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The present volume builds on its predecessors and on an ever-widening circle of contributors and readers, as well as on the several journals and societies with which it exchanges publications. It is also a milestone issue in that it both celebrates the work of two of Australia's most significant folklorists and is a sesqui-centennial tribute to the founding of the discipline in England in 1846, and to its remarkable renaissance in the late twentieth century. It is a great pleasure to be able to commemorate now the work of the compassionate Australian folk writer, Dal Stivens (b. 1911), in his eighty-fifth year. More to the point, we are concerned to articulate that the driving force behind all his tales - and his stories have been published in more than 50 anthologies - is his concern to interpret the experience, wit and poignancy of the lives of Australia's folk. Further, like Frank Hardy, he had turned to urban lore long before this became a proper subject for collection and narration. We also note a tragically early passing. Alan Scott's career has been curtailed when his brilliant recording work was becoming more widely recognized. However, his National library recordings will remain as a haunting evocation of singing styles that have now almost passed, and his achievement is justly linked with that of his older brother, whose most recent work is also treated in the present yearly volume. |
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