Guide to the Papers of Ric Throssell, c1860-2002

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Summary

Collection number:
MS 8071, MS Acc00.222, MS Acc17.098
Creator:
Throssell, Ric
Extent:
6.57 metres and (43 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], National Library of Australia, Papers of Ric Throssell, [class number, box number and series and/or file number]'.
Availability:
Available
Access conditions:
Part available for research; part requires permission for research during the lifetime of Karen Throssell. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

MS 8071 comprises playscripts, drafts of autobiography and other writings in addition to correspondence, research material and other documents relating to Ric Throssell's work as a playwright and author. There are also papers relating to Throssell's career and security classification problems in the Department of Foreign Affairs, the life and work of his mother Katharine Susannah Prichard and of his father Hugo Throssell, and to his involvement with the Canberra Repertory Society (31 boxes).

The Acc00.222 instalment comprises correspondence, drafts, reviews, articles, talks, notebooks and cuttings relating to Throssell's works My father's son and Breaking the codes, and a screenplay of his mother's Black opal. Also included are files on Throssell's involvement with Writers Against Nuclear Arms (WANA) (6 boxes).

MS Acc17.098 instalment comprises papers relating to Throssell's career as an author and in the theatre and includes correspondence, drafts of his writings, papers, and photographs. There is a large group of papers relating to screen, theatre and radio adaptations by Throssell of works written by his mother, Katharine Susannah Prichard. There are also several letters from Prichard to Dorothy Irwin and a group of her published works, which have been inscribed.(6 Archives Boxes)

Biographical Note:

Ric Prichard Throssell was born in Perth in 1922, the son of novelist Katharine Susannah Prichard and Captain Hugo Throssell, V.C. After education at Wesley College he saw war service in New Guinea during World War II. In 1943 he joined the Department of External Affairs and later served in the Australian legations in Moscow and Rio de Janeiro.

Since 1943 he has been associated with the Canberra Repertory Society as an actor, producer and playwright. He has written a large number of plays, some of which have been published. He has published a biography of his mother, Wild weeds and wind flowers (1975) and an autobiography My father's son (1989), and has edited two collections of his mother's writings Straight left (1982) and Tribute: selected stories of Katharine Susannah Prichard (1988).

His career in the diplomatic service was greatly hindered by security classification problems resulting from his mother's membership of the Communist Party. He appeared before the Petrov inquiry in 1954, but no case was established against him. Since his retirement he has devoted a lot of his energies to obtaining classified documents relating to himself and his mother with the aid of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Freedom of Information Act.

Collection Retrieval Advice:

Please note: each consignment in this collection has a separate box number sequence (i.e. there may be multiple Box 1s). 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 for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1567112).
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], National Library of Australia, Papers of Ric Throssell, [class number, box number and series and/or file number]'.
Location of this collection:
Parkes Place
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Contact:
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