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October marks the seventieth anniversary of the first British nuclear test in Australia, in 1952. 130 kilometres off the Pilbara coast of Western Australia, the Monte Bello Islands were the site for what came to be known as 'Operation Hurricane'.
It was the first of several nuclear tests conducted on Australian territory in the 1950s, and the first ever conducted by the United Kingdom. Given the geopolitical implications of the Cold War and Australia's obligations to Britain as a Commonwealth nation, the Menzies government authorised the Monte Bello atomic bomb tests despite the hazards of radioactivity. Further tests continued until a month before the opening of the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne – despite the known dangers of fallout travelling from the testing site at Maralinga to cities in the east.
AIIA Victoria invites you to a discussion with Sue Rabbitt Roff as she challenges the official narrative of events based on extensive archival research in Australia, the UK and the USA.
[If you are booking a webinar ticket, we will email you an access link on the day of the event. The webinar will commence at 5.30pm AEDT].
AIIA Victoria gratefully acknowledges the Walter Mangold Trust Fund for its ongoing support of our young members.
To download the pdf flyer please click here.
