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PREFACES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FROM EARLIER VOLUMES
VOLUME ONE
Preface
This volume sprang from the belief of Darwin historian Peter Spillett that Northern Territory history, with its distinctive
themes of ‘last frontier’, Australian colonialism and the direct impact of war, warranted a much wider biographical record
than could be provided in a national publication such as the Australian Dictionary of Biography. In 1983, a working
party was set up under the auspices of the Northern Territory University Planning Authority to formulate criteria for
inclusion and to contact potential authors. Darwin Institute of Technology took up the support of the project in 1985 and
at that time, the working party became an Editorial Committee. In mid-1986, the project transferred, with the General
Editor, to the newly created University College of the Northern Territory. The amalgamation on 1 January 1989 brought
the Institute and the University College together as the Northern Territory University. The project continues with that
body. Several early decisions have shaped this work; firstly, that the spread of entries should provide a broad reflection
of life in the Territory rather than focussing upon eminent public figures. Thus, while public figures are represented,
they are not all here. Many who were representative of sections of Territory society, in time, geographical distribution,
occupation, are included.
A special effort has been made to record the lives of migrant groups, women and Aborigines, those people whose
contribution to Territory society has been great but often poorly documented. In that regard, another decision was
made: that it was better to publish what could be found on such people, no matter how incomplete, than to leave them
unrecorded. It was also determined that authors be sought from the widest possible range of strands in the Australian and
Northern Territory population: represented in this volume are professional historians and eminent academics, students,
librarians, those whose work or special interests have given them knowledge of people of the past, members of pioneer
families with access to family archives. The wide range of authorial occupations and interests is matched by the range
of writing styles; for we have rejected the established custom of editorially-imposed unity in favour of allowing the
maximum permissible expression of personality, attitude - and even idiosyncracy - to come through in the writings of
each author; ‘colour’ is not incompatible with historical worth. Lastly, we have kept firmly in mind that the main interest
of this volume is the Northern Territory. Many of those recorded here had extended careers outside the Territory; in all
cases, their Territory experience is the focal point of the entries.
This volume spans the period from the early British and French explorers of the Northern Territory coast to 1945,
- and all those recorded herein are dead. Within that period, our work has shown, there are many, many more who would
be worthy subjects for inclusion in a work of this kind; and there is a whole generation since 1945 as yet unrecorded.
They are to be the subjects of later volumes in this series.
Acknowledgements
This volume is very much the result of combined effort. From the earliest days of the project, members of the Editorial
Committee, Don Brech, Jack Haydon, Michael Loos, Vern O’Brien and Peter Spillett have consistently given it strong
support and the benefits of wide knowledge in Territory history. There could be no more energetic and able Deputy
General Editor than David Carment. Helen Wilson admirably overcame the administrative and academic problems of
getting the project under way. Long after Helen had moved on to academe, my research assistant Robyn Maynard earned
special mention because she took up the cause when it seemed to have lost all momentum and, in two strenuous years,
brought it to fruition. Kerry Davies brought the final version to order. From 1985, Mr Kevin Davis, Director of the
Darwin Institute of Technology encouraged the project and generously provided logistical support from the resources of
D.I.T. Professor Jim Thomson, Warden of the University College of the Northern Territory, did likewise from mid-1986;
and both, as Deputy Vice Chancellors of the Northern Territory University, have continued their support; it is fitting that
this volume should be one of the first major publications of the new tertiary institution. Evi Adams and Donna Duke,
with their usual speed and efficiency, reduced the mass of material to coherent order on the word-processor. There were
many outside the Northern Territory who contributed materially, too: foremost amongst them were Dr Geoffrey Serle
and Dr Chris Cunneen of the Australian Dictionary of Biography who provided many leads and allowed us the use of
their vast research findings. Our research assistants in Canberra, Pati Sharp and Alan Fraser, provided a firm basis for
many entries. Registrars of Births, Deaths and Marriages in several States and in the Northern Territory did all they could
to facilitate our research.
Lastly, there are the people who created this volume - the contributors. We owe them everything.
ALAN POWELL
General Editor