Current News For current news please click here. Archived News Archived News 2006 Archived News 2005 Archived News 2004 Archived News 2006 Archives in Action exhibition Presentations New Accessions Staff Archives in Action exhibition, March-May 2006 This exhibition displays some of the many products resulting from research at the Noel Butlin Archives Centre and University Archives. There are company anniversary histories, pastoral histories and union histories, as well as more general works of social and economic history. But did you know that the collections of the Noel Butlin Archives Centre have also been used to provide images for calendars, documentaries, websites and even a jigsaw? And that poetry and songs from the collection are performed at the National Folk Festival? The display will be on show until early May in the Menzies Building on Fellows Road at the Australian National University. Presentations University Archivist, Maggie Shapley, presented a paper 'Free Beer, and what else can we get you?: Archives catering for the economic historian' at the Asia-Pacific Economic and Business History Conference at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane in February. Later in the month Senior Archivist Mary Paton spoke at the Business and Management History Symposium at the University of Sydney. Dr Pennie Pemberton gave a presentation to Link-Up officers at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies on family history sources, which mostly relate to pastoral stations, held by the Noel Butlin Archives Centre. New Accessions Additions to the Noel Butlin Archives Centre: A small collection of pamphlets and papers from labour historian Miriam Dixson Kenneth Rivett's papers relating to immigration from the University of NSW Archives Rail, Tram and Bus Union records Additions to the University Archives: Medals, certificates and books of Professor Frank Fenner, John Curtin School of Medical Research Research material collected by Jill Waterhouse for her history of University House Agenda papers and minutes of the Faculty Boards of the Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering (1964-92) and the John Curtin School of Medical Research (1957-2000) 22 metres of Central Files relating to student administration Staff Margaret Avard has joined the staff as an Archivist. She previously worked in the Film and Sound section at the Australian War Memorial which included oral history work. Arts student Simone Gubler has joined the team to replace Jennifer Basham as our casual assistant. Archived News 2005 November 2005 Eric Fry Labour History Scholarship Australian Agricultural Company - letters published Baptisms at Port Stephens, entered in Sir Edward Parry's Letterbook Book launch photographs Early Labour Movement in Canberra New accessions Staff news Australian Agricultural Company letters published In the Service of the Company: Letters of Sir Edward Parry, Commissioner to the Australian Agricultural Company, Volume I: December 1829 - June 1832 has been published by ANU E Press. This first volume of letters from Sir Edward Parry's letterbook joins Volume II for June 1832-March 1834 published in 2003. Both books are available online at ANU E Press or can be purchased for $30 each. The former Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Tim Fischer, a current Director of the Australian Agricultural Company, launched the publication on 21 November. Archives staff. Dr Pennie Pemberton and Mary Paton transcribed and edited the original volume which contains copies of hundreds of letters sent by Parry to correspondents in the NSW Colony including Governor Darling, Colonial Secretary Alexander McLeay, and the Principal Superintendent of Convicts. The extensive archives of the Australian Agricultural Company are held by the Noel Butlin Archives Centre, with the first records collected by Professor Noel Butlin himself in 1955. Apart from the letterbooks now published, there are also Parry's lengthy despatches to the Directors in England, minute books, and order books dating from 1824. The archives of the AA Company are listed on the Australian Memory of the World Register. In the back of the Sir Edward Parry's letter book is a list of baptisms at Port Stephens. If you wish to view this list please click here: List of Baptisms (PDF version 70.7 KB). Photos taken at Book Launch 21st November 2005 in the McDonald Room, Menzies Library Building, ANU. Top left: Maggie Shapley (University Archivist) with Vic Elliott (University Librarian) and Professor Robin Stanton (Pro Vice-Chancellor). Rop right: Hon Tim Fischer AC (Former Deputy Prime Minister and a Director of the Australian Agricultural Company). Bottom left & middle: Hon Tim Fischer viewing Sir Edward Parry's original letter book (Vol. 1 - 1829-1832) (Mari Metzke from the Royal Australian Historical Society in background) and on the right looking at AA Company documents with Dr Pennie Pemberton, Archives staff. Bottom