1887 Colonial Conference, London, 1886-1887

Component identifier:

Subseries 9_4

Content Summary:

Deakin led the Victorian delegation to the 1887 Colonial Conference, called to celebrate Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. The correspondence is mostly of a social nature. It includes the first offer made to Deakin of a knighthood, some requests for interviews and articles, a letter on defence from Lord George Hamilton of the Admiralty and one congratulating Deakin on his return to Victoria.

There is a photograph of those attending the conference, some notes for speeches including one made on Deakin's return to Melbourne, numerous invitations and programs of functions in London, theatre programs collected by Deakin and clippings from The Age and The Argus about the conference.

This subseries contains Items 9/338 - 9/479.

Immediate source of acquisition:

On 3 December 1965 Ivy Brookes, the eldest daughter of Alfred Deakin, formally presented the Deakin Papers to the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, for permanent preservation in the National Library. After Deakin's death in 1919 his papers remained in the possession of his widow, Pattie, until her death in 1934. They were used extensively by Herbert Brookes, and by Professor Walter Murdoch while he was working on the first biography of Deakin, published in 1923. In 1945 the Deakin Papers were examined by an officer of the National Library and it was agreed that the papers would ultimately be deposited in the Library. In 1948 Professor R.M. Crawford of the University of Melbourne became custodian of the papers on the understanding that either an extensive selection of documents or a biography would be based on them. Subsequently his colleague, Professor J.A. La Nauze, began Deakin's biography and the papers remained in his custody until the work was completed in 1965. From time to time other papers relating to Deakin were added to the original collection by Herbert and Ivy Brookes, Lady Rivett and Sir Thomas and Lady White. Professors Crawford and La Nauze also added letters or copies of Deakin letters that they had acquired from other sources.

Names:

Brookes, Ivy

Contents

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