Acknowledgements

This book was written on Ngunnawal, Ngambri and Awabakal country. I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, their rich history and culture, and Elders past and present. Sovereignty was never ceded, and colonisation is an ongoing project.

This book began its journey as PhD thesis. During my doctoral research, I was the fortunate beneficiary of the Australian Government Research Training Program and the University of Newcastle Provisional Research Degree Scholarship. Without this financial support, which has allowed me to travel, research and present in Australia and the United Kingdom, this project would not have come to fruition. I also wish to acknowledge the support I received as a recipient of the International Australian Studies Association 2021 Early Career Researcher Publication Subsidy Scheme and the Australian Academy of the Humanities 2021 Publication Subsidy. Finally, I am indebted to the countless archivists and librarians who guided me in my research at the National Archives of Australia, National Library of Australia, the UK’s National Archives and British Library.

I am forever grateful for the supportive research community that I have been a part of at the University of Newcastle and elsewhere. I could not have completed a project of this magnitude without the guidance of my supervisors, Associate Professor Wayne Reynolds and Dr Kit Candlin. For your expertise, encouragement and attention to my emotional wellbeing, I am sincerely grateful. I am thankful for the insight and warm encouragement extended by the History Department and my fellow postgraduates. I would like to make a special note of thanks to Peter Hooker, Dr Michael Kilmister and Pearl Nunn—your kindness never failed to encourage me during moments of doubt. A very special thank you to Dr Liam Kane—your care, humour and tenacity have buoyed me through difficult months, and I am unendingly grateful to count you as a friend and peer.

I offer my most heartfelt thanks to the exceptional women and scholars of MC148—Dr Naomi Fraser, Dr Annika Herb, Dr Amy Lovat, Dr Ashleigh Mcintyre, Kerry Plunkett, Dr Di Rayson, Ella Rusak, Caroline Schneider and Dr Elicia Taylor. Before I arrived in this room, I spent 22 years searching for my community and I found it here in each of you. Postgraduate research, and the fraught months and years following, is an inexplicable experience and it has been a privilege to share this journey with you. The wisdom you have shared has instilled in me a self-compassion and self-assurance that I previously lacked. Forever and always, long live the noetics!

I owe my greatest debt to my beautiful friends and family, particularly Chezarne Cuffe, Grayson Bancroft, Joelle Price, Lachlan Morris and Timothy Merrikin. Without your unwavering support, this book would not have been possible. You have delighted in my achievements, offered quiet words of reassurance and, in the timeless words of Lachlan, remined me ‘don’t be so hard on yourself hun’. Foreign policy and the world of academic research can be, I will grudgingly admit, dry topics and your efforts to understand the intricacies of my research have not gone unnoticed. I offer my deepest and sincerest gratitude and can only hope to repay the unparalleled love and support you have shown.

Honae H. Cuffe

September 2021