Cirrus@Austlit

' I was greatly honoured to give the Garth Boomer address in 2020. I had sat and listened to it a number of times in what now seems a peculiar luxury - a real seat in a real auditorium, surrounded by my fellow human beings, with that special conference camaraderie and joie de vivre when like-minded people collectively celebrate a very special occasion. In the strange year 2020, I 'spoke' at the superbly organised online event, the combined AATE and IFTE conference - so we made history, it being the first 'virtual' address. I write in the spirit of a 'talk', a set of rhetorical flourishes where to quote literature is as important as any statistic. I very much felt I was in Sydney in spirit and that the sense of community and celebration were still there - and Garth's spirit was surely there too, enlivening us all.' (Publication abstract)