The Rhode Island Historical Society will host a virtual talk on Tuesday, August 15th at 7pm with former Australian Ambassador and contributing author to The Bridge David Stuart.
In this virtual talk, Stuart will discuss Rhode Island’s role as a major maritime trader following the American Revolution, particularly its reach to Australia and the South Pacific. Exploring this topic through the lens of Gaspee raiders John Brown and Benjamin Page, Stuart will highlight the factors and influences that altered the colonies’ role in the world.
Guests can register for this free Zoom talk by visiting https://bit.ly/DavidStuart
This program is a part of the Rhode Island Historical Society’s yearlong theme “Rhode Island and the World” exploring our small state’s influence and impact on a global scale.
Stuart was Australia’s Ambassador in Vienna from August 2012 until October 2016. His diplomatic career included postings to the United Nations in New York and in Washington, Jakarta, and Madrid. He was a senior representative in UN, IAEA and other discussions on nuclear disarmament, proliferation threats and nuclear safety and security. Now retired, Stuart is researching Australian colonial history. In 2019, he presented papers on “The First US Pivot to the Pacific: American Maritime Contact with the Australian Colonies, 1788–1818” at the Australian Historical Association Conference and “The American Presence in Hobart Town” at the Hobart Whaling Conference, and has since published on American trade with the colonies in History Compass.