Here are some of my 2017 highlights, and a monthly rundown of the many and varied things that occupied my time this year!

Archive research visits

• HK PRO, March 2017
• NAA Adelaide, June 2017
• State Records NSW, December 2017
• NAA Sydney, December 2017
• NAA Canberra, December 2017

Publications

• published ‘ “To his home at Jembaicumbene”: Women’s cross-cultural encounters on a colonial goldfield’, in Jacqueline Leckie, Angela McCarthy and Angela Wanhalla (eds), Migrant Cross-Cultural Encounters in Asia and the Pacific, Routledge, Abingdon & New York, 2017
• published ‘A new perspective on Australia and China’ (review of Australians in Shanghai by Sophie Loy-Wilson), History Australia, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 666–67, https://doi.org/10.1080/14490854.2017.1384344
• published Chinese Australians and the Immigration Restriction Act in New South Wales: A guide to finding records, August 2017
• submitted manuscript of Locating Chinese Women, edited collection with Julia Martínez, to HKU Press (editor has requested an extended introduction for international readership)
• submitted ‘Potter v. Minahan: Chinese Australians and the intimacies of belonging in White Australia’ to History Australia (referees have requested major revisions)
• checked final proofs of ‘Writing home from China: Charles Allen’s transnational childhood’, forthcoming (2017) in Paul Arthur (ed.), Migrant Lives: Australian Culture, Society and Identity, Anthem Press
• checked copyedits of ‘The people inside’, forthcoming (2018) in Kevin Kee (ed.), Seeing the Past: Augmented Reality and Computer Vision in History, University of Michigan Press
• accepted an invitation to contribute a chapter on ‘Searching for Chinese Australian homelands’ to Kate Darian-Smith and Paula Hamilton (eds), Remembering Migration: Oral Histories and Heritage, Palgrave Macmillan (forthcoming 2019)

Conferences presentations

• ‘Naturalised Chinese in Colonial Australia’, Beyond the New Gold Mountain: CCAV 2017 Conference, RMIT, Melbourne, 24 June 2017
• ‘Naturalisation and Chinese Restriction in Colonial Australasia’, Australian Historical Association Conference, University of Newcastle, 4–7 July 2017
• ‘Chinese women in colonial New South Wales: A case study approach’, International Conference on Chinese Women in World History, Institute for Modern History at Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11–14 July 2017
• photographic exhibition on Chinese Australian women’s history, Feminist Research Network symposium, UOW, 25 September 2017
• ‘Australia and China: Before and Below the Nation’, keynote address, ‘Looking Back, Moving Forward: Symposium on the Future of Australia–China Relations’, China Studies Centre, University of Sydney, 24 October 2017
• ‘Chinese restriction, naturalisation and mobility in colonial and post-Federation Australia’, Subjects and Aliens symposium, UOW, 28 November 2017
• ‘Communication and collaboration in the digital age’, Related Histories: Studying the Family, National Library of Australia, 29 November 2017

Conference organisation

• convened Subjects and Aliens, the CASS 2017 symposium, UOW, 28 November 2017

Talks and workshops

• ‘Under the Southern Cross’ book project workshop, UTS, 18 February 2017
• ‘Invited Workshop on Digital Humanities and ARC Linkage Projects’, UOW, 20 April 2017
• ‘Researching early Chinese Australian families‘ for Family History Month at the State Library of New South Wales, 30 August 2017
• ‘Women and the records of White Australia’ in the House of Representatives chamber, Old Parliament House, as part of the ‘Real Face of White Australia’ transcribe-a-thon, 9 September 2017
• ‘Researching early Chinese Australian families’ at the Deniliquin Family History Expo, 13–14 October 2017
• ‘Early Chinese families in New South Wales’, Wollongong U3A, 23 October 2017

Public outreach

• hosted the Chinese Australian Hometown Heritage Tour, March 2017
• research assistance and filming for the next Australian series of Who Do You Think You Are?, April–May 2017
• media interview with Siobhan Heanue from ABC News Canberra, broadcast on ABC TV evening news and ABC News 24 late news, 3 September 2017
• co-organised (with Tim Sherratt) the ‘Real Face of White Australia’ transcribe-a-thon weekend at the Museum of Australian Democracy, Canberra, 9–10 September 2017
• broadcast of my keynote lecture ‘Chinese Australians and the White Australia Policy‘ on Radio National Big Ideas, 11 December 2017

