Family and friends, 1905-1997

Component identifier:

Series 1

Content Summary:

Barrett was a natural letter writer with a wide circle of correspondents. Included in this series are letters from many members of his family, and from old friends in South Australia where he grew up and where he was a Methodist minister. Of special note amongst the many correspondents are the writer Colin Thiele, Barrett's former teacher at Port Lincoln High School, and historians Hugh Stretton and Allan Martin with whom Barrett maintained long friendships. The correspondence also reflects a number of lapsed contacts, which Barrett renewed following his cancer diagnosis in 1995. Also of interest are some genealogical papers relating to the Dickson family (beginning with Barrett's maternal great-grandparents), incorporating notes from the World War I diary of his uncle D.E. Dickson, written at Boulogne, France. (Dickson was awarded the Military Medal and later became a Methodist minister).

Immediate source of acquisition:

The papers were donated to the National Library by Barrett's widow Margaret in March 2000. They form an exceptionally orderly collection, characterised by a large body of sustained correspondence, and reflect both Barrett's flair for letter writing and his meticulous approach to record keeping. Series 5 (a letter to his daughter Clare) was added on 3 October 2001.

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