The latter part of the project relied heavily upon obtaining some funding for the project from the Australian Bicentennial Authority. However, despite much effort, no such funding was obtained, and this part of the project therefore relied wholly upon submissions from descendants etc. Because it became necessary to charge for publication of these pocket biographies, many contributors were unable to afford to publish details of more than a few of their early Australian ancestors. Nonetheless, four volumes of pocket biographies were published, many accompanied by photographs. Careful editorial control sought to ensure that all biographies were well researched and presented in a consistent style.
Most major libraries hold a full set.
However, the legacy of the ABGR extends far beyond these volumes. Biographies that were submitted to the ABGR but not published, together with various finding aids, shipping lists, etc compiled as part of the project, are available to researchers in our collections. For instance, over 2,900 individuals submitted approximately 50,000 biographical detail forms, all now part of our Primary Records . The Society has now decided to expand upon and publish some of this reference material, applying the same high editorial standards used in the eleven volumes above. Researchers will benefit through new and reliable indexes to source records, which we will make available on the Internet in due course.