right: Maggie Shapley, Hon Tim Fischer, Professor Ian Chubb (Vice-Chancellor) with Mrs Joan Butlin (Noel Butlin's widow),     Eric Fry Labour History Scholarship The Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, Canberra Region Branch and the National Institute for Social Sciences and Law at the Australian National University are offering a scholarship for students undertaking their honours year (or equivalent) who wish to use the Noel Butlin Archives Centre. The scholarship is intended to assist with travel and other expenses involved in doing research at the Centre. The scholarship honours the contribution of Dr Eric Fry to labour history as Senior Lecturer in History from 1959 and as Reader 1967-1986 at the Australian National University. With Robin Gollan he founded the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History in 1961 and was the first Secretary and then President 1984-1986. Applications for 2006 close on Friday 17th March 2006. Last year's scholarship holder was William Newland. who is studying History at the University of Melbourne and has been working on his thesis on Archbishop Mannix. For further information, including how to apply, see Labour History Scholarship flyer. Early Labour Movement in Canberra Records about the development of the labour movement in Canberra are currently on display at the Noel Butlin Archives Centre. The records include the minute books of some of the earliest unions established in Canberra including the United Operative Bricklayers Trade Society, the Transport Workers Union of Australia, and the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners. The Canberra branch of the Australian Labor Party was established in 1930 and was instrumental in setting up the Trades and Labour Council in April 1931. Later documents, including copies of documents held by the National Library of Australia and the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, chart the efforts of the ALP, ACT Branch to gain autonomy from the NSW Branch, finally achieved in 1971. The exhibition also presents memorabilia and promotional material from the Inaugural Conference of the ALP, ACT Branch in 1973, Federal campaigns and the struggle for ACT self- government from the 1970s onwards. The exhibition can be viewed in the foyer of the Menzies building on Fellows Road and in the Noel Butlin Archives Centre at the back of the Menzies building until the end of 2005. New accessions Adelaide Steamship Company Australian Education Union, Victorian Branch Firemen & Deckhands Union of NSW Textile Footwear & Clothing Union of Australia Amalgamated Engineering Union, Latrobe Valley District Committee Maritime Union of Australia Federated Brick, Tile and Pottery Industrial Union Australasian Coal and Shale Employees Federation Federated Mining Mechanics Association of Australasia The University Archives has recently received a large quantity of photographs of University people, buildings and events from the Marketing and Communications Division, records and publications of the former Department of Economic History at the Research School of Social Sciences, programs and audio tapes of SCUNA (the ANU Choral Society) from 1966 onwards, and papers of Professor Archibald Brown (former Head of the Department of Applied Mathematics), Dr Fred Barker (Department of Theoretical Physics at the Research School of Physical Sciences) and linguists Professor Stephen and Helen Wurm. Staff news Mary Paton has been promoted to the position of Senior Archivist and recruitment to her former position is underway. Natalie Owen from the National Archives of Australia has been engaged as an Archivist on a three-month secondment till early January 2006 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Archived News 2005 July 2005 Annual Lectures Public programs Conservation work Staff changes New accessions Deposits for the Noel Butlin Archives Centre have been received from: Elders Ltd Sugar Australia Australian Federation of Air Pilots Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad (APHEDA) Maritime Union of Australia - audiovisual records including Waterside Workers Federation film unit records Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia Australian Society of Archivists Federation of Automotive Products Manufacturers Art works were donated by the Fosters Group, consisting of 14 watercolours by John C Goodchild on Elders buildings in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, London, and one of the birthplace of Alexander Lang Elder (founder of Elders) in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. They seem to have been commissioned for display in their Melbourne building in the 1960s. We also accepted two framed lithographs by Ferguson and Mitchell of Goldsbrough & Co warehouses in Melbourne and Sydney as we have the Goldsbrough Mort company records. The Archives recently exchanged collections with the National Library: we received the records of the