Guide to the Papers of Sir Robert Southey, 1962-1994

Summary

Collection number:

MS 9901

Creator:

Sir Robert Southey

Extent:

5.32 metres and (38 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Sir Robert Southey, National Library of Australia, MS 9901, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for reference. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

The Papers of Sir Robert Southey document his involvement with the Liberal Party of Australia and the Australian Ballet Foundation. They comprise minutes, correspondence, reports, circulars, invitations, and publicity material.

Biographical Note:

Robert John Southey was born in Melbourne on 20 March 1922, the son of Allen Hope Southey, a lawyer, and his wife Ethel Thorpe McComas, MBE. He undertook his schooling at Glamorgan School, Toorak, and later at Geelong Grammar School.

Southey pursued his tertiary education briefly at Melbourne University in 1940 before continuing at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he studied philosophy, politics and economics. When the Second World War interrupted his studies in 1941, he joined the Coldstream Guards and was commissioned as a captain. He saw active duty in North Africa and Italy, where he was involved in the siege of Monte Cassino. In 1946 he married Valerie Clarke, daughter of Sir Frank and Lady Clarke, with whom he had five sons. Valerie died in 1977.

In 1949 Southey returned to Australia and joined the family business of William Haughton and Company Ltd as a clerk, later working as a junior wool buyer and sheepskin classer before becoming a director (1953-1959), managing director (1959-1975), and chairman (1968-1980). Southey's extensive business interests also included numerous positions as company director. He also held positions on a number of other cultural organisations including director of the Art Foundation of Victoria (1978-1981), president of the Geelong Grammar Foundation (1977-1988) and chairman of the School Council (1966-1972), a trustee of the Nuffield Farming Scholarships, and chairman of the Australian Advisory Committee for the Nuffield Foundation (1970-1982).

Southey's interest in ballet was initially prompted by the Australian tours of de Basil's Ballets Russes (1936-1940). In 1977 he became directly involved in ballet with his appointment as director of the Australian Ballet Foundation, serving as chairman in 1980-1990. He was also Chairman of the Executive and Finance Committee, Chairman of Australian Ballet Development Pty. Ltd. and a member of the Council of Management of the Australian Ballet School. During his decade as chairman, Southey steered the company through a number of problematic periods, including the 1981 dancers strike, an unprecedented financial deficit, the loss of key dancers, and criticisms of repertoire and employment of Australian dancers.

Southey's involvement in politics commenced shortly after his return from England, when he joined the Liberal Party of Australia in 1949. Between 1949 and 1959 he served on the committee of the Malvern Branch of the Victorian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia, later becoming President of the Frankston Branch, 1961-1966, and President of the Victorian Division, 1966-1970. In 1970 he became Federal President of the Liberal Party of Australia, a post he held until 1975, continuing his involvement with the party as a member of the federal executive until 1982.

Southey was awarded a CMG in 1970, knighted in 1972, and awarded an AO in 1993. In 1982 he married his second wife, Marigold Merlyn Baillieu Myer, the daughter of Sidney Myer and Dame Marilyn Meyer. He died in Melbourne on 29 September 1998. He is honoured by the Sir Robert Southey Centre at Glamorgan, Geelong Grammar School.

Sources: 'Meet the Chairman', in The Australian Ballet News, May 1987; 'Obituaries: Sir Robert Southey, AO', in Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, October 1, 1998; Who's Who in Australia 1999.

Immediate Source of Acquisition:

The Papers of Sir Robert Southey were donated to the Library by Lady Southey in August 2002.

Arrangement:

The papers have largely been left in the order in which they were received. However, some of the Australian Ballet Foundation material was re-ordered to reflect the overall chronological arrangement of associated files.

Indexed terms

Names:

Sir Robert Southey

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2057303).

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 Sir Robert Southey, National Library of Australia, MS 9901, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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