Timeline: ANUHJ (1964-87)

The ANU Historical Society was formed in June 1964 with Scott Bennett as president. Although it is not completely clear whether the Journal preceded the Society, the publication of the first issue of the ANUHJ only six months later suggests that they were a joint venture. The Society was active in the late 1960s and 1970s, organising…

The first issue of the ANU Historical Journal (ANUHJ), edited by Alastair Davidson, Ron Fraser and Anne Kingston, was launched in the Haydon-Allen Building by Professor Manning Clark on 3 December 1964. The issue included seven contributions, featuring an article by TL Suttor, titled 'Shades of Green. Other contributions included T. Godfrey-Smith on…

In December 1965, the Ambassador of Ireland, Dr Eoin MacWhite, hosted a reception to launch the second issue of the ANU Historical Journal at the Irish Embassy. MacWhite, himself a historian, had published the leading article in the issue, titled 'Ireland in Russian Eyes under the Tsars'. The number was edited by Anne Kingston, Mother…

The third issue of the ANU Historical Journal was notable for its new and enthusiastic editorial committee as well as a number of important articles including Ken Inglis’s 'Return to Gallipoli' and Margaret George’s article on the annexation of New Guinea. Leading the editorial committee for the 1966 number was Martin Gascoigne and John Iremonger,…

In 1970, Woroni considered the Society ‘one of the largest and most vigorous societies on campus’. One of the most popular events they organised were the regular film screenings—frequently advertised in the Canberra Times with admission of 25 cents—which included Lawrence of Arabia, Major Dundee and The Wild One. In November 1970, the editors published the…

Known as 'Footnote', the ANU Historical Society's newsletter, was first published in 1970. Signed 'D.R.S. Bruce Hall', it appears to have been the work of Dennis Shoesmith, now a Professor of History at Charles Darwin University. The first Footnote announced the results for the most recent election of the History Society and Journal, and the…

The 1973 & 74 editors, Doug Munro, K.B. Jackson and Phil Carpenter, published the first index to the ANUHJ which listed every contribution to the first nine numbers of the Journal (this included 55 research articles, two notes, 27 reviews and three obituaries). As it was a double issue the price of the Journal…

Until 1981, the ANUHJ continued largely uninterrupted. In 1979, one annual report even claimed that the Society was providing a ‘very precious contribution to the general harmony prevailing within the Department’. Yet, the Journal appears to have suddenly lost momentum in 1982. The problem seems to have continued and in a staff meeting in 1985,…

In May 2019, after two years of planning and editing, the first revived number of the ANU Historical Journal is published. Part of the journey to reviving the journal involved researching the old journal, which had been long forgotten by many academics at the university. In an effort to unravel the history of the ANUHJ, the 2019 number features…