Kate Bagnall
LightNews LightNews
banner
baibi.bsky.social
Kate Bagnall
@baibi.bsky.social
1.4K followers 470 following 160 posts
Currently: Exhausted by long COVID. Usually: Histories of migration, citizenship, family and the law. Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Senior Lecturer in Humanities at UTAS.
Always: Missing south China and wishing my Cantonese was better.
Posts Replies Media Videos
baibi.bsky.social
RIP my sweet Molly dog (13 Jan 2012 – 22 Oct 2025)
A smiley black Labrador dog sitting in front of a river at sunset
October 22, 2025 at 5:13 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Happy 6 years at UTAS to me!

(And thank you to the colleague who saw that this job and I were suited)
Screenshot of a text message that says, ‘Dear Kate, I think you’d be a fantastic applicant for this UTAS job’, followed by a link to the position of lecturer/senior lecturer in Humanities at the University of Tasmania
September 25, 2025 at 9:58 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Today I took custody of a box of historical materials that were purchased in a Launceston antique shop many years ago – I suspect they came out of the old Sun Hung Ack store. Among the treasures are a collection relating to the Tasmanian See Yip Club (which I knew existed but nothing more!)
A selection of historical documents relating to the Tasmanian Chinese See Yip Social Club, including blank membership cards, rule book and account book
September 11, 2025 at 9:30 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Today was my last day of sick leave – on Monday I return to work (0.4FTE) after 4 months off. It was a happy day of errands, lunching with a munchkin and her mum, and chatting with my teenager. I don’t know how my return to work will go, but I’m hopeful that this time I can make it work🤞. #longCOVID
Photo of Kate, a middle aged woman with curly hair and glasses, and a baby sitting at a table in a cafe in Moonah. The baby’s face has been covered with an emoji sticker of a baby’s head.
September 5, 2025 at 11:42 AM
baibi.bsky.social
I spent the afternoon representing UTAS Family History at Convict Connections at the Cascades Female Factory, looking out these windows over the walls of the Female Factory to a snowy kunanyi. (It’s on again tomorrow if you want help with convict ancestors!)

femalefactory.org.au/event/convic...
View out of a row of windows looking over the sandstone wall of the Female Factory and trees towards kunanyi Mt Wellington.
August 30, 2025 at 12:39 PM
baibi.bsky.social
Good morning from Hobart!
Colour photo of an amazing sunrise over the Derwent River; the clouds are shades of pink and orange and yellow
June 22, 2025 at 9:33 PM
baibi.bsky.social
Snap!
View from Sandy Bay across the Derwent River, showing a very blue sky with streaky white clouds above the river and a beach.
May 21, 2025 at 1:13 AM
baibi.bsky.social
This week I’ve unexpectedly found myself in hospital. I’d hoped to be able to go home today, but it wasn’t to be. Meanwhile it’s naps, Netflix, and pain management.
Looking up towards a window with Venetian blinds. The blinds are slightly open and through them are a high-rise building and sky.
April 10, 2025 at 5:54 AM
baibi.bsky.social
I suspect most people I interact with on a day-to-day basis don’t know I’m unwell, or think that I’m all better – but for me and many, many others our lives and those of our families have been irreparably changed by COVID.
Graphic with a teal coloured background, stating ‘International Long COVID Awareness Day March 15 2025’, with the teal, black and grey Long COVID ribbon in the centre
March 14, 2025 at 11:17 PM
baibi.bsky.social
Good morning from Hobart!
Photograph of the morning sky looking south down the Derwent river over trees in the foreground. It is sunrise and the sky is a mixture of orange and blue clouds.
March 11, 2025 at 8:12 PM
baibi.bsky.social
They are happy things! Mine remind me of my grandmother who always had them on her kitchen windowsill.
A vigorously flowering purple frilled African Violet plant in a small white ceramic pot.
February 28, 2025 at 11:05 PM
baibi.bsky.social
Happy Year of the Snake! 蛇年大吉!

Today is 元旦 (yùhn daan), New Year’s Day.

