Geoffrey Serle was one of Australia's most distinguished historians. He was Victorian Rhodes Scholar in 1947 and completed his doctorate at Oxford in 1950. He was general editor of the Australian Dictionary of Biography between 1975 and 1988. He is also a well-known author and his work has won several prestigious awards including the Ernest Scott prize, the National Book Council Banjo award and the Age Book of the Year. His published books include: The Melbourne Scene 1803-1956, The Golden Age, The Rush to be Rich, From Deserts the Prophets Come, John Monash: A Biography, Sir John Medley, For Australia and Labor: Prime Minister John Curtin. Geoffrey Serle died in 1998.