Ian W. Shaw
Pandemic
The Spanish Flu in Australia 1918-20
Woodslane Press, 2020
Between January 1919 and March 1920, two waves of Spanish flu swept across Australia, touching every settlement from the bottom of Tasmania to the tip of Cape York and from Byron Bay in the east to Broome in the west.
At least 15,000 people died and many more were incapacitated but medical and health specialists, by literally putting their lives on the line, saved countless more and gave Australia a template for what was to come at the country exactly a century later. This book tells the story of the Australian experience of the Spanish Flu and of those who fought it and sometimes lost their lives to it.
Winner 2020 - ACT Notable Award for Fiction (Small Press)
“This accessible, syncretic history of Australia’s experience with the early twentieth-century flu epidemic is a very timely offering. It presents a considered and detailed nation-wide account, with an international comparative dimension and a focus on the contributions of individuals, health services and government, which also outlines Australian involvement in developing the Coryza vaccine.”
About the Author
Ian W. Shaw is an acclaimed writer of narrative nonfiction who has made an important contribution to Australian history and to the understanding of our nation. After a decade of school teaching and twenty-five years working as a security risk analyst for both government agencies and large private companies, Ian became a full-time writer in 2012. Ian has published eight works on Australian and military history, all of which are characterised by his ability to locate and access hidden tales from our past, and for his meticulous and far-reaching research.