Month by month

January

• copyediting and compiling the manuscript of Locating Chinese Women (R)
• admin tasks relating to the admission of my new UOW PhD student, Emma Bellino (R)
• peer review of an article for LIMINA: A Journal of Historical and Cultural Studies (an online open access journal run by a postgraduate collective) (R)
• feedback on a chapter of Meg Foster’s PhD thesis (about Chinese bushranger Sam Poo) (R)
• admin tasks for the Hometown Heritage Tour (G&S)
• two weeks’ holiday!

February

• ongoing copyediting and compiling the manuscript of Locating Chinese Women (R)
• HSI School meeting on 7 February 2017 (G&S)
• CDI meeting on 7 February 2017, and worked on my ‘Performance Enhancement & Career Development Record’ for 2017 (G&S)
• prepared and presented 45-minute lecture on ‘Doing History in the Digital Age’ to 95 high-school students for UOW Discovery Days on 10 February 2017 (G&S)
• History discipline meeting on 10 February 2017 (G&S)
• HDR supervision admin and meetings (R)
• feedback on an ARC Discovery project application for UOW History colleagues (R)
• attended ‘Under the Southern Cross’ book project workshop at UTS on 18 February 2017 (G&S)
• attended welcome lunch for new HDR students at UOW on 22 February 2017 (G&S)
• feedback on one article at the CASS WIP reading group on 23 February 2017 (R)
• LHA Faculty Forum on 23 February 2017 (G&S)
• admin tasks for the Hometown Heritage Tour (G&S)
• admin tasks (Twitter and website) as Social Media Officer for UOW Colonial & Settler Studies (CASS) Network (G&S)

March

• CASS 2017 planning meeting on 3 March 2017 (G&S)
• attended CASS HDR welcome event on 3 March 2017 (G&S)
• HDR supervision admin, meeting and correspondence (R)
• completed my ‘Performance Enhancement & Career Development Record’ for 2017 (G&S)
• ongoing copyediting and compiling the manuscript of Locating Chinese Women (R)
• met with Claire Lowrie (UOW), Kerry Ross (UOW) and Tim Sherratt (University of Canberra) to organise the ARC Linkage Invited Workshop on Linkage Grants and Digital Humanities, 15 and 16 March 2017 (G&S)
• admin tasks for the Hometown Heritage Tour (G&S)
• fieldwork visits to Zhuhai Museum, Hong Kong-Macao Transient Fishermen Culture Exhibition Hall (Xiangzhou, Zhuhai), Yang Great Ancestral Hall (Beishan, Zhuhai), St. Michael’s Catholic Cemetery and Hong Kong Cemetery (Happy Valley, HK), Dr Sun Yat-Sen Museum (Central, HK), Hong Kong Museum of History, 19–22 March 2017 (R)
• archival research in Hong Kong Public Records Office relating to the 1881 journey of the Glamis Castle, 23 March 2017 (R)
• hosted Chinese Australian Hometown Heritage Tour to Hong Kong and Guangdong, 22–31 March 2017 (G&S)

April

• post-tour admin and correspondence for the Hometown Heritage Tour (G&S)
• provided advice and met with Who Do You Think You Are? researchers and producers about Hamilton/Ah Yott family of Jembaicumbene (G&S)
• attended Tim Sherratt’s Digital Humanities Lecture and reception (co-organised by LHA and UOW Library) on 19 April 2017 (G&S)
• co-organised, facilitated and spoke at the Invited Workshop on Digital Humanities and ARC Linkage Projects (sponsored by the UOW Centre for Critical Human Rights Research), UOW, 20 April 2017 (R)
• ongoing copyediting and compiling the manuscript of Locating Chinese Women (R)
• drafting of Introduction to Locating Chinese Women (R)
• met twice with Alopi Latekefu and Harold Weldon (Australia–China Council) about commemoration of Australia-China Council 40th anniversary
• HDR supervision meeting and correspondence (R)

