Rob Collins is Researc h Associate in the Department of Archaeology at Newcastle University. His principal research interests are in frontier studies and the collapse of complex societies, making use of archaeological remains of built structures and small finds to provide a social interpretation of the material record.

Jane Harrison is a descendant of the Muruwari people (First Nations) of New South Wales, Australia. She is an award-winning playwright and has an MA in Playwriting from the Queensland University of Technology.

In 2002, her first play Stolen was the co-winner of the Kate Challis RAKA Award. It has since been performed throughout Australia as well as the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Japan.

Her most recent play The Visitors formed part of the Melbourne Theatre Company 2014 Cybec Electric Series. Jane has been the recipient of several playwriting awards and her essays have been published in various journals. Jane lives in Melbourne and has two daughters.

Ian Kille is Community Geologist for WallCAP at Newcastle University. He also runs Northumbrian Earth, set up in 2006 to create community and visitor events to explore the geology of the north-east. He completed his PhD at Imperial College studying magmatic processes within the Mull volcanic complex.