Winner of the 2022 Hugh Martin Weir Prize

The Barr Smith Library and Weir family are pleased to announce that Alison Kim Reid is the successful applicant for the 2022 Hugh Martin Weir Prize.

Alison is currently undertaking a PhD in Anthropology and her dissertation researches the lived experiences of refugee support: an anthropological study of support work, wellbeing and resilience.

Her research is expected to provide insight into the motivations and experiences of refugee and asylum seeker supporters who are often providing critical support to people who have fled circumstances of war, conflict, violence, torture and trauma. It will explore the impacts of experiences and responses to support work on organisational cultures in the advocacy sector as well as on grassroots community organisations and individuals, revealing whether, how or why certain organisations in the support space manage, thrive, or crumble because of the demands of their daily work. It will in turn inform the development of practical strategies that organisations and individuals can adopt to enhance the wellbeing and resilience of supporters working in this sector, leading to the sustainability of this important work.

The prize will be mainly used for thesis editing, printing and binding. The funds will also be used to produce a condensed version of the key research findings to be distributed to selected stakeholders. If possible, the prize will also contribute towards Alison’s attendance of conferences to present her research findings.

The Hugh Martin Weir Prize was established to encourage study and research, including use of the Barr Smith Library collections, into any aspect of Australia's involvement in war, or the treatment of prisoners of war in any conflict, including the impact on those persons involved, their families, and/or their communities.

Congratulations Alison!