The idea for this book emerged from a conversation between Vivian Forbes
and Charles Eaton following two seminars held in the Department of
Geography at the University of Western Australia given by Trevor So?eld
and Christopher Grif?n more than ?ve years ago. One seminar involved
papers from Charles Eaton and Christopher Grif?n on the recent Speight
coup in Fiji; the other, given by Trevor So?eld, was on the Solomon
Islands. The seminars were attended by, among others, Dennis Rumley, who
on getting involved in the conversation, suggested the idea of a book
and then followed through on its scope, structure, planning, and
possible contributors. Looking back now, we owe a special debt of
gratitude to Charles Eaton both for his enthusiasm and his ideas then,
and for his continued support throughout the whole project. Since that
time ?ve years ago, many people have boarded and have left the Arc.
Indeed, the very project itself exhibited a degree of instability. At
times, it even looked as though it might not stay a?oat. Thankfully,
several early boarders remained ?rmly anchored. Other authors were
co-opted later, some at relatively short notice, one or two of them
under mild duress. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all of these
contributors for remaining patient, enthusiastic, and keeping faith with
the project. Naturally, a project like this, dealing with such a large
and dynamic region, will always be out-of-date.
