Cirrus@Austlit

'On 20 January 2017 a large crowd of family members, friends and colleagues filled the picturesque Pearl Beach Memorial Hall on the New South Wales Central Coast for the funeral of the highly regarded and much-loved Australian historian Jillian Isobel (Jill) Roe. She had died eight days earlier at the nearby home she shared with her partner of more than four decades and fellow historian Beverley (Bev) Kingston. Professor Emerita of Modern History at Macquarie University, Jill received many honours, including Officer of the Order of Australia, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, Fellow of the Federation of Australian Historical Societies, Emeritus Curator at the State Library of New South Wales and the Australian Dictionary of Biography Medal. Speakers at the funeral discussed her varied achievements encompassing teaching, research, scholarship, writing, leadership in collaborative projects, and service to community and professional organisations. They recalled her charm, friendship, persuasiveness and warm sense of humour.' (Introduction)

'Aboriginal involvement in World War I is at once complex and full of contradictions. During the Great War, many Aboriginal people and communities were keen to enlist and supportive of the war effort while others spoke out against conscription and the war. It is important to trace Aboriginal voices both during and after the war to comprehend what Aboriginal people had to say about the conflict. This article seeks to provide answers to some of these tantalising issues, and snapshots of the Aboriginal WWI experience. These complex stories will fill gaps in the mythic Australian First World War narrative.' (Publication abstract)

'In spite of the old adage, I often judge a book by its cover and this one rates rather well. It features a charming family photograph of women and children taken around 1920. There is not the smallest hint of the glamour of the jazz age decade to come, but it is arresting all the same. For it captures a fleeting moment of relaxed domestic joy and is the sort of rare photographic relic any family would treasure. The family in question is the Hewetts, and they are chief among Graeme Davison’s cavalcade of Lost Relations.' (Introduction)