Occasional Series on Australian Editors
Occasional Series Project Update – September 2008
The principal aim of the Occasional Series on Australian Editors (OSAE) oral, print, pictorial and digital archival project is to raise the profile of editors and promote the editing profession.
The concept for the Occasional Series was initially sparked by One of the First and One of the Finest, commissioned by Lisa Berryman and published by the Society of Editors (Victoria) in 1991.
The Occasional Series working group first met in November 2004, with the aim of scoping the Occasional Series project, liaising with state and territory societies of editors in Australia and planning a program for the Series.
In 2005, the working group hosted a panel ‘Some of the Finest: Honorary Life Members’ at the national editors conference in Melbourne (13–15 October). Panel participants wereSheila Allison (Tasmania), Pamela Ball (South Australia), Loma Snooks (ACT), Lee White (Victoria) and participating chair, Renée Otmar (Victoria). The working group recorded the panel session, and facilitated and recorded interviews with eight Honorary Life Members at the 2005 conference, including the above editors and Wendy Sutherland (Victoria), Beryl Hill (Victoria) and Robyn Colman (Tasmania).
The first volume in the series Editors in Conversation published by Australian Scholarly Publishing (2007) includes the abovementioned interviews in conversation style with eight Honorary Life Members and the panel session recorded at the 2005 conference. The first volume was launched at the Institute of Professional Editors 2007 conference in Hobart (9–12 May).
During 2007 and 2008, the Occasional Series working group continued to facilitate and record interviews with particular Honorary Life Members in conversation including Basil Walby and Nick Hudson (Victoria); Barbara Ker Wilson (NSW and Queensland) and Janette Whelan (Queensland); Colin Jevons and Teresa Pitt (Victoria); and Ruth Dixon and Jackie Yowell (Victoria). This material will be published in the second volume Editors in Conversation 2 in 2009.
The Occasional Series working group is currently preparing a first deposit of print and digital archives to the State Library of Victoria. Updates will be posted on this website, and occasional articles will be published about the Occasional Series project.
We will continue to generate material on Australian editors and the editing profession and seek wider promotion and publication of Occasional Series oral, print and digital archival material.
2008 Occasional Series working group: Kerry Biram, Diane Brown (convenor), Jenny Craig and Wendy Owen.
The OSAE Working Group, from left to right, Kerry Biram, Jenny Craig, Diane Brown and Wendy Owen.