Editorial.

Patmore, Greg

This issue opens with a thematic section entitled 'Greening Labour History'. These papers arise out of a conference organised by the Brisbane Labour History Association in February 2010 at Griffith University. The thematic includes an introductory essay, three papers and a research note. The thematic highlights the need by labour historians to engage with the growing debate about environmental sustainability and to explore its impact upon the labour movement and broader society.

There are five other refereed papers in this issue. Shaun Ryan explores the everyday lives of the skilled workers who were members of the Dunedin Branch of the ASE in the decades around the turn of the twentieth century. Ray Markey focuses on the NSW Public Service Association during the early decades of the twentieth century, arguing that the conservatism of public servants was the product of their unusual legal and political status. Nick Dyrenfurth continues the journal's interest in cultural history by exploring the cartoon work of Montagu Scott and Jim Case from the Brisbane Worker. Compared to Claude Marquet, a cartoonist celebrated by labour historians, these Queenslanders have been neglected. Robert Mason analyses the Hispanic communities of rural northern Australia during the first half of the twentieth century. In particular, he argues that Hispanic women, drawing upon their political experiences in Spain and Argentina, assumed community leadership in an Australian region that is usually perceived by historians as highly masculine. Keith Windle also addresses the question of how immigrants understood the Australian political scene. He explores Russian accounts of the 1919 'Red Flag Riots' which appear in the Nabat (The Tocsin), an illegal Russian-language newspaper published in Brisbane.

The issue also contains a number of other interesting contributions. Malcolm Saunders provides a research note on the files of 'The Movement' in South Australia. The Catholic Social Studies Movement played a crucial role in fighting communism in the labour movement during the 1940s and 1950s. Bruce Shields, a founding member of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, provides a personal account of the first three years of the Society. We pay tribute to the late Jeff Shaw, an active member of our editorial board, by publishing the funeral oration delivered by Rodney Cavalier, as well as three short contributions by friends and colleagues. There is also a tribute to union veteran Doug Howitt, written by Lance Wright and Bernie Howitt. Finally, there is an excellent book review section which highlights the latest labour history scholarship both in Australia and overseas.

This issue marks my last as editor of Labour History. I began as an associate editor in 1986 and became editor in 1999. My thanks to all those people who have assisted the journal over the years through their involvement on the editorial working party, on the editorial board and as referees. I would like to especially thank Margaret Walters, who is currently on leave prior to retirement, and Carl Power for their important role in making the journal possible. On 1 January 2011, John Shields and Nikola Balnave will be taking over as editor and deputy editor respectively. As to the future, the next issue of the journal, May 2011, will be number 100. It is a special issue that will focus on a range of significant topics in the field of labour history.