Guide to the Papers of J. Northcote Deck, 1890-1959

Summary

Collection number:

MS 10347

Creator:

Deck, J. Northcote, 1855-1957

Extent:

3.15 metres and (6 ms boxes, 1 medium folio box, 20 negative boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of J. Northcote Deck, National Library of Australia, MS 10347, [series/file/items number(s)]'

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Part available for research; part requires permission for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

This collection comprises a large group of correspondence, both to and from Northcote Deck, mostly relating to his time with the South Seas Evangelical Mission (SSEM). His letters out contain detailed descriptions of his day-to-day life and issues arising in the Solomon Islands at that time. There is also a large group of Northcote Deck's writings including published and typescript versions of many of his articles, mostly intended for publication in Not in Vain, the SSEM journal, copies of his published books and drafts of a book on the Solomon Islands. Other material includes Queensland Kanaka Mission annual reports; issues of Not in Vain; and notebooks and loose pages of notes, most of a religious nature. The subject of the photographic material in the collection is mainly life and people in the Solomon Islands and is in the form of black and white photographs; black and white glass negatives, including family photographs taken by Harold Cazneaux; and coloured glass slides, used by Northcote Deck for presentations in Australia, England and Canada.

Biographical Note:

Doctor, missionary, author and speaker. John Northcote Deck served as the South Sea Evangelical Mission's first medical missionary, travelling among the islands of the Solomon group in the mission's vessel 'Evangel' for almost 20 years. Following his missionary medical work in the Solomon Islands, Deck continued as an author, devotional writer and speaker in England, Canada, the United States and Australia. He was also recognised as an explorer, being the first white man to cross the island of Guadalcanar (Guadalcanal) for which he received membership in the National Geographic Society. Following the death of his first wife Jessie (née Gibson) in the Solomon Islands, Deck married Gladys Mary Deck. John Northcote Deck died in Canada in 1959.

Members of the Young, Deck and Grant families established the Queensland Kanaka Mission in 1886 and extended it to various centres along the Queensland coast. A Solomon Islands Branch of the Queensland Kanaka Mission was formed in 1904. It established a principal mission station at Onepusu on the west coast of Malaita in 1905 and changed its name to the South Sea Evangelical Mission (SSEM) in 1907. The Mission continued to operate in the Solomon Islands, and in New Guinea after World War II, until it was localised in the 1980s.

Provenance:

The papers were acquired from Northcote Deck's son, Dr John Deck. The transfer to the National Library of Australia was facilitated by Patricia Braga, second cousin of Dr Deck, both being descendants of Henry Young.

Arrangement:

Prior to the papers being deposited with the National Library of Australia, the collection was loaned to the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau (PAMBU) where it was microfilmed and listed. The descriptions in this finding aid are taken from the PAMBU list. Supplementary information provided by Patricia Braga has been incorporated in this finding aid.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Health
Theology
History
Geography

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn3548136).

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 J. Northcote Deck, National Library of Australia, MS 10347, [series/file/items number(s)]'

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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