Council of the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences

For my editorial marking the halfway point of completion of Volume 51 of the Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences, I am providing here a very brief update of the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) with respect to the election of Council positions following the 2018 Annual General Meeting last November. Some months have now passed, but I am sure our new Office Bearers and Council members are settling into their new (or continuing) roles, which in totality work towards a common goal of advancing the capability and practice of the forensic sciences, not only within Australia but also on a global scale. The Academy and Journal serve as essential ‘vehicles’ to help achieve that goal, although without a team of dedicated and hard-working professionals to help navigate (so to speak) this would simply not be possible.

As mentioned in previous editorials, Dr James Robertson has not only stepped down from the role of Editor-in-Chief of the Journal, but has also ‘retired’ from the position of President of the AAFS. The baton has now passed to Dr Yvonne Skinner, who previously served as Vice-President, and as such is well prepared to assume the position of President. Other than again thanking James for his service to the Academy, and welcoming Dr Skinner into the role, I will leave it to the new President to introduce herself in a forthcoming guest editorial, in which she may wish to reflect on the role of the President and provide some insight into her vision for the Academy.

The vacancy in the position of Vice-President has been filled by Professor Gary Edmond, who has been a long-serving board member in addition to fulfilling other roles in the Academy. Professor Claude Roux continues to also serve as Vice President, who in collaboration with Professor Adrian Linnacre (President of the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society – ANZFSS), will provide a guest editorial reflecting on the success of the ANZFSS 24th International Symposium that was held in Perth, Western Australia in September 2018, concurrent to introducing the forthcoming 22nd Triennial Meeting of the International Association of Forensic Sciences (IAFS – Professor Roux is currently the serving President). The latter will be held in combination with the 25th ANZFSS Symposium, in Sydney, New South Wales in September 2020.

The position of Secretary General was, in 2018, initially held by Professor Shari Forbes. Upon her relocation to a new position in Canada, she relinquished the role to Dr Kristy Martire, who did an outstanding job of ensuring the demanding requirements of that position were maintained to the same high standard as her predecessor. We now welcome Mr Shawn Harkins into that role who, with his many years of experience in policing, will continue to ensure the position is covered by a dedicated professional. The Academy’s finances are again being managed by long-serving Treasurer Ms Alison Sears, a position that certainly welcomes the preciseness to task that one expects of a forensic scientist!

Elected Members of the Council for 2019 include: Dr James Maquire; Dr Linzi Wilson-Wilde; Ms Mehera San Roque; Dr Helen Solouros; Professor Tony Raymond; Judge Dina Yehia. Combined, these members bring many years of professional service not just to the forensic sciences and/or judiciary, but also to the Academy as a whole, and collectively provide an integral service. I close this editorial by noting that I simply do not have the capacity here to thank all those involved in the successful running of the Academy, including the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Victorian (VIC) Chapters. So if you are not singled out here specifically, please do not feel that you are being neglected – far from it, your contributions are gratefully acknowledged and appreciated. The formal list of all individuals involved is available on the AAFS website: http://www.forensicacademy.org/