identified religious sites indicates that these places represent specialised extensions of an interdependent socio-economic system where ceremonial activity and subsistence activity operated in balance and were not isolated entities.

Abstract not available

This thesis examines geomorphic processes that impact thermal stratification within floodplain lakes. Previously, thermal stratification was not thought prevalent in these numerous small water bodies, despite being found in small reservoirs. Thermal stratification leads to long term anoxia in the bottom waters and the release of metals and nutrients from the sediments. This can result in water quality problems such as algal blooms (including potentially toxic cyanobacteria), loss of fish habitat and deterioration of wetland habitat. Four floodplain lakes of the Macdonald River Valley NSW were profiled and tested over 3?? years to assess to what extent, under what conditions, and with what chemical and physical effects, they thermally stratified and destratified. The morphometry, bed facies, vegetation, hydrology and local weather patterns for each lake were also investigated. Physical and chemical analyses found elevated nutrients in all four lakes and higher concentrations of total phosphorous and total nitrogen in the bottom waters. These results were not dependant on stable thermal stratification and long-term anoxia in the bottom waters. Inflow samples had much higher concentrations of nutrients than the lake samples, so the catchment is the likely source. Samples were analysed for phytoplankton and significant populations of potentially toxic cyanobacteria were present. Stratification depended upon whether the lake was "sheltered" from wind stirring or from incident radiation, either topographically by steep slopes surrounding the lakes, or by submerged and emergent vegetation. Aquatic vegetation limits the amount of transfer of turbulent kinetic energy from wind shear and the amount of incident radiation received. At one lake, sheltered areas reached temperatures much higher than less sheltered areas. Topographic sheltering can make a difference of up to three degrees Celsius across the lake surface. Destratification depended on wind speed, wind direction and orientation of the lake to the dominant wind direction. An extension to the classification of fluvial lakes (from Timms 1992) is presented, with further subdivisions to describe the lakes as "sheltered" or "open" and the type of sheltering (vegetation or topography) present.

This thesis reports on the modification of the "Safecode" computer-program to monitor the safety of radio-isotope laboratories, and its application to 24 compliance audits in NSW during the period 1999 to 2006. Additionally, an attempt was made to predict the level of risk to persons working within those laboratories. Based on the current NSW radiation control legislation and the relevant Australian Standards a comprehensive audit checklist was developed for this project. Each safety requirement in those documents was used to develop a question, resulting in 187 questions in the checklist. The questions were grouped into the following seven Topic Elements: Licensing and Registration; Radiation Safety Administration; Personal and Area Monitoring; Dose Limit Compliance; Documentation/Records; RSO/RSC Qualifications and Duties; and Facilities. A novel feature was the allocation of "weighting factors" to individual questions and Elements. The computer program facilitated analysis of data and provided output in spreadsheet and graphical form. .The on-site physical audits were conducted using the project check-list, and were supplemented by discussions with the client's representative. The results showed significant variation between sites with overall compliance scores ranging from 37% to 94%. The reasons for this large variation stem from differences in local management regime; the appointment of an RSO at one site; variation in the extent of adoption of relevant codes of practice; and legislative weaknesses. Further analysis of the data presented legal, advisory and combined scores for each Element for each site; and variations over time. The graphic displays of the results were appreciated by client management. The formula developed to predict risk, based on the physical parameters alone, showed little relationship to the total audit scores. Statistical analysis of the two data groups by correlation coefficient confirmed this general finding. Development of the formula however served to indicate deficiencies in the Question Set, and the importance of human factors in achieving a high degree of safety.

