Front matter and Introduction - Journal of the Sydney Society for Scottish History, Volume 1 (1993)

It is said of the Celts generally that they have a long memory. Scots areno exception. Clan feuds dating back hundreds of years are still to be found,maintained half seriously and half jokingly among Australian citizens whowere themselves born and reared on the other side of the world from Scotland.The heroes of Scotland's past are remembered and spoken of with respect oreven reverence by Scotland's children in all comers of the globe. Events thatare perceived as great national tragedies, such as the Highland clearances, arestill spoken of in terms of bitterness and regret by the descendants of theemigrants who had been dead for a generation before those descendants wereborn. However, notwithstanding these long memories and long held inheritedfeelings, it is often found on examination that those holding those beliefs reallyknow relatively little about the facts