Symposium and Workshop on the ADB

The Australian Dictionary of Biography is celebrating an important milestone this year. On 19 June 1959 the Dictionary’s provisional Editorial Committee met for the first time in the office of its chairman, (Sir) Keith Hancock, at Old Canberra Hospital. Also in attendance were committee members, Professors Manning Clark and Jim Davidson, Laurie Fitzhardinge, Dr Robin Gollan and Ann Mozley (Moyal), the ADB’s first paid employee. They defined their objective as the publication of the Dictionary of Australian Biography (as it was then called) within ten years and set up two Working Parties to organise the first two volumes. Since then 18 volumes of the ADB, containing some 11,500 biographies by over 4500 authors, have been published.

To celebrate the ADB’s first 50 years, the NCB is hosting a symposium, ‘Between the Past and Future: The Australian Dictionary of Biography’ on 1 December 2009 in the Haydon Allen Theatre at the ANU. All are welcome to attend.

The program is still being finalised but confirmed speakers include:

• Dr Jim Davidson, biographer of the ADB’s founding father, Keith Hancock
• John Calvert, biographer of the ADB’s first General Editor, Douglas Pike
• Dr Chris Cunneen, ADB Research Fellow (1974-82) and deputy General Editor, 1982-96
• Professor Geoffrey Bolton, who has been associated with the ADB as an author and Editorial Board member from its beginning
• Professor Jill Roe, chair, ADB Editorial Board (1996-2006) and instigator of ADB Online

At 5.30 pm we will be hosting a function to celebrate the ADB’s 50th birthday and to launch the ADB Endowment Fund campaign.

Those interested in attending the symposium should contact us at ncb@anu.edu.au. The program and registration details will be posted on the NCB’s website when they are finalised.

The proceedings will be taped and will also be published by the NCB’s E-Press series.

The Editorial Board and ADB staff will be meeting in a workshop on 2 December to discuss future editorial directions for the ADB.