From the Editors

As we write, glimpses of spring are appearing and memories of the crisp clear days we experienced during the Australian Historical Association conference in July have been crowded by the early weeks of semester two. Hosted by the Australian National University in Canberra, the 2018 conference saw the presidency baton pass from Professor Lynette Russell to Professor Joy Damousi. Lynette has served the AHA as president since July 2016 and in this issue you can read her final ‘From the President’. She reports with sadness on recent losses to significant collections of books and papers due to extreme weather events, reminding us of the value and fragility of paper records. The relationship between historical records and climate change is especially poignant in the context of her reflections on the decline of support for the sub-disciplines of the History of Science and Economic History. Lynette shares an account of her research in a rich paper-based (non-digitised) archive pertaining to the Australian Federal Government-sponsored trip to Australia in 1914 of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. This project illuminates an intersection of government and scientific concerns, a nexus that now seems tenuous yet as crucial to our future as ever. We are grateful for the support Lynette has given History Australia during her tenure as AHA president and have enjoyed her written contributions to the journal in this role. We also look forward to working with the new president, Joy Damousi, who will see us through to the end of our time as editors later this year.