Our History
The early history of the development of the Australasian Region was described in a Biometric Bulletin article by Sue Wilson in 2000 (vol. 17, no. 3, PDF). A brief summary of this article, updated to the present day, is given below.
The Australasian region is the fourth oldest region of the Society, forming in December 1948 with 37 members and holding its first meeting in January 1949, in Melbourne. The foundation vice-president was Dr. E.A. (Alf) Cornish and secretary-treasurer was Dr. Helen N. Turner. In the region’s early years conferences were often held in conjunction with the biennial meetings of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science. Although the region now generally organises separate conferences it has also held joint conferences with the sections of Statistical Society of Australia (1989 and 1991) and the New Zealand Statistical Association (1985 and 2001). The tradition of biennial meetings has been maintained with conferences typically held late in odd-numbered years (early summer in the southern hemisphere). Recent conferences have been held in Hobart (1999), Christchurch NZ (2001), Canberra ACT (2003), Thredbo NSW (2005), Coffs Harbour NSW (2007), Taupo NZ (2009), Kiama NSW (2011), Mandurah WA (2013) and Hobart (2015). The region’s membership has grown over time and now stands at about 200 with members drawn predominantly from Australia and New Zealand but also a small number from Asia and the Pacific.
View Australasian Region’s Conference and Events photos.