Centre for Western Australian History, 1985-2008

The Centre celebrated its 21st year with a function in the University Club in October 2006. Joining the Vice Chancellor, Professor Alan Robson and 180 guests, was the Governor of Western Australia, His Excellency Dr Ken Michael AC, who launched the latest issue of Studies in Western Australian History - Building a Colony: The Convict Legacy, 24, 2006 - at the same event.

Anne Brake and Jacqui Sherriff, editors of Building a Colony: The Convict Legacy,
with Jenny Gregory, His Excellency the Governor of WA and Jean Chetkovich.

From all accounts the idea for a Centre for WA History belongs to Professor Tom Stannage and was developed in the early 1980s. Tom was then a young academic emerging from a flurry — perhaps a torrent — of intense historical research, writing and editing (People of Perth, A New History of WA and several issues of Studies in Western Australian History). All were occasioned by the Sesqicentenary, the 150th anniversary of the foundation of Western Australia.

Tom, with Professor Brian de Garis, were the key Australianists in the Department of History at that time. Over and above their teaching and research loads were the innumerable requests for assistance and advice about Western Australian history that they received during the years leading up to and following the sesquicentenary.

They were also increasingly aware that, although the sesquicentenary had generated a very large number of ‘history’ publications, many were of dubious quality. They were often written by people with the best of intentions but little or no historical training — hence the information they contained was often unreferenced, there was rarely any sense of context and sometimes common errors and myths were perpetuated.

So they discussed the idea of establishing a Centre for WA History which could encourage the research and writing of Western Australian history to the highest professional standards. It would also provide employment for honours and postgraduate students in history — remembering that this was a time when academia was beginning to constrict, and there were few academic positions available for history postgraduates.

It was also a time when ‘Public History’ — that is historians working in the community as professional historians, as independent researchers, as museum curators, or working in the heritage industry — was emerging in the US, UK and in Australia. Again this was in response to diminishing academic opportunities, but it was also a reflection of the thirst for historical knowledge appearing within western society.

Professor John Tonkin, then Head of Department, skilfully took the idea of establishing a Centre devoted to WA History forward, until in 1985 suddenly the Centre was a reality.

It was a reality, but there were hardly any funds and hence no administrative support. Apart from a tiny amount of financial assistance from the department, the Centre was expected to generate its own funding. Hence when Brian de Garis became the first Director of the Centre, it was part of his teaching and research duties. An impossible situation, so it was soon decided to engage a part-time historian to lead the Centre, the Department provided an office and Dr Carolyn Polizzotto was engaged as the Centre’s first paid Director. Within a few years, and after setting the Centre on its feet, Carolyn took off to follow an illustrious career as a writer.

Jenny Gregory was appointed to the part-time position in 1989, remaining at the Centre for nine years, latterly with the support of a very able part-time Administrative Officer — Julia Ball. Following Jenny’s departure in late 1997, the Director’s 0.5 role was ably handled by Dr Jan Gothard until 1999, and then by Dr Helen Merrick for a short period. They were supported first by Julia Ball and then by Christine Giles as Administrative Officer.

In 2000 Jenny returned as Director but for very limited hours and so restructured the Centre to enable an Associate Director to be appointed. Lucy Williams, and then Jacqui Sherriff and, since 2003, Dr Jean Chetkovich have provided marvellous support to the Centre as Associate Director. For most 2006 Jean Chetkovich has been acting Director of the Centre and takes over as Director in 2007.

For 21 years the Centre for WA History has played the leading role in the research and writing of Western Australian history.

It has received financial support from time to time from the discipline of History, the School of Humanities, the Faculty of Arts and the Vice Chancellery, for which those of us who have been associated with the Centre have been very grateful. But for most of its life the Centre has been entirely self-funding, attracting considerable research funding and providing employment for a significant number of historians.

In its 21 years the Centre has had nearly 30 books published from research and writing undertaken under its auspices. A number of these books have been short-listed for or won major awards.

The Centre has consulted to many organizations requiring historical research and writing, has undertaken heritage reports, developed oral history archives and from time to time has organised conferences and seminars in Western Australian history. In doing this, the Centre has forged links with many organisations at both national and state level.

The Centre has also provided a huge amount of expert advice to the community on the research and writing of history, Indeed the depth of community involvement generated by the Centre and its projects is astonishing. The Centre now has a membership of over 600. The Historical Encyclopedia of Western Australia, developed under the auspices of the Centre and to be published in late 2007, has over 400 contributors and 100 expert readers.

The Centre continues to publish the pre-eminent journal in Western Australian history, Studies in Western Australian History. Studies was established in 1934, and has been published by the Centre since 1989. Since 1989 fifteen issues have been published containing some 142 articles by more than 100 authors. The continuous publication of a journal devoted to the state’s history for so many years is a remarkable achievement, unmatched by any other Australian university.

Of course the continuing publication of Studies could not have happened without financial support. For many years the R&I Bank and then Bank West supported its publication. And more recently Studies has been generously supported by Andrew Gill, while individual issues have received top-up funding from a range of organisations including Murdoch University, the Women's Policy Development Office, from Dwyer Durack Lawyers and Prime Focus Consulting.

The Centre has been run on a shoestring. Nearly all the funds we receive are used to employ others to research and write history. We have achieved a great deal, but of course much more could be done.

The University of Western Australia has an impressive international reputation in a variety of fields. But it has never forgotten the importance of the local community of which it is a part. It has had an outstanding on-going commitment to the Western Australian community, and continues to maintain a focus on the local as well as the international.

At a time when the study of history, let alone Western Australian history, is in decline at most Western Australian universities, the university continues to support the research and teaching of history.

Today there is a great hunger to understand the past. History programmes proliferate on television. There has been much debate about the nature and place of history in schools and in contemporary society. Much of that has been played out in the pages of the newspapers. I can’t think of a time when history has had a higher profile.

All involved with the Centre are confident that the Centre for Western Australian History will continue to encourage the teaching, research and writing of the history of our region for many years into the future.