for the index closed in December 1979. The highly successful project quickly accumulated vast quantities of primary source material. Additional data was collected through passenger lists, church registers, almanacs and directories, the index to the WA Government Gazettes, and old newspapers. All the information was condensed and handwritten on individual cards and sorted alphabetically by surname and filed at the J S Battye Library on microfilm. Originally, it was planned that the Western Australian Biographical Index would be copied and made available in a limited number of locations including the J S Battye Library and some major country towns. As the information and interest grew it was decided to produce it in published form. Dictionary of Western Australians Using the Western Australian Biographical Index its source, the Dictionary series was produced in five volumes, the first three of which were published in time for Western Australia's sesquicentennial year of European settlement in 1979. The fourth and fifth volumes were published in 1985 and 1987. The five volumes were entitled: Volume 1, Early Settlers 1829–1850 Volume 2, Bond 1850–1868 Volume 3, Free 1850–1868 Volume 4, The Challenging Years 1869–1888 Volume 5, The Golden Years Volume 1 was based largely on an extensive card index catalogue which had been collected over many years by Hazel Statham, and compiled by her daughter Pamela Statham. It covered the period of free settlement up to the start of the Convict era of Western Australia in 1850. Volumes two and three covered the arrivals of convicts and free settlers, both during the period of convict arrivals respectively. Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians The Bicentennial series was done in response to continuing public interest in supplying genealogical material to the original Dictionary project team which had accumulated significant additional data which needed to be added to the original series. Due to the quantity of the additional material it was decided to publish an entire new series rather than a supplement to the earlier series. The project received federal government funding as part of Australia's bicentennial celebrations in 1988. The first part of the bicentennial series was published in five volumes as follows: Volume I, pre-1829–1888 A–C Volume II, pre-1829–1888 D–J Volume III, pre-1829–1888 K–Q Volume IV, pre-1829–1888 R–Z Volume V, Asian immigrants to Western Australia, 1829–1901 (1988, Anne Atkinson, ) The second part of the series (volumes VI to X) dealt mainly with Aboriginal genealogical records although