Director of Native Affairs, Northern Territory, 1938-46, and Commonwealth Adviser on Native Affairs, 1937-47

Component identifier:

Series 8

Content Summary:

The Native Affairs Branch of the Northern Territory Administration was created in 1939. The Branch assumed responsibility for Aborigines after the split of the Medical Service, Health and Aboriginals Branch. The Native Affairs Branch moved from Darwin to Alice Springs in 1942, returning to Darwin in 1946.

The papers mainly comprise reports to the Administrator of the Northern Territory, C.L.A. Abbott; correspondence with J.A. Carrodus of the Department of Interior, V. White (Deputy Director of Native Affairs) and others; and other material including policy documents, legislation, memoranda, cuttings, extracts of Cabinet minutes and annual reports.

Other papers relating to this period on Chinnery's career are in series 16 (Native Labour), 19 (Depopulation), 20 (Anthropological Research) and 30 (Diaries and Notebooks). A typescript item list of most of this series, produced by Chinnery's daughter, Mrs Sheila Waters, is located at the end of the collection.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The Chinnery Papers were purchased from Chinnery's daughters in 1994 and 1997. One of Chinnery's daughters, Mrs Sheila Waters, extensively listed the papers, describing their order before they were transferred to the Library. These lists, annotated with citation numbers for the present arrangement, are located in box 56. Some lists were also interspersed with the papers.

Names:

Ernest William Pearson Chinnery

Contents

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