Cattle Council in exchange for a small collection of Professor La Nauze papers (the National Library holding an extensive collection of his papers). The University Archives has received a large quantity of records for permanent retention from University Records including Council and committee minutes, central files and senior staff personnel files, amounting to over 400 metres. University collections have also been received from Professor Marian Sawer, ANU EEO consultant in the 1980s, and the Cambridge Australia Trust which administers scholarships for ANU students at Cambridge University. Lectures The Annual Lecture is presented by the Archives Program and the Friends of the Noel Butlin Archives Centre. In November 2004 Professor Stuart McIntyre of the University of Melbourne presented the Third Annual Lecture on the topic The History Wars Continued? He spoke about the 'Three Cheers' view of history versus the 'Black Armband' view with particular reference to his debate with Keith Windshuttle, author of The Fabrication of Aboriginal History. The Fourth Annual Lecture was held in May 2005. Humphrey McQueen, Australia’s leading Marxist author and commentator, drew on research undertaken at the Noel Butlin Archives Centre to speak about a neglected body of Australian journalism, trade journals. Between 1880s and 1960s Australian employer organisations produced over 1000 trade journals - each significant for tracing changes in technology and marketing. Mr McQueen argued that these publications provide rich material not only for media studies, but that they also offer insights into how capitalism works. Mr McQueen is currently working on a history of the Builders Labourers’ Federation using the BLF records held at the Noel Butlin Archives Centre. Public programs Other outreach activities have included displays and talks in conjunction with the National Folk Festival in March, the Canberra and Region Heritage Festival in April, the 50th anniversary of the Asian-African Bandung Conference in April, and the Labour History Conference in Sydney in June. The display in Sydney was on two themes: the 150th anniversary of the Sydney '8 hours' Organising Committee and a selection of Union songs to complement one of the conference sessions. Conservation work With the support of donations from researcher Dr Bob James, Director/Co-ordinator of the Centre for Fraternal Studies, and from Australian Unity Limited (through Ms Beryl Armstrong, Librarian and Archivist) we have been able to arrange the professional conservation of nine Manchester Unity Independent Order of Odd Fellows dispensations, including repair of tears and backing supports. The dispensation include red wax seals and ribbons and flamboyant signatures of Directors. Staff changes Maggie Shapley, former Director, National Leadership at the National Archives of Australia, was appointed University Archivist in March while Dr Sigrid McCausland is on leave in 2005. Tatiana Antsoupova who had worked at the Noel Butlin Archives Centre since 1996 took up a promotion at the National Archives in May. Archived News 2004 July-September 2004 Move to the Menzies Library Building Light from the Tunnel - celebrating the move with the new publication about the archives New Accessions Exhibition at Old Parliament House History conference Scholarship for Honours Students Move to the Menzies Library The ANU Archives Program staff has now re-located to the ground floor of the Menzies Library (ANU Building 2) . We now have very spacious, light filled rooms with modern furniture, paintings, and carpet - a vast improvement on our old accommodation. As well, we are more conveniently located for other campus facilities. There are several coffee/lunch places nearby - University House, Caterina's behind the Law School and ScreenSound Australia. A little further away are the Gods Cafe & Bar, The University Union Cafe, and Chats Cafe at the Canberra School of Art. School. If you wish to visit us, please ring for an appointment (02 6125 2219). When visiting, go through the front door and then straight ahead to find us. The records will need to be brought up from the tunnel for you, so please allow enough time for your visit. There will be two retrievals per day - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Further details will be posted on this website as work is still in process and some records are not yet available. Light from the Tunnel - celebrating the move with the new publication about the archives It's the end of an era for the Archives. The offices and reading room of 20 years in the Tunnel have been closed and operations have moved to the Menzies Library Building. The refurbishment of the old offices and current repository resulted in a significant increase of storage capacity. It is a major upgrade of facilities provided by the ANU for the Archives. To celebrate this new beginning a function was organised by the Friends of the Noel Butlin Archives Centre. It was