Well, I have made it to a second edition! A few things slipped through the quality-control net with Volume 9, but the reaction from members has been very positive. Many thanks! Some will note that my phone number has changed inside the front cover, and that I’ve added my web address (have a look at the site!). More importantly, the WAC web address has changed. It has moved from Southampton in the U.K., where it has been since its inception, and is now in the capable hands of David Horwitz in Cape Town. Many of you will know David as the man behind the excellent WAC4 computing set-up. In addition to everything you could want to know about WAC, the new site will exhibit past Bulletins, up to and including the second most-recent issue. To enhance access, the other web site listed in the first paragraph inside the front cover will also post the second most-recent volume.
I have had no trouble eliciting publishable material from a variety of sources around the world, except, alas, most of our regional representatives. The membership needs to receive regular regional news if WAC is to function effectively and efficiently. It is especially important for European and non-European representatives to contribute, so we can diminish the difficulties which arise from having a primarily European membership which tends to think WAC is dominated by non-European issues, while non-European members often think the opposite. WAC has always shown that many pressing questions in archaeological research and heritage management are very similar, wherever in the world they are being raised at any particular moment. There will always be specific local matters which have to be taken into account, but we should constantly guard against focusing so closely on local issues that we lose sight of the global picture.
If approached sensibly and sensitively, the world scene can be a excellent source of examples of innovative research and management and can provide valuable professional and even personal support. I don’t think many of us can do without at least periodic professional lessons or support in the ever more-complex environments in which we work, wherever they may be. So, regional reps, let’s hear from you, please! Constructive suggestions about WAB’s content, direction and production are always welcome, too, from any quarter.