The Whalers — WA's Albany was — and remains — a whaling town. From the 1830s until 1978, whales were hunted and processed there. The town is again riding on the whales' back through the tourist sport of whale watching, and it is worth more than the old trade ever was. ABC Radio National, Sunday, December 1, 2.05pm.
Bush Fires — As the annual bush fire season approaches, radio documentary maker and volunteer fire fighter John Tognolini presents a fascinating social history of the volunteer Blue Mountains Bush Fire Brigade. He looks at a year in the life of the brigade through the experiences of three colleagues. He covers the frequent missions between bush fires, when volunteers are called out to recover the bodies of suicide victims or search for lost hikers. As well there is the mundane but vital task of selling raffle tickets to buy the essential equipment that should be bought by government. ABC Radio National, Sunday, December 8, 8.30pm, and Saturday, December 28, 3.30pm.
Ecology and Empire — A report on the legacy of British imperialism on the landscapes of Australia, the US and South Africa (where the history of the national parks offers a new perspective on the history of apartheid). ABC Radio National, Sunday, December 15, 2.05pm.
William Morris — Morris' biographer Fiona McCarthy and other Morris experts talk about the utopian socialist, designer, artist and poet on the centenary of his death. ABC Radio National, Saturday, December 21, 1.30pm.
Sex, Drugs, Blood and Death — A repeat of the series about the history and impact of HIV/AIDS. Begins Sunday, December 22, 2.05pm, then subsequent Sundays (repeated Thursday, December 26 and subsequent Thursdays at the same time).
Shostakovich's The Bolt — The scenario, of a Communist hero falsely accused of causing a factory incident, was unappealing to Shostakovich, but to refuse invitation to compose a work for the Russian ballet at the height of a political campaign by the Stalinist regime to eradicate "industrial sabotage" would have been seen as counter-revolutionary. The composer got into hot water anyway because he introduced humour into the subject. The ballet was withdrawn after one performance and never revived. ABC Classic FM, Monday, December 23, 9.15pm.
The Sports Factor: the 1936 Olympics — How apparent was it to the Australian team that Hitler was using the Olympics to promote Nazi ideology and Aryan supremacy? ABC Radio National, Saturday, December 28, 7.30am.
Eric Bogle in concert — A songwriter of some of the best protest songs, including "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" and "No Man's Land". ABC Radio National, Sunday, December 29, 4.05pm (repeated Saturday, January 4, 10.05pm).
Narita — Thirty years ago a group of farmers started a protest movement against the building of an airport outside Tokyo at Narita. Their cause became the focus for the Japanese new left; the activists fought with sit-ins, Molotov cocktails and even rocket attacks. Tony Barrell and Rick Tanaka talk to the radicals of the 1970s to see how, and if, they have settled down, who is still fighting on, who won, who lost and how they feel 30 years later. ABC Radio National, Sunday, December 29, 8.30pm.