held in the new Archives reading room in the Menzies Library Building on 15 September. At the same function a book marking the Archives' 50th anniversary (celebrated in 2003) was launched by Dr John Merritt. Light from the Tunnel: Collecting the Archives of Australian Business and Labour at the Australian National University, 1953-2003 Edited by Barry Howarth and Ewan Maidment (Canberra: Friends of the Noel Butlin Archives Centre, 2004). This collection of essays, reminiscences and reflections on the first 50 years of the Archives was published at the beginning of September. It "grew out of our collective sigh of relief that the Archives had survived to reach its 50th birthday (in late 2003). We are hoping that, having survived, the Archives will continue for a long time to come as the national repository for the documentation of Australia's industrial heritage." The Editors, from the Preface. The price is $25 per copy ($20 for members of the Friends of the Noel Butlin Archives Centre) plus $3 for postage and packaging. New Accessions In June-September 2004 the Noel Butlin Archives Centre received additions to the following collections: Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and predecessors (deposit Z628) Manchester Unity (deposit Z262) Jack Cavanagh Papers (deposit Z400) Queensland Teachers' Union (deposit Z566) Ergonomics Society of Australia (deposit Z230) Australian Historical Association (deposit Z130) Australian Society of Archivists (deposit Z22) The new collections include: Merv Macfarlane (1924-2000) Papers (deposit Z649). Merv Macfarlane, trade unionist and political activist, was a life-long member and official of the Sydney Branch of the Waterside Workers Federation, he was also an active member of the Maritime Branch of the Communist Party of Australia and one of the activists and founding members of the Maritime Branch of the Socialist Party of Australia (SPA). A small number of papers documents activities of the Maritime Branch of the SPA in the late 1970s-early 1980s. Sydney Stevedores' Association (deposit Z650). The Centre received Association's minute book No 2 dating from 19 Apr 1901 to 22 Aug 1904. The Association was formed in August 1900. It changed its name to the Sydney Stevedores' Wool-dumping and Lighterage Association early in 1902. This was an employer organisation which might have become the Sydney Stevedoring & Wool-dumping Co Ltd as listed in the 1928 Sand's Sydney Directory. Richard Eves Papers (deposit Z651). Dr Richard Eves is a visiting fellow at ANU. He is an anthropologist whose research interests include Melanesian ethnography, nineteenth century anthropological and racial thought and colonialism in the Pacific. Dr Eves is also a peace and anti-nuclear activist who donated to the Archives his collection of the 1980s anti-war and anti-nuclear movement material: posters, leaflets and badges. In total the new additions comprise 35 metres of shelf space. Exhibition at Old Parliament House Records from the Noel Butlin Archives Centre are currently on view in the Petrov Exhibition at the Old Parliament House. These records include pamphlets, flyers, newspaper reports and Reports of the Royal commission on Espionage - a fascinating look at our history. The exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the Petrov Affair, and tracks the key events of this Australia’s greatest spy story. The Affair had a profound and lasting impact on the fabric of Australian society and directly contributed to the Labor Party Split of 1955. It was played out against the backdrop of the Cold War in quiet hotels and on sleepy country roads around Canberra, under King’s Cross street lights and in the corridors and offices of Old Parliament House, Canberra—the seat of Federal Government. History Conference At the recent (July 2004) Australian Historical Association Conference in Newcastle, Dr Pennie Pemberton gave a brief presentation about the Australian Agricultural Company’s entry into the coal trade in Newcastle . One of the illustrations for her talk was a map drawn by John Henderson, the Company’s Colliery Manager, on his first visit to Newcastle in 1827. The map shows a ‘bird’s eye view’ of Newcastle harbour, looking towards the south bank of the Hunter or Coal River (Nobby’s shown as an island) and an east-west section showing the coal strata. The map and the accompanying report are dated 8 May 1827 [NBAC reference 78/1/2, ff 186-189]. From comments made at the conference, it seems the map may be one of the earliest geological maps drawn in Australia. Scholarship for honours students The Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, Canberra Region Branch and the National Institute for Social Sciences and Law at the Australian National University have established a scholarship for students undertaking their honours year (or equivalent) who wish to use the Noel Butlin Archives Centre. The scholarship is intended to assist with travel and other expenses