Guide to the Papers of Barry York, 1890-2010

Request this via the Catalogue
 

Summary

Collection number:
MS 6947 et al.
Creator:
York, Barry, Dr, OAM
Extent:
(66 boxes) + 15 cartons + 1 small folio box + 1 packet + 3 folders
Language:
English and English
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Barry York, National Library of Australia, [class number, series/ file number]'.
Availability:
Available
Access conditions:
Part available for research; part requires permission for research; part not available for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

MS 6947 comprises drafts, correspondence and research notes, some relating to books by York: The Maltese in Australia (1986), Canberra: our Italian heritage (with Salvatore Gambale and Aldo Bongiorno, 1988), Josephine Zammit M.B.E.: a Maltese woman in Australia (1989), Student revolt: La Trobe University 1967 to 1973 (1989), Metropolitan ghettoes and ethnic concentrations (1990), Emmanuel Attard: from Gozo (Malta) to Gallipoli and Australia (1994), Empire and race: the Maltese in Australia 1881-1949 (1990), and, Our multicultural heritage 1788-1945: an annotated guide to the collections of the National Library of Australia (1995). Other papers include those relating to the campaign for the release of Bill O'Meally; the Ned Kelly centenary celebrations, 1980; Bob Hawke; Charles Darwin; general correspondence 1991-1996 as well as correspondence relating to the Centre for Immigration and Multicultural Studies, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University, 1986-1996; a copy of York's doctoral thesis on Maltese immigration in Australia; and one Eureka flag and flagpole.

The Acc98.028 instalment comprises research for historical works, chiefly The Maltese in Australia (1986). These are photocopies, original correspondence, questionnaires, interviews and other files.

The Acc99.210 instalment comprises correspondence for the years 1997 and 1998.

The Acc00.021 instalment comprises material relating to 20th Century Voices; covers; and permission forms.

The Acc00.107 instalment comprises further papers relating to Barry York's research.

The Acc00.147 instalment comprises drafts and correspondence relating to Barry York's articles for the National Library of Australia News.

The Acc00.168 instalment comprises papers on Maltese migration.

The Acc08.146 instalment comprises two folders of Peace Studies material, including Barry York's submission to the Commonwealth Committee to Review Australian Studies, correspondence with official bodies regarding preparations for nuclear war and various brochures on the topic, National Defence Organisation presentation at a conference, drafts of book reviews by York, outline of year 12 peace studies elective, 1982, survey form and survey summary of peace studies completed by York, ca. 1983.

The Acc16.107 instalment comprises research material about the history of the dictation test provision of the old Immigration Act (1901-1957) collected in the 1990s for a book that was never written. Includes original statistical returns on immigration exclusion and admissions and correspondence with the Joint House Committee of Parliament to fill gaps in those tabled; material by name and year of exclusion of individuals under the dictation test; and draft chapters on the Mabel Freer Case in which the test was used for "moral" reasons.

The Acc19.094 instalment comprises photocopies of original documents of the Malta High Commission relating to migrant voyages from Malta to Australia in the period 1948 to 1964 and are mainly reports by ship's welfare officers about the voyage and its passengers. The reports were written for Malta's Emigration Minister and provide detailed insights on each voyage.

The Acc21.017 instalment includes correspondence between Barry York and David Hanson (also known as David Little Wolf) that mostly relates to Hanson's memories of his step-father, the Navajo wrestler and showman, Big Chief Little Wolf, who was popular in Australia in the 1940s and 1950s. Hanson also reflects on his own time in Australia in the 1950s and the interesting show business people he met here and later in the United States of America, including his time sharing a flat with Helen Reddy in Melbourne. The collection also includes an unpublished manuscript of Lew Hillier's autobiography dated 1999 and titled 'A time to remember' (1 box).

The Acc22.014 instalment comprises Barry York's personal and professional correspondence from 2000 to 2006 and is arranged in chronological order, with one folder per month of correspondence for each year. A main topic of the correspondence is politics: the development of the LastSuperpower blog site, Marxism, the Iraq war, pseudo-leftism and discussion of what it means to be leftwing in the twenty-first century, the September 11 attacks, the Afghanistan war, and reflections on 1960s radical activism. Other correspondence topics include family life, parenting and Barry York's search for secure paid work and the impact on his morale. The main correspondents are Peter Cochrane, Robert Darby, Robbo Bennetts, Joan Garvan, Georgina Tsolidis, Albert Langer, Kerry Miller (Langer), Ed Duyker, Adriennne Millbank, and Fergus Robinson (7 boxes).

The Acc22.064 instalment relates to professional wresting in Australia and includes reports, articles, booklets, correspondence, research notes and photographs collected and arranged by Barry York. The collection has a particular focus on Ventura Tenario or Chief Little Wolf, the legendary American professional wrestler and showman, who spent much of his professional career wrestling in Australia (10 boxes).

The Acc22.118 instalment is comprised of correspondence in two parts. The first part is correspondence between Barry York and Maureen O'Keefe regarding her late husband John (Johnny) O'Keefe. The second part is correspondence between Barry York's mother Olive York (nee Turner) and her sister, Vida Turner, who lived in London (1 box).

The Acc23.050 instalment comprises a transcript of an interview recording (25 pp) with John J Cole (1915-2000) - Malta's first Minister for Emigration. Melbourne on 6 September 1984. Transcription by Hannah Garvan 2023 (1 file).

Collection Retrieval Advice:

Please note: each consignment in this collection has a separate box number sequence (i.e. there are multiple Box 1's). Please cite the relevant Class number as well as the Box number when requesting retrieval of material from the collection.

Access and use

Conditions Governing Access:
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1970607) for the access conditions.
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 Barry York, National Library of Australia, [class number, series/ file number]'.
Location of this collection:
Parkes Place
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Contact:
Contact us