Narrative of a Nation in “Leadership Houses”

WfaAR attends a symposium “Narratives of Nations” held by The Australiana Fund and The White House Historical Association at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra. This fascinating afternoon with guest speaker, Dr Curtis Sandberg, Director of the David M Rubenstein National Centre for White House History and Senior Vice President of Educational Resources of The White House Historical Association led WfaAR to deeply ponder the significance of the symbolism and history embedded in The White House that is without parallel in Australia. We have more “leadership residences”, four in all, but they are invisible to the population and not endowed with the same mystical qualities of deeply held nationalism and historical intrigue as the American White House is, not to date anyway. Of further interest was the information imparted about the practical education programs run by The White House Historical Association, principally directed at teachers, to incorporate White House themes and references in their lesson plans across all curriculum subjects.