'The bloke with a stroke' - Alick Wickham, the 'crawl' and social memory

Solomon Islander swimmer Alick Wickham is a celebrated figure in Australian, Solomon Islander and international sport history. His iconic status is inextricably linked to the myth that he introduced the crawl stroke, commonly known as freestyle, to Australia and hence the wider world. The focus of this paper is not the mythic qualities of Wickham's contribution to the crawl stroke, but rather how this myth has been enmeshed in a range of discourses. Through the lens of postcolonialism and by focusing on the creation of social memory - in literature, postage stamps and documentaries Wickham's contribution to the crawl stroke has been represented in three dominant ways: as a racial discourse centring on the social construction of the 'nimble savage', as part of Australian nationalism in terms of the nation's contribution to world swimming, and as a discernible dimension in the construction of Solomon Islander identity after independence.

Increasing the response rate to a mailed questionnaire by including more stamps on the return envelope: A cotwin control study

Twins taking part in two unrelated studies were sent a questionnaire together with a self-addressed envelope that either carried one or multiple (up to 5) stamps to the same value. The unprompted proportion of questionnaires returned (before commencement of telephone reminder calls) was increased from 62% to 71% in one study, and from 43% to 52% in the other study (test for common odds ratio in studies, p = 0.04).

Militares Medici in Nummis Repraesentati: The heritage of military

Coins and commemorative medals constitute one special repository of the history of military medicine. The numismatic record has proven to be the most enduring, albeit one of the most selective, records of the progress of history. Matters of health, and especially of military medicine, have been central to the endeavors and indeed the survival of many cultures and societies. Many such themes in the national and international history of military medicine are preserved in the medallic record. Coins and medallions thus constitute one record of the chronology of this profession, one parallel to that of the more traditional history to be found in oral and written records. This account presents a four-part classification of medical coins and medals of military interest. These examples include (1) medals that portray military surgeons and physicians; (2) medals that commemorate special events of military medicine; (3) coins that portray the themes of the discipline of military medicine and health; and (4) a miscellaneous group that includes such examples as disease touch pieces and the militarily worn medals of such bodies as the International Red Cross and the Order of St. John, the latter of which are awarded inter alia for contributions to prehospital care in the field. A representative photo archive of such exemplars is included in this account.

The most influential books in Australian sociology (MIBAS), 1963-2003

To mark the 40th anniversary of the Australian Sociological Association (TASA), a survey on the Most Influential Books in Australian Sociology (MIBAS) was conducted. In this article we discuss the MIBAS process, its findings, and provide some reflections on the top 10 most influential books. We also situate the MIBAS survey among other attempts to compile lists of the most influential books in the discipline of sociology, and discuss the benefits and limits of such endeavours. We argue that the MIBAS exercise was useful not only as a commemorative device, but as an opportunity to reflect on the breadth and influence of Australian sociological scholarship.