Acknowledgements deservingly go to the team of volunteer archaeology students from La Trobe University who accompanied me into the field to assist with the excavation. This enthusiastic team consisted of: Lance Wackett, Fay Norton, Siobhan Paterson, Neil Dudley, Tyson White, Rupert Mann, Demi Paps, Julia Malloni, Chris Kaskadanis, Katie Kligerman, Jodi Turnbull, Kerrie Hamilton, Boheme Rawoteea, Katarina Audy, Lisa Amore, Kate Smith, Rhonda Naser, Aaron Chettle, Bethany Hassold, Vanessa Flynn, Anne-Louise Muir, Ashley Bannister and Janine Major.
To help catalogue the large number of artefacts recovered from the site, a number of volunteer archaeology students from La Trobe University assisted. Acknowledgements for students (who turned up more than twice to help in the laboratory) go to Jacqui Tumney, Tierney Rose, Paul Freestone, Eleanor Lancaster, Asher Ford, Allison Frost, Neil Dudley, Linda Pellin, Heather Bice, Jess Reid, Therese Hammond, Tyson White, Ruth Rawlings, Rupert Mann, Mel Taylor, Erica Downard, Sarah Hunter, Joseph Brooke, John Gilding, Demi Paps, Robyn Buckley, Julia Malloni, Chris Kaskadanis, Katie Kligerman andrew Prentice, Jodi Turnbull, Kerrie Hamilton, Matthew Barker, Rachel Johns, Boheme Rawoteea, Katarina Audy, Fay Norton, Sandy Norton, Jonathan Lushey, Aaron Chettle, Janine Major, Vanessa Flynn, Jessie Walker and Helene Athanasiadis.
Bill Black granted me unrestricted access to the Port Albert Maritime Museum archives, introduced me to numerous long-term Port Albert residents, was very helpful with local historical information and also allowed me to camp on his land during many field reconnaissance missions. I am likewise grateful to the many retired and working Victorian fishermen and their families who spent hours of their time relaying otherwise unobtainable personal knowledge and industry-related information.
Susan Lawrence, my primary supervisor, is worthy of great praise for so skilfully guiding me through the many stages of this work. My co-supervisor Tim Murray gave sound advice on completing such a project and also commented on draft chapters. Rudy Frank from La Trobe University was extremely helpful with all field, laboratory and technical work and beyond. Peter Davies reviewed this monograph and gave helpful advice. Barbara, John, Margaret and Adrian Bowen are my family and their encouragement always helped. My sister Margaret painstakingly read and gave comment on draft chapters. My two children Harriet and Hugh were with me throughout and gave pleasurable respite from the hours of study. Samm Julian Curtis put up with my study regime and with me during her teens. My partner Carol Julian commendably endured all and gave rock-solid support throughout.
During the course of this research countless people willingly and enthusiastically assisted me in innumerable ways. It is simply not possible to recognise (individually) all these people here and to relate their good deeds. These people know of my appreciation to them and I trust that this broad acknowledgment is adequate.
I thoroughly enjoyed this project and am very grateful for the support I received; the original thesis and this subsequent mongraph could not have been completed without it. Thank you.