Australian Association for Maritime History

The Australian Association for Maritime History (AAMH) is an Australian scholarly and cultural organisation dedicated to the study and public appreciation of maritime history. Established in May 1978, it emerged when maritime history was still a developing field in Australia and sought to give researchers, museums, historians, archaeologists, educators, and interested members of the public a national forum for collaboration. Its remit is broader than the history of Australian shipping alone: the association encourages examination of the ways the sea and maritime activity have shaped Australian society, culture, economy, environment, and connections with the wider Indian, Pacific, and Southern Ocean regions. AAMH’s activities combine academic publishing with public-facing historical work. Its principal journal, The Great Circle, began publication in 1979 and is a refereed periodical issued twice a year. The journal provides a venue for research across maritime history and related historical and archaeological subjects, and its archive is available through JSTOR. The association also publishes a quarterly newsletter, established in 1980 by founding member and first newsletter editor Vaughan Evans. The newsletter supports communication among members and carries association information, research news, and developments in the maritime-history community. The association organises or supports lectures, conferences, workshops, and other educational activities. Its membership and intellectual interests are international, even though its institutional base and principal historical focus are Australian. AAMH has been associated with the International Commission for Maritime History as its Australian sub-commission. Following the 2016 merger that created the International Maritime History Association, that earlier institutional arrangement changed, but AAMH continued its role as an independent national association promoting maritime historical scholarship. AAMH also works with the Australian National Maritime Museum on book prizes intended to broaden recognition of maritime history. The Frank Broeze Memorial Maritime History Prize honours significant books dealing with maritime history connected with Australia and the Australian community. The Australian Community Maritime History Prize recognises publications and educational resources produced by regional or local museums and historical societies. Eligible community works may include books, booklets, teaching kits, CDs, DVDs, or other media. Together, the prizes reflect the association’s view that maritime history should encompass both professional scholarship and locally produced documentation. The association is governed by an Executive Council with representation from Australian states and territories. Public reference material identified Sydney as its base in 2018. Individual officeholders, membership figures, revenue, and current operating details are not established in the supplied sources. AAMH’s continuing importance lies in connecting academic maritime history with museums, community history groups, cultural institutions, and the broader public, while emphasising the central role of the sea in Australian and regional history.

The Australian Association for Maritime History was formed in May 1978 during an early phase of the development of maritime history as a recognised field of study in Australia. Its founding purpose was to encourage research, publication, and wider appreciation of maritime history. Rather than treating maritime history as a narrow account of ships and naval events, the association promoted a broad interpretation concerned with the influence of the sea on Australian communities, culture, commerce, migration, industry, politics, and regional relationships. The association’s first major publishing initiative followed in 1979 with the launch of The Great Circle. The journal became a refereed outlet for maritime historical and archaeological research and was published twice each year. Its establishment helped create a continuing scholarly record for the field in Australia. The journal was later archived on JSTOR, extending access to its contents beyond the association’s membership. A quarterly newsletter was introduced in 1980 by Vaughan Evans, a founding member who served as its first editor. The newsletter complemented the more formal journal by providing regular association communication and a practical channel for sharing information about maritime-history activities. The journal and newsletter together reflected AAMH’s dual role as both a scholarly body and a community of researchers, institutions, and enthusiasts. AAMH developed an international outlook despite its Australian identity. Its membership and subject interests were not confined to Australia, and the organisation became the Australian sub-commission of the International Commission for Maritime History. In 2016, the International Commission for Maritime History merged with the International Economic Maritime History Association to create the International Maritime History Association. The supplied reference material does not specify the detailed administrative consequences for AAMH, but the earlier sub-commission relationship forms part of the association’s international institutional history. The association expanded its activities beyond periodical publishing through lectures, conferences, workshops, and support for historical education. It also developed recognition programs for both professional and community-based maritime history. In partnership with the Australian National Maritime Museum, AAMH co-sponsors the Frank Broeze Memorial Maritime History Prize, named for Professor Frank Broeze, a leading maritime historian, AAMH founder, former president during the 1980s, and first editor of The Great Circle. The prize recognises commercially published books addressing maritime history related to Australia and the Australian community. A second award, the Australian Community Maritime History Prize, acknowledges work by regional or local museums and historical societies. Its scope includes books, pamphlets, educational resource kits, CDs, DVDs, and other media dealing with the maritime history of a particular region or community. These awards express AAMH’s commitment to an inclusive conception of maritime history, in which professional scholarship, historical archaeology, museums, and local memory can contribute to understanding Australia’s relationship with the sea. The association is administered by an Executive Council with officers drawn from Australian states and territories. Reference material placed its base in Sydney in 2018. The available sources do not identify the current council, presidents, staff, membership size, funding, or detailed program after that point. AAMH’s documented historical contribution is therefore best understood through its publications, events, institutional links, and prizes, all of which support the study and public communication of maritime history in Australia and its surrounding oceanic regions.

• 2018

  Sydney identified as association base

  [1]Australian Association for Maritime Historyen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material identified Sydney as the association’s base and described an Executive Council with representation from Australian states and territories.

• 2016

  International maritime-history institutional merger

  [1]Australian Association for Maritime Historyen.wikipedia.org

  The International Commission for Maritime History merged with the International Economic Maritime History Association to form the International Maritime History Association. AAMH had previously served as the Australian sub-commission of the former body.

• 1980

  Quarterly newsletter established

  [1]Australian Association for Maritime Historyen.wikipedia.org

  Founding member Vaughan Evans established the association’s quarterly newsletter, complementing the research journal with regular organisational communication.

• 1979

  The Great Circle begins publication

  [1]Australian Association for Maritime Historyen.wikipedia.org

  AAMH launched The Great Circle, a refereed journal devoted to maritime history and related research.

• 1978

  Association founded

  [1]Australian Association for Maritime Historyen.wikipedia.org

  The Australian Association for Maritime History was established in May to promote maritime-history research, publication, and public appreciation.

A national scholarly association linking academic research, maritime archaeology, museums, community history, and public education, with an Australian base and an international field of interest.

• Peer-reviewed journal · 1979

  The Great Circle

  The Great Circle is AAMH’s refereed journal of maritime history. First issued in 1979, it is published twice a year and provides a scholarly outlet for research into maritime history, maritime archaeology, and the historical significance of the sea to Australia and its regional connections. Its contents are archived on JSTOR, giving the publication a continuing research presence beyond the association’s own distribution channels.

• Association newsletter · 1980

  Quarterly newsletter

  AAMH’s quarterly newsletter was established in 1980 by founding member Vaughan Evans. It serves as a less formal counterpart to The Great Circle, communicating association activities and developments within the maritime-history community. The association has made recent back issues available through its website.

• Book prize

  Frank Broeze Memorial Maritime History Prize

  Co-sponsored with the Australian National Maritime Museum, this prize commemorates Professor Frank Broeze, an AAMH founder, former president, and first editor of The Great Circle. It recognises commercially published books addressing maritime history relating to Australia and the Australian community, encouraging broad analysis of the sea’s historical influence.

• Community-history award

  Australian Community Maritime History Prize

  This award recognises work produced by a regional or local museum or historical society about the maritime history of its community or region. Eligible formats can include books, booklets, educational resource kits, CDs, DVDs, and other media, reflecting AAMH’s support for public history and locally grounded historical documentation.

1. 1Australian Association for Maritime Historyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Australian Association for Maritime History official websiteaamh.asn.au