About the Author

Erik Eklund is a Professor of History at Monash University with a strong interest in regional and community history. He has worked at the Gippsland campus since 2008, and more recently at the Berwick campus. His most recent book, Mining Towns: making a living, making a life, was published in 2012 by UNSW Press. His previous work, Steel Town: the making and breaking of Port Kembla won the NSW Premier's Prize for Regional and Community History in 2003. Julie Fenley is the Acting Director of the Monash Centre for Gippsland Studies and lectures in history at Monash Gippsland. Her research focuses on Aboriginal history, and her PhD thesis, Dealing with a Nation: Conceptualising Aboriginal Sovereignty, 1950-1990 examined Indigenous peoples engagement with the Australian state. She also has a broad interest in public history and museum studies, and recent publications have included heritage studies funded by Heritage Victoria.