This thesis discusses the impact of the counterculture on Australian cinema in the late 20thcentury through the work of the Sydney Underground Film group, Ubu. This group, active between 1965 -1970, was a significant part of an underground counter culture, to which many young Australians subscribed. As a group, Ubu was more than a rat bag assemblage of University students. It was an antipodean aspect of an ongoing artistic and political movement that began with the European avant-garde at the beginning of the 20th century and that radically transformed artistic conventions in theatre, painting, literature, photography and film. Three purposes underpin this thesis: firstly to track the art historical links between a European avant-garde heritage and Ubu. Experimental film is a genre that is informed by cross art form interrelations between theatre, painting, literature, photography and film and the major modernist aesthetic philosophies of the last century. Ubu's revolutionary aesthetic approaches included political resistance and the involvement of audiences in the production of art. Their creative wellspring drew from: Alfred Jarry, Dadaism, Surrealism, Futurism, Fluxus, Conceptual and Pop art. This cross fertilization between the arts is critical to understanding not only the Australian experimental movement but the history of contemporary image making. The second purpose is to fill a current void of research about early Australian Experimental film. This is a significant gap given it was a national movement with many international connections. The counterculture movement also contains many major figures in Australian art history. These individuals played their parts in the Sydney Push, Oz magazine and the activities of the Yellow House and have since become important multi arts practitioners and commentators. Thirdly, the thesis attempts to evaluate Ubu's political and social agenda for the democratization of film appreciation through their objectives of: production, exhibition, distribution and debate of experimental film both nationally and internationally. Ultimately the group would succeed in these objectives and in winning the war on repressive censorship laws. Their influence has informed the practice of many of Australia's current film heavy weights. Two key films have been selected for analysis, It Droppeth as the Gentle Rain (1963) and Newsfront (1978). The first looks forward to Ubu's contemporary practices and political agenda while the second demonstrates their longer term influences on mainstream cinema.

Hyde Park Asylum for Infirm and Destitute Women, Sydney was the New South Wales government’s first direct initiative in social welfare for the aged with the provision of residential care for women. It was the genesis of a system of destitute asylums (later state hospitals) that lasted for more than a century. For its duration (1862-1886), Hyde Park Asylum was the only one of its type in the colony. This empirical study looks at the day-to-day lives of its inmates at Hyde Park Asylum and follows them to their new home at Newington Asylum on the Parramatta River in 1886. The external and internal administration of the asylum under the Government Asylum’s Boards and later as a sub-department of the Colonial Secretary ‘s office is examined, including the roles of the manager and the matron. / Master of Arts (Hons)

This thesis examines geomorphic processes that impact thermal stratification within floodplain lakes. Previously, thermal stratification was not thought prevalent in these numerous small water bodies, despite being found in small reservoirs. Thermal stratification leads to long term anoxia in the bottom waters and the release of metals and nutrients from the sediments. This can result in water quality problems such as algal blooms (including potentially toxic cyanobacteria), loss of fish habitat and deterioration of wetland habitat. Four floodplain lakes of the Macdonald River Valley NSW were profiled and tested over 3?? years to assess to what extent, under what conditions, and with what chemical and physical effects, they thermally stratified and destratified. The morphometry, bed facies, vegetation, hydrology and local weather patterns for each lake were also investigated. Physical and chemical analyses found elevated nutrients in all four lakes and higher concentrations of total phosphorous and total nitrogen in the bottom waters. These results were not dependant on stable thermal stratification and long-term anoxia in the bottom waters. Inflow samples had much higher concentrations of nutrients than the lake samples, so the catchment is the likely source. Samples were analysed for phytoplankton and significant populations of potentially toxic cyanobacteria were present. Stratification depended upon whether the lake was "sheltered" from wind stirring or from incident radiation, either topographically by steep slopes surrounding the lakes, or by submerged and emergent vegetation. Aquatic vegetation limits the amount of transfer of turbulent kinetic energy from wind shear and the amount of incident radiation received. At one lake, sheltered areas reached temperatures much higher than less sheltered areas. Topographic sheltering can make a difference of up to three degrees Celsius across the lake surface. Destratification depended on wind speed, wind direction and orientation of the lake to the dominant wind direction. An extension to the classification of fluvial lakes (from Timms 1992) is presented, with further subdivisions to describe the lakes as "sheltered" or "open" and the type of sheltering (vegetation or topography) present.