Guide to the Papers of Edith Waller

MS 9877

National Library of Australia


Date completed: May 2005
Last updated: May 2005


Collection Summary

Creator: Waller, Edith, 1918-2003
Title: Papers of Edith Waller
Date Range: 1980-2002
Collection Number: MS 9877
Extent: 0.45m (3 boxes)
Repository: National Library of Australia

Introduction

Scope and Content

The papers of Edith Waller document her activities as a supporter and campaigner for the Australian Broadcasting Commission (later the Australian Broadcasting Corporation) from 1981 until 2002. They also include papers relating to her other interests such as immigration, taxation, tertiary education, Australian relations with Asia, and human rights.

The papers comprise correspondence, notes, articles, letters to newspapers, submissions, ABC publications and a book of her poetry. Correspondents include Kenneth Myer, Richard Boyer, Don Dunoon, David Hill, R.D. Somervaille and Donald McDonald.

Arrangement

The papers were received by the Library in a semi-ordered state. Some papers, such as the letters to the press and the ABC Advisory Council papers, were in folders or bundles which have been kept intact. Other papers, particularly the correspondence, were loose and they have been arranged and filed by Library staff.

Access

The collection is available for reference.

Provenance

The papers of Edith Waller were donated to the Library in March 2004 by Ruth Waller, the daughter of Edith Waller.

Copying and Publishing

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions.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 Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.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 Edith Waller, National Library of Australia, MS 9877, [Folder number]'.

Biographical Note

Edith Waller was born in Sydney on 3 September 1918, the daughter of William and Jessie Riley. She attended the University of Sydney, where she became greatly influenced by the teachings of the philosopher John Anderson. At this time she also met another philosophy student, Neville Waller, whom she would later marry in 1948. During the War she worked as a school teacher in Kiama, and after marrying and raising three children, embarked on her political and community work, including membership of Amnesty International, environmental groups and the Friends of the ABC (FABC).

From early 1981 onwards, Waller served on the committee of the New South Wales Branch of the FABC. This branch was recognised as the body's national organisation. From 1982 until 1988 she held the position of Secretary of the FABC, and for nearly twenty years she edited and contributed to its newsletter News and Views, writing articles on government communications policy and media matters. With her entertaining and sometimes acerbic writing style, she was a tireless defender of the ABC's independence, and wrote many letters to the press as well as several submissions. They included submissions to the Resources Review on the Role of the ABC in 1988, the Review of the ABC Role and Functions in 1996, and the Inquiry on Appointments to the ABC Board in 2001. She also served on State and national ABC advisory councils.

In her last years, Waller lobbied politicians on a number of other matters such as education and immigration. She died in Sydney on 7 November 2003.

Reference(s):
'Obituary', Sydney Morning Herald,10 December 2003, p32.
Update (FABC), March 2004, p14.



Folder List

Folder 1 Correspondence, 1983-1985

Folder 2 Correspondence, 1986-1988

Folder 3 Correspondence, 1989-1998

Folder 4 Correspondence, 2000-2002

Folder 5 Correspondence, undated

Folder 6 Notes and drafts of articles, 1985-1988

Folder 7 Notes and drafts of articles, 1991-1993

Folder 8 Notes and drafts of articles, undated

Folder 9 Handwritten notebook containing notes on FABC meetings and members' recommendations, preliminary drafts of letters and several press clippings

Folder 10 Letters to the press, 1982-1988

Folder 11 Letters to the press, 1989-2001

Folder 12 Lettes to the press, undated

Folder 13 Notes, briefings, agendas, minutes and correspondence relating to ABC Advisory Council meetings (state and national)

Folder 14 Submissions: Resources Review on Role of ABC, 1988; Review of ABC Role and Functions, 1996; Inquiry on Appointments to ABC Board, 2001

Folder 15 Edith Waller's articles in News and Views

Folder 16 ABC and Public Broadcasting Service (U.S.) publications and manuals

Folder 17 Letters on non-ABC matters, 1997-2001

Folder 18 Letters on non-ABC matters, undated

Folder 19 Occasional Verses by Edith Waller, published by Hellenic NFS, 1995

Folder 20 Friends of the ABC: News and Views and Update, 1980-2000



Box List

Folder Box
1-8 1
9-16 2
17-20 3