Welcome to my blog, Hamsters and Elderberries.  The title is based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, one of my favourite historical comedies of all time. 

My name is Richard, and no, I am not named after King Richard the Lion-Heart, even though my work colleagues call me that.    So, you may wonder what on earth I am doing wasting my brain cells sharing these interests with the whole wide world? I have completed a master’s degree in the field of museum studies in 2016 at The University of Queensland. In 2012, I completed an honors degree in the field of history at the same university.

Since becoming the Education Program Coordinator at the Commissariat Store Museum, the oldest continuously inhabited building in Queensland, I have a hunger to share my knowledge and interests to the broader public. My vision of Hamsters & Elderberries is to mostly be a humorous cacophony of my insights in the areas of history, archaeology, mythology, and popular culture. So, my blogs should not be a cure for insomnia like reading Thucydides. If you want read my professional bio, please click on the about page of Hamsters & Elderberries.

My lifelong interests in history, archaeology, and mythology continue to be influenced by my close relationship with older sister, Dr Yvette Hunt. She completed a PhD in classics and ancient history at The University of Queensland on Imperial Policy towards Pantomine in the Roman Empire.  If you want an interesting and humorous perspective of Ancient History, Archaeology, and Reception, I recommend following her blog Spare a Talent.  Yes, you can see we both enjoy the Monty Python films.

Of course, I should not forget my parents who also encouraged me to pursue higher studies.  This was particularly important as my body was beginning its first signs of caving in my senior years of high school.  Even though both my parents left school in Year 10, which was commonplace in the early 1970s before higher studies were made free by the Whitlam government, they were both deceptively intelligent.  If trivia nights were a thing in their youth, they would have won many prizes.  We had many discussions and debates, many times finishing late at night, whether at home, or travelling.

My interest in the intersections between history and popular culture begun with watching Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone when I was ten years old.  As I read the book more and more, I realized that the book was shaped by contemporary events, such as the troubles in Northern Ireland, 9/11, the 7/7 bombings, and the wars in Afghanistan, and Iraq.  Yes, there will be a future blog in the controversy surrounding J.K Rowling negative opinions towards the trans community, because nothing angers me more than hypocrisy, so buckle your seatbelts for that.

Hamsters & Elderberries will hopefully be a means for me to share my interests with like-minded individuals online.  I would love to hear your thoughts on what inspired you follow your interests. It could your professional career, side hustle, or even your personal hobby, so please leave a comment below. Just a note before signing off, I encourage anybody who reads my posts in Hamsters & Elderberries to fart in my general direction with a comment. If you have more detailed comments, questions, or topics to be covered in Hamsters & Elderberries, please click on the contacts page, and all the relevant information will be there.

Until next time, always look on the bright side of life!