Guide to the Papers of Arthur Groom, ca. 1930-1953

Summary

Collection number:

MS 9552, MS Acc11.109

Creator:

Arthur Groom

Extent:

1.4 metres and (2 boxes, 1 map folio)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Arthur Groom, National Library of Australia, [class number, box number and series and/or file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

The collection comprises the manuscript of an unpublished novel, 'Flood waters', a 1932 confidential diary kept while Groom was working at O'Reilly's Guesthouse on the Lamington Plateau in southeast Queensland, a diary of a 1952 trip taken in preparation for writing Wealth in the wilderness (1955) and correspondence relating to the trip. There are also newspaper cuttings, a manuscript for an article 'Beef will be scarce and dear' (1952?), Groom's honorary ranger badge and an 1897 petition by Susan Grace Lambert regarding land in Tasmania held by the Groom family.

Biographical Note:

Arthur Groom was born in Caulfield, Victoria, on 11 December 1904, the son of Arthur Champion Groom, the Member for Flinders in the first Federal Parliament. Raised on the cattle station Rosabelle Downs , Queensland, he worked as a jackaroo and journalist.

He published a novel Merry Christmas (1930), set in Queensland in the late 1920s.

In 1930 he became the first honorary secretary of the National Parks Association of Queensland and was active in the promotion of national parks and environmental protection until his death. With Romeo Lahey, he established Binna Burra Lodge, on the edge of the Lamington National Park, in southeast Queensland, in 1933.

Though found medically unfit for service in World War II, he trained soldiers from the Canungra Army base in jungle warfare.

After visiting Central Australia and the Hermannsburg Mission in 1946 and 1947, he wrote I saw a strange land (1950). He published One mountain after another, on the history of the Lamington National Park and the 'Scenic Rim' region in 1949. His last book, on the cattle industry of the Northern Territory and Western Australia, was Wealth in the wilderness (1955).

He was known for his almost legendary ability to walk long distances, and his sense of humour. His published works reveal a great love for the Australian landscape.

Arthur Groom died in Melbourne in 1953.

References

Biography supplied by Linda Groom.

P.A. Scherer. Camel treks in the outback, 1994, p.69+

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.

Provenance:

The collection was donated to the Library by Groom's children, Linda, Donn, Tony and Richard Groom.

Arrangement:

The papers have been retained in the order in which they were received.

Indexed terms

Names:

Arthur Groom

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1055791).

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 Arthur Groom, National Library of Australia, [class number, 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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