ARARAT’S Julie Suares is now a Doctor of Philosophy in History.
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Dr Suares was awarded her doctorate by Deakin University for her thesis entitled ‘An Ardent Internationalist: Ben Chifley and the New World Order’.
The thesis traces the evolution of Prime Minister J B Chifley, Labor Prime Minister from 1945 to 1949, as an internationalist.
Dr Suares said it demonstrates that his role in Australian foreign policy in the 1940s has been vastly underestimated.
Dr Suares commenced her doctorate on Prime Minister Ben Chifley in 2009 after returning to study as a mature age student and undertaking library qualifications and commencing an Arts degree majoring in history.
Her research skills were recognised early when she was awarded the Philip Brown History Award and she has now been awarded an Honorary Fellowship with the Australian Prime Ministers Centre.
For the past 13 years Dr Suares worked as an electorate officer for the former member for Ripon, Joe Helper, who was the state Minister for Agriculture and Small Business in the Bracks and Brumby governments.
Dr Suares has worked in a number of jobs: as a consultant for an industry training board, library technician, farm hand, shearers’ cook and teacher.
In December 2011, Dr Suares’ article, ‘Engaging with Asia: the Chifley Government and the New Delhi Conferences of 1947 and 1949’, was published in the Australian Journal of Politics and History and in 2014 she presented a paper, ‘An Ardent Internationalist: Ben Chifley and Australian Foreign Policy towards Asia’, at the Australian and New Zealand Studies Association Annual Conference in Austin, Texas, USA.
During her years at Deakin as an off-campus student Dr Suares said she appreciated the way in which the university assisted her.
She said everyone from her supervisor to the librarians and staff at Deakin Research helped her to achieve her goal.
“You can achieve so much if you love learning, work hard and study at a quality university,” she said.