involved in doing research at the Centre. Applications for 2005 close on Friday 26 November 2004. For further information, including how to apply, see Print flyer (PDF version). May - June 2004 Building work and temporary closure of the Reading Room Exhibition at the Old Parliament House continues Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win! Book launch and exhibition New accessions Anthology of Radical and Working Class Poems ANU joins Picture Australia: our images are on-line! Building work and temporary closure of the Reading Room Building work in the Underhill Tunnel (our current location, ANU Building 76) is scheduled to begin in late May and to continue until late August 2004. This work includes a new reading room and staff area in the Menzies Library and improvements to the Archives Repository here in the Underhill. The old Reading Room will close on Friday 2 July 2004 and the new Reading Room will open on the ground floor of the Menzies Building (ANU Building 2) on Monday 30 August 2004. Please let the Archives staff know if the closure will affect your research plans. At the new location the new access and reference rules will apply. Please consult our Access and Reference section for changes to the current procedures. Sigrid McCausland University Archivist 19 May 2004 Exhibition at the Old Parliament House continues People’s Procession: Australian Popular Movements 1880s-1950s This exhibition at the Old Parliament House continues until 15 July 2004. Follow this link to find out more about the exhibition. To read what the curator of the exhibition Peter Emmett thought about the archives and the records follow this link to the ABC website. Image: Membership Certificate of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, 1880s, Noel Butlin Archives Centre, Australian National University, T61/6 Courtesy Australian Manufacturing Workers Union Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win! Book launch and exhibition A new book on BLF history Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win! Builders Labourers fight deregistration, 1981-1994 by Liz Ross was launched in Canberra on 5 May 2004 at the Archives. The launch was accompanied by opening of an exhibition which includes records, posters and photographs from the BLF archives held at the Noel Butlin Archives Centre. The book can be obtained from the Vulgar Press (more info). Exhibition can be viewed until 2 July 2004. New accessions In January-May 2004 the Noel Butlin Archives Centre received additions to the following collections: Association for Tertiary Education Management Inc (ATEM) (deposit Z614) Australian Agricultural Company (deposit Z629) Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) (deposit Z328) Australian Association of National Advertisers (deposit Z169) Australian Society of Archivists (deposit Z22) Australian Telephone and Phonogram Officers Association (deposit Z635) CSR Limited (deposit Z642) Dieticians Association of Australia (deposit N153) Maurice Mulheron Papers (deposit Z459) Peters Bros, Wade & Allison Pty Ltd (deposit N149) South Australian Institute of Teachers (deposit Z483) Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia and predecessors (deposit Z639) In total the new additions comprise 54 metres of shelf space. Anthology of Radical and Working Class Poems Last month the Archives received a donation of an early 20th century hand-written Anthology of Radical and Working Class Poems (deposit Z641). Little is known about this volume except that it was given by Mrs Angela ('Annie') Westbrook, a founder of the IWW in Western Australia, to John Dutruc-Moore, abstract artist, who was born in England in 1909, studied at Brighton Art School, became a member of the Melbourne Contemporary Art School, showed a couple of exhibitions, before leading a roving existence, droving cattle etc. and settling at Narrabeen [Ingleside]. He died at his home in Cooktown, on 9 October 1999, aged 90 years. His death notice in the Sydney Morning Herald, 16 October 1999, has the line "And he even managed a little nip before his long nap". Another notice said: "He has finally laid down his swag". ANU joins PictureAustralia: our images are on-line! At the end of April 2004 ANU joined the Australia-wide on-line image database PictureAustralia. All images came from the ANU Archives and the Noel Butlin Archives Centre. This is the result of a joint effort of the Archives staff and the ANU Digital Resources Program on a pilot project of putting on-line an image database to test the new digital storage product DSpace. At the moment DSpace contain just over 300 images which come from a number of union and company collections as well as some early images of Canberra from the University Archives. To see our images through PictureAustralia follow this link, go to Advanced Search and choose Australian National University in the Agency field. To explore DSpace and see our images there follow this link.