Here’s my recipe for 發糍, ‘faat tay’ or prosperity cake, which are made in southwestern Taishan, Guangdong, during New Year.

chineseaustralia.org/faat-tey-new...
Three small steamed cakes on a plate. On the top of the cakes is black moss and black sesame seeds.
January 29, 2025 at 10:33 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Happy New Year from Hobart!
December 31, 2024 at 1:22 PM
baibi.bsky.social
Magical sky over the Derwent this evening!
Photograph of a sunset with a golden glowing rainbow and pink and blue clouds and sky
November 28, 2024 at 9:33 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Irks me though that Hobart’s parading dragon is draped in flags…
Yellow Chinese dragon, carried by 11 people, parading as part of Hobart’s Christmas Pageant. Near the head of the dragon are the Australian and PRC flags.
November 23, 2024 at 2:44 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Delightful mix of community groups out for Hobart’s Christmas Pageant today - three pipe bands (!), schools, multicultural community organisations, sports clubs, fire brigade, the ABC, and more.
Parade with a pipe band progressing down a Hobart street with crowds lining the road Parade with old fire trucks progressing down a Hobart street with crowds lining the road
November 23, 2024 at 12:39 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Today I gave my first research paper in more than a year - fully scripted and with lots of slides - at a workshop I co-organised discuss proposed chapters for a new edited collection. Exhausted now, but it feels so good that my brain is working better than it has been for a long time. 🗃️
Three slides from my presentation on Section 3(m) of Australia’s Immigration Restriction Act 1901. Two of the slides have lovely photographs of Chinese women (and their families) who applied to migrate to Australia in the early 20th century.
October 29, 2024 at 6:54 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Tasmanian gum trees in Canton! In Sydney today uncovering some more early Tasmania-China connections, these ones forged by Hobart-born businessman RWK Chen in the 1930s. #familyhistory #everydayheritage
Newspaper clipping about Tasmanian gum trees taken to China in 1932 Photo of RWK Chen and four Chinese officials in China, early 1930s
October 7, 2024 at 7:05 AM
baibi.bsky.social
I’m working on an invited essay about my approach to history, and for inspiration this afternoon I read this little 1991 volume with essays by four of Australia’s earliest feminist historians, written when they were around the age I am now. Each one resonated in different ways. 🗃️
Front cover of book titled FEMINIST HISTORIES with a line drawing of a group of women at a rally with a banner than reads ‘Women’s Liberation’ Contents page of the book ‘Feminist Histories’: Joy Damousi Foreword Jill Julius Matthews Learning to see with peripheral vision Patricia Grimshaw Falling into women’s history Ann Curthoys Romancing the past Marilyn Lake Taking our past with us Acknowledgements
October 1, 2024 at 7:41 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Happy 5 years at UTAS to me!

(Who wouldn’t love a workplace where you get visits from puppies like Ted?)
Kate Bagnall pictured sitting in her university office holding a small and very cute dog whose name-tag says ‘Ted’.
September 23, 2024 at 9:02 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #543,136!
Celebrating 10M users #543,136 Kate Bagnall @baibi.bsky.social Joined Aug 11, 2023
September 19, 2024 at 11:27 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Today I visited a Hobart family to look through their photo albums, research for one of the case studies for our Chinese Tasmanian ‘Everyday Heritage’ project. Among the many Tasmanian photos are a handful taken in China, including in Canton and Macau in 1912. Such treasures! 🗃️
Black and white snapshot of three men standing on a ledge of a Chinese pagoda. Handwritten caption reads Pagoda Canton 1912. Black and white snapshot of an elaborately decorated Chinese temple. Handwritten caption reads Chinese Temple.
August 28, 2024 at 7:01 AM
baibi.bsky.social
I did a fun work thing this weekend that reminded me of the me I was before long COVID. Nothing I enjoy more than helping people make sense of the complicated lives of their ancestors – in this case, an early mixed Chinese-Irish-English Tasmanian family. 🗃️
Photograph of a garden early on a winter morning in Hobart, with a large frosty lawn and bare fruit trees with larger trees on the horizon
July 7, 2024 at 8:35 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Oh look! My open access article in History Australia (on the Potter v. Minahan High Court case) is ranked #2 in the journal’s 2023 Altmetic scores! doi.org/10.1080/1449... 🗃️
Screenshot of a post from the History Australia account on X / Twitter listing 2023 History Australia Altmetric scores
January 29, 2024 at 9:50 AM
baibi.bsky.social
Grey clouds and rainbows on this summer Sunday evening in Hobart.
View of a vibrant rainbow against grey clouds above the Wrest Point Casino and Derwent River in Hobart
January 21, 2024 at 7:47 AM