Daniel J. Leahy

The latest issue of Australian Railway History landed in my mailbox this morning...

Saw some of my fellow inhabitants of Armidale using surfboards as makeshift sleds this morning! #Australia #Armidale

Three posterettes, one with two men (James (JDK) and Phil over reacting to 'Logbooks & AvDocs' in front of a bookcase, and dated 8 November 2025. Below is a man on a typewriter sitting in an aeroplane cockpit, with the title 'Print the Legend' and 27-28 February 2026. Last is the previously seen poster for the full Aviation Conferences Mk.VIII Conference with the Canadian Aviation Historical Society at the KF Centre for Excellence in Kelowna, Canada, and online, 17-20 June 2026.

It's happening! Aviation Cultures' team announce 2 Spotlight events to join the previously announced Mk.VIII Conference.

The Spotlights are free and online. With topic experts on aviation writing, you don't want to miss them! Stay tuned for details, experts, and maybe YOU can contribute too? -JDK

Iconic WWII bomber 'G for George' returns home to Canberra Lancaster bomber G for George carried 250 aircrew during World War II with no casualties. Now the iconic "lucky bomber" is returning to the Australian War Memorial.

Iconic 'lucky' bomber G for George returns to the Australian War Memorial (via ABC News)...

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

#Canberra #AvroLancaster #WWII #WW2 #BomberCommand

Just had to cook some potato and leek soup earlier in the evening. Soups and stews are my go to when stressed during winter time.

Ooh. By "heavies" I was automatically thinking "heavy bombers". I have been wanting to do a Sunderland for some time to cover the unit a friend's grandfather served with.

Another power outage in Canberra. Welcome to Australia's capital city of the 21st century!

I would so be up for this, but it's just been just too hard with little kids running around and so little space. The 1/32 Lancaster nose might be manageable, but will just have to see.

Just another day in Canberra with the power going out (sounds like a tree got blown on to power lines). I had been working on completing my first railway history paper. Oh well.

Open invitation to the #histscalemodels community:

What perfect album came out when you were 16?

My brother recently sent me a 'knock off Lego' model of the Eagle 5 - a Winnebago with wings - from #Spaceballs. I spent this evening building it...

New additions to my train beanie to recognise my grandfather's service during WWII...

I'd say some geographical / continental distances might be the best for most. Think "size of Texas" sort of thing in Hollywood speak.
I think there might be too much variation on what people understand Earth-Moon distance is.

Watching THE PRESTIGE - it's the first time my partner's seen it yet I'm watching it from the point of someone who knows the tricks. It didn't stop me from shedding a tear at the appearance of Bowie's Tesla.

It's now been 5 weeks since my last drink. That's the longest I've been without alcohol for a number of years.

I had to put said 2021 paper on hold while I wait for some extra info. I have however started my first paper on wartime railways which I hope will lead to me finally compiling my grandfather's memoirs.

Readhead ranting 50 Nerds of Grey You know what I miss? Turning on something and having it just work No registering on another device No signing into an account. No downloading an app. Just plug it in and it does the thing it's supposed to do.

Just reading about Stephen Colbert being cancelled on CBS. One of the few current US television shows I found accessible, entertaining, humorous, and trustworthy.

It has been a relatively successful 36 hours or so. One 2025-26 membership form submitted; a paper I started in 2022 was completed and submitted for publication; and another paper I started in about 2021 has almost been completed. At least it's getting my mind off medical issues.

YouTube video by ssatyan Guns of Navarone

"That's the bloody truth". Just ask Richard Harris.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBJj...

Although I'm only in my mid-40s, at this point in time it seems as if I will never gain employment in the field that I feel I have put so much time and effort into.
(4/4)

Additionally, my approach of conducting historical research as an interest from 2000 (~15 years prior to studying at university) means that experience gained prior to jumping through the 'right' academic hoops is often viewed negatively, despite having graduated since with BA(Hons).
(3/4)

It seems that by putting my PhD on hold due to mental (and more recent physical) health issues, I've put myself in the position of being overqualified for entry level positions and underqualified for academic positions requiring such qualifications.
(2/4)

For the past couple of years I've been searching for work associated with any level of archaeology and/or history, but have had nothing come my way apart from a handful of phone interviews.
A few thoughts after a rather emotional job search phone call this morning...
(1/4)

Share the last movie you watched…

Cover of the book, 'Astrophysics for People in a Hurry', by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Finally started reading 'Astrophysics for People in a Hurry' by @neildegrassetyson.com. Enthralling, but it's something a bit different to what I've gotten used to reading over the past 15 years or so.

I drank my last drop of alcohol at approximately 8 pm on the evening of Friday, 13 June 2025. That's now 4 weeks ago.

A handful of new arrivals over the past week or two...

It's happening! The next Aviation Cultures Conference, Mk.VIII will take place at the KF Centre For Excellence, in Kelowna, BC, Canada, AND online, in partnership with the Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) on 17-20 June 2026. Stay tuned for more details at aviationcultures.org