The Melbourne Branch of the Labour History Society is proud to announce the winner of the inaugural Sam Merrifield Prize. Congratulations to Dustin Halse whose article “‘Citizens Who Serve’: The Political Rights of Victorian Public Servants, 1856-1916” tells an important, largely overlooked, story about white-collar workers. In the process he makes a valuable and an original contribution to Victorian labour history.
Our congratulations also to our runner up, Brendan McGloin. Brendan’s article, “The Union Carbide Factory Occupation of 1979”, also an original piece of research, is a highly readable story, and underpinned by a close examination of previously unexamined sources.
The judges thank the other entrants for their interest in labour history and congratulate them for the very high quality of their work.