May

• ongoing copyediting and compilation of the manuscript of Locating Chinese Women, including image requests and author revisions (R)
• drafting of Introduction to Locating Chinese Women (R)
• HDR supervision admin, meeting and correspondence (R)
• DECRA budget and finance administration (R)
• travel approvals and bookings for research/conference travel in June (Adelaide & Melbourne), July (Newcastle; Taiwan) and August (Byron Bay) (R)
• filming for Who Do You Think You Are? episode at National Library of Australia, 21 May 2017 (G&S)
• initial organisation for nationality & citizenship research symposium (G&S)
• drafting conference paper for Chinese Women in World History conference in July (R)

June

• CASS Work-in-Progress Reading Group, who reviewed my paper for Chinese Women in World History conference (R)
• DECRA budget and finance administration (R)
• finalised manuscript of Locating Chinese Women book and sent to publisher (R)
• HDR supervision meetings and correspondence (R)
• ongoing organisation for nationality & citizenship research symposium (G&S)
• submitted written conference paper for Chinese Women in World History conference in July 2017 (R)
• attended talk on ‘The UNESCO World Heritage diaolou towers of southern China and their Australian links’ by Dr Selia Tan from Wuyi University at State Library of New South Wales, 16 June 2017 (R)
• research visit to National Archives of Australia in Adelaide, 20 June 2017 (R)
• presented a paper, ‘Naturalised Chinese in Colonial Australia’, at the Beyond the New Gold Mountain: CCAV 2017 Conference, RMIT, Melbourne, 24 June 2017 (R)
• reviewed an article for the New Zealand Journal of History (R)

July

• attended and presented a paper at the Australian Historical Association Conference, University of Newcastle, 4–7 July 2017 – my paper, ‘Naturalisation and Chinese Restriction in Colonial Australasia’, was in a panel on ‘Reluctant entanglement: Resistance to migrations’ with Jayne Persian (USQ) and Melanie Burkett (Macquarie University) (R)
• attended and presented a paper at the International Conference on Chinese Women in World History, Institute for Modern History at Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11–14 July 2017 – my paper was titled ‘Chinese women in colonial New South Wales: A case study approach’
• wrote and submitted my ‘Potter v. Minahan: Chinese Australians and the intimacies of belonging in White Australia’ article for a forthcoming Colonial Formations special issue of History Australia (R)
• met with visiting University of Bristol PhD student, Vivian Kong, who is working with the Hong Kong History Project (R)
• HDR supervision meetings and correspondence (R)
• DECRA budget and finance administration (R)

August

• reviewed the final copyedited version of my ‘Writing home from China’ chapter about Charles Allen (R)
• had handover meeting with my research assistant Dr Karen Schamberger following the end of her contract (R)
• met with Elaine van Kempen, literary executor for Eric Rolls, regarding his books on Chinese Australian history, Sojourners and Citizens (R)
• presented a talk on using primary sources to HIST281 Hands-on History students at the University of Wollongong on 22 August 2017 (G&S)
• delivered a one-hour lecture on ‘Doing history in the digital age’ for HIST355 Making History at the University of Wollongong on 29 August 2017 (G&S)
• presented a talk on ‘Researching early Chinese Australian families‘ to about 25 people at the State Library of New South Wales on 30 August 2017 as part of Family History Month (G&S)
• HDR supervision meetings and correspondence (R)
• prepared a strategy document for the UOW Colonial and Settler Studies Network website, blog and Twitter account; refreshed the CASS website design and content; met with the CASS RA to handover website and blog management (G&S)
• organisation for the ‘Real Face of White Australia’ transcribe-a-thon to be held at the Museum of Australian Democracy, Canberra, in September (G&S)
• organisation for mini-exhibition on Chinese Australian women to be held during the Feminist Research Network symposium at UOW in September 2017 (R)
• planning and organisation for second Chinese Australian Hometown Heritage Tour, to be held in January 2018 (G&S)
• DECRA budget and finance administration (R)
• sick for a week

