AustLit

'On 20 January 2017 a large crowd of family members, friends and colleagues filled the picturesque Pearl Beach Memorial Hall on the New South Wales Central Coast for the funeral of the highly regarded and much-loved Australian historian Jillian Isobel (Jill) Roe. She had died eight days earlier at the nearby home she shared with her partner of more than four decades and fellow historian Beverley (Bev) Kingston. Professor Emerita of Modern History at Macquarie University, Jill received many honours, including Officer of the Order of Australia, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, Fellow of the Federation of Australian Historical Societies, Emeritus Curator at the State Library of New South Wales and the Australian Dictionary of Biography Medal. Speakers at the funeral discussed her varied achievements encompassing teaching, research, scholarship, writing, leadership in collaborative projects, and service to community and professional organisations. They recalled her charm, friendship, persuasiveness and warm sense of humour.' (Introduction)