MS 8450
Papers of Albert Speer
Summary
| Creator: |
Albert Speer |
| Title: |
Papers |
| Date range: |
1943-94 |
| Extent: |
84 cm (6 boxes) |
| Reference number: |
MS 8450 |
Administrative Information
Access:
Available for reference
Provenance
The collection was donated to the National Library
by Albert Speer in 1999.
Related
materials
There is a microform of Speer Papers (Mfm PMB 1122)
in the Newspaper/Microcopy Reading Room in the National Library.
Scope and Content
This is a small well organised collection and
consists of diaries, patrol reports, official reports, official and unofficial
correspondence, personal documents, newspaper articles and photographs on Sir
Albert Maori Kikis funeral, an interview, an audio tape, photographs,
maps and a few publications, mainly newspapers.
Organisation
The papers have been organised into nine series.
Biographical note
Albert Speer was born in 1922 in Goulburn, New South
Wales and served in New Guinea with 2/2 Australian Field Ambulance from 1942 to
1945. This marked the beginning of Speers long association with
Papua New Guinea.
Speer joined the Public Service of Papua New Guinea
as a medical assistant in October 1947 with early postings to Kerema (1947),
Madang (1950), and Saiho/Polondetta (1951), where he led the medical team in
the evacuation of victims of the Mt. Lamington disaster. Other postings
include Tari (1954) and Koroba (1955/1957) where he made exploratory patrols
into uncontrolled areas of the Southern Highlands, eventually
taking over the administrative management of the Koroba hospital. He was a
medical assistant in charge of the Malahang Native Hospital at Lae
(1957-1959).
From 1959 to 1967 he worked as the Regional
Administrative Officer at Rabaul and later at Goroka, New Guinea Highlands
Region. In 1967 he was involved in special project work investigating the
methods study into the Malaria Branch of the Department of Public
Health.
In 1969 Speer was appointed Executive Officer of the
Malaria Branch. From 1970 to 1971 he was involved in another special
project for the Director of Public Health on the review of Aid Posts.
Altogether he served in the Department of Public Health in the Australian
Administration of Papua and New Guinea from 1947 until his retirement in
1971. He was a pioneer in the establishment of health services in Papua
New Guinea.
In 1978 Speer was made a Member of the Order of the
British Empire (MBE) for his work in the Papua New Guinea Public Health
Department.
Speer did not marry but he adopted four
children from Papua New Guinea, including Sir Albert Maori Kiki.
Series list
| Series |
Title |
| 1 |
Diaries, 1943-74 |
| 2 |
Patrol and official reports, 1948-71 |
| 3 |
Official correspondence, 1966-69 |
| 4 |
Unofficial correspondence, 1953-66 |
| 5 |
Personal documents, 1951-86 |
| 6 |
Sir Albert Maori Kikis funeral, 1983-86 |
| 7 |
Interviews and conference papers, 1969-94 |
| 8 |
Publications, 1950-93 |
| 9 |
Miscellaneous papers and photographs, 1970-79 |
Series description
Series 1 Diaries, 1943-74
Albert Speers diaries document his daily life
in Papua New Guinea as a medical assistant and as an Australian writing about
his impressions of the land, the people, their customs and his new
experiences.
In 1957 Speer accompanied Maslyn Williams in the
filming of New Guinea Patrol. Speer kept a diary about the patrol
through the Southern Highlands to the Strickland Gorge and included detailed
inventories of medical and food stores. Series 1 consists of a photocopy
of the New Guinea Patrol diary, other diaries, some correspondence
and cablegrams.
There are days when there are no entries in the
diaries, which are marked incomplete.
Folder/Item
Speers passage to Papua New Guinea, 1 January -16 December 1950
(incomplete)
9 January 15 November 1953 (incomplete)
29 July- 31 December 1955
Appointment diary 1956 (incomplete)
8-9 New Guinea Patrol unit
diary, photocopy of diary and other papers, April - August 1957
10 Appointment diary, May September
1967(incomplete)
11 Appointment diary, January- October 1968
(incomplete)
12 Appointment diary with address book and notes,
January November 1974 (incomplete)
13 3 loose page diaries, 17 June 1973- 30 December
1974
14 2 notebooks, 1943-45 and 1962-67
Series
2
Patrol and official reports, 1948-71
Speer was among those instrumental in the opening of
the Southern Highlands district, where he provided the basis for the present
network of health services. Speers reports offer an insight into
the daily routine life of the patrol team. He wrote about his
observations and understanding of the culture of Papua New Guinea people, and
the photographs capture Papua New Guinea life. There is a photographic
album of the Duna Reconnaissance Patrol of 1955. The photographs and caption
notes tell the story of the Duna peoples first encounter with
Europeans.
