Transforming Australian history: Humanitarianism and transnationalism

[Extract] I would have to go back a very long way to recall a time when Marilyn was not in my life. Our working relationship stretches over thirty years. I first met Marilyn in 1985 during the second year of my PhD thesis. My supervisor, Ken Inglis, had been animated about an exemplary thesis he had just examined and was very keen to bring Marilyn to the Australian National University so she could tell the history postgraduates how it was done. And that's what she did. I recall an inspiring talk, taking us through her research on the soldier settlement scheme, and how she had developed her argument, structured her thesis and pulled it all together. Ken had set us the highest and most exacting standards, and Marilyn had met them. It could be done! I also read the book from the thesis when Limits of Hope was published in 1987. Marilyn's name had become fixed in my mind.