Original consignment, 1970-1985

Component identifier:

Class 1

Content Summary:

This consignment reflects Robert Darby's interest and involvement in left-wing politics over the period 1970-82, and his participation in union and community affairs from 1979-85. There is considerable overlap between material on University-based student groups and left-wing political movements generally. The main focus is on Victorian (La Trobe University) material, however several States and the Australian Capital Territory are well represented.

The Melbourne material relates mainly to Darby's involvement with La Trobe University groups, the Radical Student Movement (1975) later called the Students for Australian Independence (1976-77), the Society for Australian Culture (1976-77) and the La Trobe Marxist-Leninists (1976-77), and with general groups including the Australian Independence Movement (1976-81), Mobilisation against Rockefeller (1976), the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) (1976-81), and groups created for a particular protest.

The Canberra material relates to radical and community groups, the Union movement (ACOA), and to the newsletters and newspapers these organisations produced. Represented are the Australian Independence Movement (1978-82) and the Canberra Workers Alliance (1978-80), and their joint newspaper for the ACT group, the Southern Cross, edited by Darby 1978-80; Jobless Action CYSS Project, Woden, and its related newspapers, Access (1980), Hard Times (1980-81), and Canberra-Monaro Searchlight (1981); the Australian Clerical Officers Association (ACOA) (1978-84), and Hotline (1981-83). There are business files for these newspapers.

The Bowyang files, including a full set of the journal (1978-83), are a feature of the collection.

There are subject files on topics relating to Darby's interests and activities. One set of files contains background material for articles he contributed to various journals, and another set is concerned with the A.C.T. There is Australian Union of Students material, including leaflets collected at demonstrations, and material from Maoist and other political groups from interstate. Some conferences attended by Darby are documented. The newspaper clipping files are concerned with the elections of 1975 and with the loans and constitutional crisis of that year. A large number of Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) booklets are in the collection, many of them written by E. F. Hill who led the breakaway group from the Communist Party of Australia.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The original consignments were purchased in 1985 and 1986. Class 2 wa acquired via donation in 2019.

Subjects:

Health
Literature
Politics and government

Contents

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