Tom Stannage

Charles Thomas Stannage, (14 March 19444 October 2012) was a prominent Western Australian historian, academic, and Australian rules football player. He edited the major work A New History of Western Australia, which was published in 1981.

Stannage held a professorship in history at the University of Western Australia (UWA) and was executive dean of humanities at Curtin University.

Biography

Early life Tom Stannage was born in Subiaco, Western Australia, on 14 March 1944. His mother, Helen Eakins-Stannage ( Helen Russel Masters) was originally from Northam and his father James Eakins-Stannage was an Anglican cleric born in the United Kingdom .

He grew up in the Perth suburbs of Subiaco and Bassendean and attended Midland Junction High School and Perth Modern School, Maria Stannage later taught English and Literature at St Mary's Anglican Girls' School.

Football career During the early 1960s, Stannage played Australian rules football in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL). He was a left-footed wingman whose small frame did not stop him taking spectacular marks. Stannage showed skills with and former Swans coach John Todd said, "he would have been one of the game's greats had he not chosen academia."

His biggest game was the 1965 WANFL Grand Final when he kicked two goals. Commentator Dennis Cometti said, "the Swans led by 21 after three-quarters, but East Fremantle surged to win." That year he made his debut for Western Australia and he was fifth in the Sandover Medal count. His career included interstate games and he played against Victoria. At 22, he left football to continue his studies having played 54 games for Swan Districts between 1964 and 1967.

Stannage was a member of the West Australian Football League (WAFL) board of directors in 1986, when it was announced that the West Coast Eagles would join the Victorian Football League (later the Australian Football League). Stannage took on the role chairman of selectors during the Eagles' first season. His son Chris was president of Swan Districts between 1996 and 1999, and the two worked closely together. That same year he won the inaugural Prime Minister's Award for Australian University Teacher of the Year.

As a prominent Australian historian, Stannage was invited by federal Minister for Education, Julie Bishop to attend the Australian History Summit, 2006. That same year he was on a panel of five to select The West Australian's 100 most influential people in WA.

Stannage died in Perth on 4 October 2012 at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. He was in a coma after suffering a heart attack eight days earlier. He had two children with his wife. Chris, a lawyer, and Katie, an orthopaedic surgeon.

His older sister, Miriam Stannage (1939–2016), was a prominent artist.

Publications The People of Perth: a Social History of Western Australia's Capital City (1979) Handbook for Aboriginal and Islander History (co-editor, 1979 and 1998) Baldwin Thwarts the Opposition: The British General Election of 1935 (1980)

Western Australia's Heritage: the Pioneer Myth (1985) Embellishing the Landscape: the Images of Amy Heap and Fred Flood, 1920–1940 (1990) Images of Women: Women and Museums in Australia (co-convenor and co-editor, 1994) Principal Australian Historic Themes, a Report Commissioned by the Australian Heritage Commission (co-author, 1993–94) Sir Paul Hasluck in Australian History (co-editor, 1998) Lakeside City: the Dreaming Of Joondalup (1996) Gold and civilisation – with Art Exhibitions Australia & National Museum of Australia (editor, 2001)