News Archive

Former UWA Research Fellow in History, Penelope Hetherington , has won the 2014 Margaret Medcalf Award for her book, The Marriage Knot: Marriage & divorce in colonial Western Australia 1829–1900 , in a ceremony held at the State Library of Western Australia on Wednesday 18 June.

The Marriage Knot was published by UWA Publishing in 2013, and is a fascinating account of marriage and divorce in colonial Western Australia.

The annual Award for excellence in referencing and research, honours Miss Margaret Medcalf OAM, the second State Archivist for Western Australia (from 1971 to 1989), for her valuable contribution to the development of archives in Western Australia.

Hetherington is the author of six books, was awarded a D.Litt in 2004 and until recently was a Research Fellow of the UWA Department of History, where she previously worked from 1970-1993.

It ends the confusion about religious arrangements and disagreements in the first thirty years of the colony, and reveals the kinds of marriage registration instigated by the government and other aspects of its marriage laws.

For more information about the Award contact the State Records Office on (08) 9427 3600 or visit www.sro.wa.gov.au

More information about The Marriage Knot and Penelope Hetherington can be found at www.uwap.uwa.edu.au or by contacting UWA Publishing on (08) 6488 3670 or [email protected]

Media references

Kiri Falls, UWA Publishing Marketing Manager: 6488 6806, 0428 136 847, [email protected]

David Stacey, University Media Manager: 6488 3229, 0432 637 716, [email protected]