September

• media interview with Siobhan Heanue from ABC News Canberra, broadcast on ABC TV evening news and ABC News 24 late news on 3 September 2017 (G&S)
• quoted in ‘White Australia Policy: Documents reveal personal stories of life under Immigration Restriction Act‘, ABC Online, 4 September 2017 (G&S)
• with Associate Professor Tim Sherratt from the University of Canberra and his students, ran the ‘Real Face of White Australia’ transcribe-a-thon weekend at the Museum of Australian Democracy, Canberra, 9–10 September 2017 (G&S)
• presented a talk on ‘Women and the records of White Australia’ in the House of Representatives chamber, Old Parliament House, as part of the ‘Real Face of White Australia’ transcribe-a-thon, 9 September 2017 (R)
• held a Chinese Australian family history drop-in session with Dr Sophie Couchman at the Museum of Australian Democracy, Canberra, 10 September 2017 (G&S)
• photographic exhibition and presentation on Chinese Australian women – Feminist Research Network symposium, 25 September 2017 at UOW (R)
• HDR supervision meetings and correspondence (R)
• DECRA budget and finance administration (R)
• CASS blog admin, including publishing a blog post by Virginia Marshall (G&S)
• planning and organisation for the 2018 Hometown Heritage Tour (G&S)
• planning and organisation for the Subjects and Aliens symposium (R)

October

• on leave for a week for school holidays
• HDR supervision meetings and correspondence (R)
• DECRA budget and finance administration (R)
• attended the Deniliquin Family History Expo and presented a talk on ‘Researching early Chinese Australian families’, 13–14 October 2017
• presented a lecture to the Wollongong U3A on ‘Early Chinese families in New South Wales’, 23 October 2017 (G&S)
• wrote and presented the keynote address at the Sydney University China Studies Centre symposium, ‘Looking Back, Moving Forward: Symposium on the Future of Australia–China Relations’, 24 October 2017 – my keynote was titled ‘Australia and China: Before and Below the Nation’ and was publicised as part of the Sydney Ideas lecture series (R)
• organisation and admin tasks for the 2018 Hometown Heritage Tour (G&S)
• planning and organisation for the Subjects and Aliens symposium (R)

November

• correspondence about image copyright for my ‘Writing home from China’ book chapter (R)
• CASS blog admin, including publishing a blog post by Adam Barker (G&S)
• convened Subjects and Aliens, the CASS 2017 symposium, on 28 November 2017 (R)
• presented a paper, ‘Chinese restriction, naturalisation and mobility in colonial and post-Federation Australia’, at the Subjects and Aliens symposium, 28 November 2017 (R)
• presented a paper at Related Histories: Studying the Family, held at the National Library of Australia, 29 November 2017 – my paper was titled ‘Communication and collaboration in the digital age’ (R)
• HDR supervision meetings and correspondence (R)
• DECRA budget and finance administration (R)
• admin tasks and correspondence for the 2018 Hometown Heritage Tour (G&S)
• prepared my contribution to the Australian Government’s 45 Years, 45 Stories website, to celebrate 45 years of Australia–PRC relations, published 24 November 2017 (G&S)
• drafted a blog post for Trove highlighting the use of historical newspapers and the NSW Government Gazette (G&S)

December

• admin following the Subjects and Aliens symposium (R)
• CASS blog admin, including publishing an event review by Emma Bellino (G&S)
• HDR supervision meetings and correspondence (R)
• DECRA budget and finance administration (R)
• oragnisation and correspondence for the 2018 Hometown Heritage Tour (G&S)
• research on Chinese naturalisation (Colonial Secretary’s correspondence) at State Records NSW, 5–7 December 2017 (R)
• met with my research assistant Dr Naomi Parry, 5 December 2017 (R)
• met with Penny Stannard from State Records NSW about Chinese Australian family research, 5 December 2017 (G&S)
• met with University of Queensland PhD candidate Natalie Fong to discuss her research on Chinese women in the NT, 14 December 2017 (G&S)
• research at NAA Canberra, 14 December 2017 (R)
• research at NAA Sydney, 20 December 2017 (R)
• two weeks’ holiday before and after Christmas!

As a Level B Research Fellow at the University of Wollongong, I am required to meet ‘Level 2’ for Research and ‘Level 1’ for Governance & Service according to the UOW Academic Performance Framework. I am 0.8FTE, working 28 hours per week (80% Research, 20% Governance & Service).

(R) = Research
(G&S) = Governance & Service