Guide to the Papers of Herbert and Ivy Brookes, 1869-1970

Summary

Collection number:

MS 1924, MS Acc05.153

Creator:

Brookes, Herbert and Brookes, Ivy

Extent:

27.65 metres and (140 archive boxes + 2 large folio boxes + 1 medium folio box + 4 map folios + 2 small phase boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Herbert and Ivy Brookes, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

Material in this collection dates from 1869 until 1970, and consists of correspondence, notes, diaries, photographs, certificates, programs, invitations, publications, scrap-books and loose press cuttings.

A feature of the papers are the notes written by Herbert, recording details of conversations and meetings, as well as his reflections on events, drafts of letters and speeches.

There are minutes of meetings of almost every organisation to which they belonged, but the only complete sets are contained in minute-books of the Commonwealth Liberal Party and the Peoples' Liberal Party 1909-1914, and the Brown Society 1907-1921.

The records of the National Council of Women of Victoria, 1904-54, the Press, Arts and Letters Committee 1927-60, and the Federal Council of the National Council of Women, 1924-31 were received in Mrs Brookes' papers. They were microfilmed by the Library and are located at G7541-8. The original books were returned to the Council in 1970.

Biographical Note:

Herbert Brookes

Herbert Brookes, the second of the seven children of William Brookes and his wife Catherine Robinson, was born in Sandhurst, Victoria on 20 December 1867. He was educated at Wesley College, and the University of Melbourne, where he graduated B.E. in 1892. Sir Norman Brookes was a brother.

Herbert worked on the Victorian mining fields of Creswick and Omeo, and in 1897 married Jennie, daughter of Rev. Charles Strong of the Australian Church, Melbourne; Jennie died two years later.

In 1900 Brookes accompanied Alfred Deakin and his family to Europe, and in 1905 married Ivy, the eldest Deakin daughter. There were three children of their marriage, Wilfred, Jessie (Mrs A. Clarke) and Alfred.

Brooks' business interests included Austral Otis Engineering Co., Australian Papers Mills, National Mutual Life Association, and pastoral properties "Brookwood", "Westbury" and "Texas" in Central Queensland, and ":Granite Peak" Wiluna, Western Australia.

From 1913 until 1917 he was President of the Victorian Chamber of Manufactures, and in 1917 was President of the Associated Chambers of Manufactures. During this time he was a member of the State War Council, the State Munitions Committee, the Electricity Supply Board, and the Australian Protective League.

Both Herbert and Ivy Brookes were associated with the formation of the Commonwealth Liberal Party in 1909 and the People's Liberal Party in 1911. Herbert edited The Liberal from 1911 until it ceased publication in 1914.

He was an executive member of the National Union (Victorian Section) in 1917 and worked closely with W.M. Hughes during the campaigns for the Referenda on Conscription in 1916 and 1917. The conscription issue led to the sectarian climate of 1918 which produced firstly the Citizens' Loyalist League, convened by Brookes, and later in 1918, the Royalist League, and the Victorian Protestant Federation.

Brookes worked for the Commonwealth Government as a member of the Board of Trade (1918-28) and the Tariff Board (1922-28), as Commissioner-General in the United States of America (1929-30) and as the first Vice-Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission (1932-40). From 1933 until 1947 he was a member of the Council of the University of Melbourne.

The Brookes also gave freely of their time and wealth to the cultural and community life of Melbourne; they worked for the establishment of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra through the Lady Northcote Trust Fund, and in 1934 endowed the University Conservatorium of Music, with a new wing. The T.E. Brown Society met regularly at their home "Winwick" from 1907 until it disbanded in 1921. They were executive members of the Chautaugua Association, the League of National Union, the Bureau of Social and International Affairs.

Herbert Brookes died in Melbourne on 1 December, 1963.

Source: Rivett, Rohan. Australian Citizen : Herbert Brookes 1867-1963. Melbourne, M.U.P., 1965

Ivy Brookes

Ivy Deakin was born in Melbourne on 14 July 1883, eldest of the three daughters of Alfred and Pattie Deakin. She was educated privately, and at Merton Hall, before studying violin and singing at the Conservatorium of Music, where in 1903, she gained a diploma; and in 1904 was awarded the Ormond Scholarship for singing.

After marriage to Herbert Brookes in 1905 she continued her musical studies and played in Professor Marshall Hall's orchestra from 1903 to 1915. Herbert shared her interest in music and together they worked as executive members of the Lady Northecote Permanent Orchestra Trust Fund from 1908 until the 1960's. Ivy became a foundation vice-president of the Ladies Committee of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 1925, and from 1926 until 1969 was a member of the Faculty of Music, University of Melbourne.

Ivy Brookes held executive positions in the National Council of Women, the International Council of Women, the Playgrounds and Recreation Association, the League of Nations Union, the Empire Trade Defence League, the Housewives' Association, the United Nations Association, and was, for fifty years on the Board of the Women's Hospital, Melbourne.

She was a foundation member of both the Boards of Studies in Physical Education (1938-70) and Social Studies (1941-67) at the University of Melbourne.

In 1933 she founded the International Club of Victoria and was its president until it disbanded in 1958.

Ivy Brookes died on 27 December 1970 and was survived by her children, Wilfred, Jessie (Mrs Clarke) and Alfred, and by her two sisters Stella, Lady Rivett, and Vera, Lady White.

Provenance:

The papers of Herbert Brookes were presented to the National Library in April 1967 by his widow Ivy Deakin Brookes. In October 1967 she deposited her own extensive collection, and together they form the Brookes Papers.

Arrangement:

The papers have been sorted into fifty four series, each of which has been described. In addition all the correspondence has been indexed.

Indexed terms

Names:

Brookes, Ivy

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2264992).

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Herbert and Ivy Brookes, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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