Incredibly Weird History of The Weird Men Who Wrote The AUS constitution

Adelaide

Talks on Tuesdays is a live event series bringing big ideas, real experts, and curious minds together - at your favourite local venues. Think thought-provoking lectures, audience questions, and post-talk mingling over drinks and dinner.

This isn’t a uni lecture. It’s a social, intelligent night out.Come alone or with friends, leave with something to talk about.

Event Schedule:

6.30pm Arrival & Doors Open

7pm Lecture Starts

7.45pm Q&A

8pm Talk Concludes

8.30pm Event Closes.

*Please arrive close to 6.30pm

A La Carte menu and full bar available throughout the night - pay as you go.

Your Topic:

The incredibly weird history of the incredibly weird men who wrote the Australian constitution

The Australian Constitution wasn’t written by a room full of solemn nation‑builders, it was hammered out by a collection of wowsers, boozers, eccentrics, spiritualists, and political frenemies whose personal quirks somehow managed to produce a document that has endured for 125 years. In this lively and surprising talk, David Brooks introduces some of the wonderfully odd men behind Federation: from Charles Kingston’s volcanic temper, to Sir Edmund Barton’s fondness for long lunches, to Frederick Holder’s puritanical liberalism, to Alfred Deakin’s habit of consulting the dead for political guidance. Discover how their rivalries, obsessions, and downright weirdness helped create the Constitution we still live under today, and why the story of Federation is far stranger (and far more fun) than the textbooks let on.

Your Speaker: David Brooks

David is a public historian, researcher and writer who has spent most of his adult life deep in South Australia’s historical sources — sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively, mostly happily. His research interests include the South Australian experience of twentieth‑century wars, the development of the state’s democracy, and the endlessly fascinating space where historical narratives meet public memory.
Over the years, David has worked with Flinders University, the South Australian Parliament Research Library, and across the public library sector. He is currently the Research Engagement Lead at the State Library of South Australia and serves as the current Deputy Chair of the South Australian Heritage Council, where he helps care for the places and stories that shape the state.
He also, for reasons that still delight children and confuse adults, sent a toy echidna into space. Twice..