Political Correspondence and Related Papers

Component identifier:

Series 2

Content Summary:

This series contains the bulk of general correspondence and other papers received and sent by Gordon Bryant in his capacity as Member for Wills and after his retirement.

This series contains groups of material organised in three main ways: by surname of constituent, by name of theMinistry or Department concerned, and by year. Groups of files arranged in A-Z sequence according to constituents' surnames extend from 1959 to 1980, the 1959-60 sequence having been reused in the years 1967-68. Files arranged according to the name of the Ministry or Department concerned appear from 1974 onwards. The large amount of material received in some disorder has been grouped in approximate chronological order by year, but not sorted into more precise date order.

A feature of this series is the large amount of correspondence with constituents about immigration matters, much of which is in special files arranged by surname, and ranging from 1963 to 1980. A smaller group of files contains correspondence on abortion in the period 1973-78.

Parts of this series previously constituted National Archives of Australia Series M2307.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The Bryant Papers were received in two consignments. The first was transferred from the Victorian Regional Office of the National Archives of Australia in November 1991, in accordance with Mrs Bryant's wishes. These papers had been deposited there in 1975. Just over half of them had been assigned the control number MP1803/1. The remainder had been registered into 31 individual record series and held under Commonwealth Record Series control numbers. Further papers at Mrs Bryant's home (in a garage) had been put into cartons by NAA staff in 1991 and brought to the National Archives of Australia on a temporary basis. At the time of transfer to the National Library, NAA staff retained series or parts of series which related to periods when Gordon Bryant was Minister, as well as diaries from 1973 to 1975 and one notebook. In 1992, papers relating to Bryant's post-parliamentary activities were transferred direct from Mrs Bryant's home to the Library. Amongst these cartons was material which had been packed from his office at La Trobe University's School of Economics and Commerce and returned to Mrs Bryant.

Names:

Bryant, Pat, Mrs.

Contents

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