This is the first issue of the Hummer to be published under the new editorial collective located in the School of Industrial Relations and Organisational Behaviour at the University of New South Wales. At the outset we would like to express our deep appreciation for the commitment and hard work displayed by Andrew Moore in his capacity as Editor of Hummer over the last ten years. We will endeavour to keep up the high standard exhibited in previous issues.
The editorial collective includes Lucy Taksa and Chris Wright as joint editors working in conjunction with Bradon Ellem, Diane Fieldes and John Shields. Our policy for the future will be to publish information and articles submitted by students and scholars, past labour movement activists, as well as trade union officials and members currently involved in industrial struggles. In addition, in keeping with developments in the study of labour history over the last few decades, we would also be extremely interested to receive news and items relating to current labour politics and about social and cultural issues of relevance to the labour movement.
This issue includes a paper by a visiting Canadian labour historian which was presented to the Sydney Branch by Greg Kealey in December 1992. This sets a precedent which we hope to follow in the future. We will attempt, wherever possible, to publish the presentations given to the Branch for those who are unable to attend them. We also encourage readers to approach Hummer with requests for information. For this purpose, Hummer’s future issues will carry an item called Noticeboard. The next issue will be devoted primarily to profiles of current research being conducted by our members, archival holdings of potential use for such research and requests for information.