Folder/Item
1 Medical patrol reports, monthly building reports and list of
locations, 1948-53
3 Patrol 7/1954-55, Southern Highlands,
1955 and commissioners instructions and other reports
4 Copies of a paper entitled The Wonder of Walkabout
relating to a patrol to the northwest of Tari (includes photographs)
5 Photograph album of the Duna Reconnaissance Patrol of 1955 and
containing:
Report
110 photographs with notes
Map Lavani, 1956
Map N-W Tari Survey
Patrol 7-54/55
Map N-W Tari Patrol No. 1- 1955/56
Press release and
press cuttings, 1955-71
6 Official reports and correspondence,
1948-53
7 Official health
report, Aid Post survey (incomplete) 1970-71
Series
3 Official
correspondence, 1966-69
In 1969 Speer was appointed Executive Officer
responsible for administrative aspects of the Malaria Branch of the Department
of Public Health. The series comprises mainly typed reports and carbon
copies of letters by Speer relating to issues about malaria.
Folder
2 Correspondence, 1967
Series
4
Unofficial correspondence, 1953-66. This series consists of
aerograms, and handwritten letters from Speers Australian and Papua New
Guinean colleagues and friends. There are also letters from Speers
adopted children, Sir Albert Maori Kiki ( 5 letters, 1961-62) and
Philip Bognero. In addition there are letters written by Speer.
Folder
1 Correspondence, 1953, 1960-66
2 Correspondence with Sir Edward Hallstrom about
Kanaka dogs, 1956-60
Series
5
Personal Documents, 1951-86
This series includes Speers job
applications and personal references written by Speer for the many various
administrative and executive positions in Health Services. Other papers include
a land deed, legal papers, Speers biographical notes for his entry into
the
Papua New Guinea Dictionary of Contemporary Biography,
booklets and letters about his Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Investiture in 1978, newspaper cuttings, photographs and correspondence
relating to the award.
Folder/Item
1 Speers personal
reference letters and other papers, 1951-71
2-6 Booklets and letters relating to MBE
Investiture, 1978-79
7 Biographical material, 1986
Series 6 Sir Albert Maori
Kikis funeral, 1983-86
Sir Albert Maori Kiki and Sir Michael Somare were
the founders of the Pangu Pati. From 1966 to 1972 Kiki was the first
National Secretary of Pangu Pati. In 1975 during the Somare Government,
Kiki was appointed Minister for Foreign Relations, Trade and Defence and was
later appointed Deputy Prime Minister. Sir Albert Maori Kiki is known as
one of the architects of Papua New Guineas independence.
Albert Speer acted as a mentor to Maori Kiki and in
gratitude Kiki asked permission to use Speers first name as his own,
hence Sir Albert Maori Kiki. The bulk of the series comprises mainly
newspaper articles, photographs and some personal letters relating to
Kikis funeral. Speer returned to Papua New Guinea in 1993 to
attend the funeral of Kiki.
Folder
1-3 Some personal letters, press
cuttings and photographs, 1983-86
4 Newspapers press
reports, Papua New Guinea Post Courier, 16-19 March, 1993
Series
7
Interviews and Conference papers, 1969-94
In 1976 Muttu J. Gware at Lae interviewed Speer
about the history of the health facilities an Ela Beach. There is a partial
transcript and audio tape of the interview. In 1969 Speer attended a
District Health Officers conference at Port Moresby and the agenda, notes and
discussion papers are part of the series.
Folder/Item
1 Partial transcript of an interview with Speer,
1976 and talk by Speer about his recollections of Papua New Guinea, 1994
Folder/Item
2 One cassette containing interview, 1976
3 District Health Officers Conference paper,
1969
Series
8
Publications, 1950-93
There are three copies of the Crookwell
Gazette, including articles about Albert Speer and Sir Albert Maori Kiki
and his family. Other publications include local Papua New Guinea
publications.
Folder
| 1 |
Crookwell Gazette, 1993 |
| |
Southern Weekly, 1993 |
| |
Journal of the Public Service of the Territory of
Papua and New Guinea, 1963 |
| |
The Territorian, 1950 |
| |
Lae City News, 1974 |
Series 9
Miscellaneous papers and photographs, 1970-79
Folder
1 Photographs, and newspaper article about
Speers retirement in 1971, newspaper cuttings, Papua and New Guinea
University booklet and press cuttings about Josephine Abaijah and the Papua
Besena Movement. 1979
2 Photographs of Speer, including one
photograph showing the Mount Lamington eruption of January 1951.
Box list
|
Box |
Series |
Folder/item |
|
1 |
1 |
1-7 |
|
2 |
1 |
8-14 |
|
3 |
2 |
1-7 |
|
4 |
3 |
1-2 |
|
4 |
4 |
1-2 |
|
4 |
5 |
1-6 |
|
5 |
5 |
7 |
|
5 |
6 |
1-4 |
|
6 |
7 |
1-3 |
|
6 |
8 |
1 |
|
6 |
9 |
1-2 |
December 2000