QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Introduction Matthew Tesch

It is traditional that an Introduction tells the reader something of what the work is about, what its aim is, and how it all arrived at this point. We’ll get to that, but first I need you to know what this book is not , just to be sure we are, indeed, on the same page. This is not a book intended, nor designed, to be read from cover to cover, and certainly not in one sitting. You can do that if you want, of course, but it may be a bit like trying to swim laps in a spa bath or plunge-pool. What could be more stimulating, surprising and delightful is if you open some pages at random, glance at whatever catches your interest, and allow yourself to follow your eye wherever that topic may lead. Bit of an unusual methodology for something this hefty and rich, you might think. Especially with the word ‘German’ so prominent in the title. An orderly program of alpha-numeric, dot-pointed chronological progression of content, and all that … Sure, we could have tried that approach and, in fact, this project began life as something of an immigration history. But it became apparent that this would be walking a well-trodden path, and would be competing in the footnote stakes with more serious and scholarly works. It’s often what you find, beachcombing, when you turn over a few rocks and start to realise that perhaps few others have seen the same view in quite the same way, which sets your collection on its own path. The bibliographic record of this work states that it “examines a broad range of topics and themes with the common thread of ‘Queensland’s connections with Germany’ and ranges from stories of the first immigrants in the 19th century, across the social, cultural and economic contributions they and their successors have made, to the shared collaborations of the 21st century, investigating biofuels and hypersonic flight. “Written and compiled by a small core team,” the National Library of Australia and ISBN notes continue, “the book incorporates many first- hand accounts, family histories, and insights into business and research, prepared by a range of external contributors. The book has been designed and presented in full colour, with a lavish selection of images and graphics, and a lively and engaging array of writing styles and page layouts, designed to attract and entice the reader into learning more about the breadth, depth, history and future potential of this unique international connection. “Set out across seven parts, with a mix of chronological and topical threads, this book gives a ‘magazine-style’ overview with a modular selection of essay topics. The view through the prism defining ‘connection’ is an interesting one: this book does not set out to recount documented history; rather its aim has been to surprise and inspire.” Those words and goals ring as true now, as the pages are transferred to the printers, as they did when they were tapped into the keyboard many months ago. As vision and mission statements go – and it’s often illuminating to look back on them long after they’re defined – I think it’s safe to say this book has delivered. Its conception, evolution and development has been challenging, remarkable, stressful but unquestionably worthwhile.

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