Professor Annie Clarke honoured with the Rhys Jones medal
Professor Clarke has been awarded the Rhys Jones Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Australian Archaeology by the Australian Archaeological Association.
The Rhys Jones Medal is the highest award offered by the Australian Archaeological Association. It was established in honour of Rhys Jones (1941-2001) to mark his enormous contribution to the development and promotion of archaeology in Australia. The Medal is presented annually to an individual who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to the field.
Annie is a heroic citizen of the school – it’s wonderful to see her exceptional scholarship recognized as well as her outstanding service.
This recognition comes close on the heels of Annie being elected to the fellowship of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
Annie is known for her work on the archaeology of cross-cultural exchange, community archaeology and cultural heritage. She participated in the North Head Quarantine Station in Manly as part of The Quarantine Project, and out of that project co-authored a book that has become part of the HSC curriculum. The book co-authored with Peter Hobbins and Ursula Frederick was also awarded the 2017 NSW Premier’s Prize for Community and Regional History. Annie has also carried out community archaeology on Groote Eylandt since 1991, most recently undertaking a repatriation project, returning her archaeological collections to the Anindilyakwa Land Council.
Annie was nominated by Mirani Litster, Susan O’Connor, Ursula Frederick, and colleague Patrick Faulkner. In their nomination letter they wrote that Annie’s contributions to Australian archaeology will ‘leave a lasting disciplinary legacy’.
Hero image: Professor Annie Clarke doing fieldwork on Groote Eylandt