The First New South Wales Labor Government 1910-1916 : Two Memoirs - William Holman and John Osborne

In 2006, New South Wales will celebrate 150 years of responsible government. Under the direction of Premier Bob Carr, the Government has a appointed a committee chaired by Rodney Cavalier to undertake and publish scholarly research on the passage of those years. UNSW Press is publishing several of these titles. The Labor Party was first elected to office in NSW in 1910. One of the senior members of the Government, becoming Premier in 1913, was William Holman. An important backbencher at the same time was John Osborne, Member for Paddington from 1910 to 1919. This book contains the edited memoirs of both men that describe a similar period: Holman was concerned with the Labor Government that lasted from 1910 till the disastrous split over conscription in 1916; Osborne reviewed the same period and events, while adding some chapters on the period from 1916 to 1920 when Holman was Premier of a Nationalist (and anti-Labor) administration. Both perspectives are valuable and complementary. Holman can provide an insider's view of the tempestuous events of the period, although there is a clear element of self-justification. Osborne is both an admirer and critic of Holman, so that his account can claim to be more balanced, although it lacks the details of negotiations that make Holman's account so interesting. Holman's memoir was originally serialised in "The Bulletin" after his death in the 1930s, while Osborne's account was self-published as "Nine Crowded Years" in 1921 and is now out of print.