Guide to the Papers of Oskar Spate

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MS 7886

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Creator
Oskar Spate
Title
Papers of Oskar Spate
Date Range
1934-1989
Collection Number
MS 7886
Extent
4.5 metres (21 boxes, 2 folio items)
Language of Materials
English
Repository
National Library of Australia

Introduction

Scope and Contents

The National Library took custody of this collection in March 1989. Series 2-9 were transferred to the Library in a total of 32 labelled box files. The contents of these box files have been removed into files without disturbing the order of the papers therein. The three part numbering system used in this list (eg: File 3/1/2) consists firstly of the series number, secondly of the box file number within that series, and thirdly the file number within that box file. The full collection as sorted and listed consists of sixteen manuscript boxes (2.24 metres).

Conditions Governing Access

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2645399).

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Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions.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 Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.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 Oskar Spate, National Library of Australia, MS 7886, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Bibliography

T. M Perry, "Oskar Spate: a personal impression", in Jennings, J. N and Linge, G. J. R, Of Time and place: essays inhonour of OHK Spate, Canberra, 1980, pp. xiii-xix.

Biographical Note

Oskar Spate was born in England in 1911 and spent some childhood years in the USA. Back in London, he attended St Clement Dane's Grammar School and was taught geography by Leonard Suggate. In 1930 he moved to Cambridge University and achieved honours in geography. In 1937 he completed his Phd. on the development of London. After a year at Reading he moved to Burma, joined the Army in late 1941, and was wounded in a Japanese bombing raid on Rangoon. After the war he combined lecturing in England with writing a regional geography on the Indian sub-continent.

In 1951 he arrived in Canberra to take up the post of Foundation Professor of Geography at the ANU Research School of Pacific Studies, a position he held until 1967. In 1953 he advised the Australian Minister for Territories on the future economic development of Papua and New Guinea. In 1954 his landmark text India and Pakistan was published, the culmination of nearly ten years work. In 1958-9 he conducted a crucial survey of the economic problems of the Fijian people, his report guiding the colonial administration's economic preparations for Fijian independence. He returned to Fiji in 1969 as a member of the Commission on Education in Fiji, having previously fulfilled a similar role in Papua New Guinea as a member of the Commission on Higher Education (1963-65). This New Guinea Commission recommended a qualified shift away from the sole aim of achieving mass literacy, to one of incorporating access to higher education.

As a result of these reports he subsequently became a member of the councils of the University of Papua New Guinea and the University of the South Pacific.

From 1967 to 1972 he was Director of the ANU Research School of Pacific Studies, and in 1972 moved to the Department of Pacific History. Upon his retirement in 1976 he devoted most of his energies to researching and writing his three volume history The Pacific since Magellan. Throughout his career Oskar Spate has published a wide diversity of papers and essays on the geography of Europe, South Asia and Australia, the exploration of Australia and the Pacific and many other subject areas.

Item Descriptions

Series 1. Diaries, 1942-May 1960, 1965-88

1942-54 (File [unnumbered]) - Box 1

1955-May 1960 (File [unnumbered]) - Box 2

1965-69 (File [unnumbered]) - Box 3

1970-75 (File [unnumbered]) - Box 4

1976-82 (File [unnumbered]) - Box 5

1983-88 (File [unnumbered]) - Box 6

Series 2. Family and Personal Correspondence, 1941-45

Correspondence with mother, 1941-45 (Burma and India) (File 2-1-1) - Box 7

Correspondence with L.S Suggate, geography teacher, 1942-44 (File 2-1-2) - Box 7

Series 3. Professional/Academic Career, 1950-89

Correspondence re appointment to ANU, 1950-51 (File 3-1-1) - Box 7

Offer from Leeds University, 1957 (File 3-1-1) - Box 7

Study leave report, 1961 (File 3-1-1) - Box 7

Offer from Toronto University, 1962 (File 3-1-1) - Box 7

Correspondence re Cambridge Chair in Geography, 1964-65 (File 3-1-1) - Box 7

Correspondence re Directorship of ANU Research School of Pacific Studies, 1967-80 (File 3-1-2) - Box 7

Correspondence re RGS Victoria Medal, 1971 (File 3-1-2) - Box 7

Correspondence re Of Time and place festschrift, 1980 (File 3-1-2) - Box 7

D. Litt. Citation, 1984 (File 3-1-2) - Box 7

Papers re ANU Coat of Arms, 1952-53 (File 3-2-1) - Box 7

Study leave reports, 1956-76 (File 3-2-1) - Box 7

Memos re ANU Deanery, 1955-57 (File 3-2-1) - Box 7

Correspondence, etc. re H.C Brookfield, 1968-69 (File 3-2-1) - Box 7

Correspondence re Richard Feachem, 1968-70 (File 3-2-2) - Box 7

Papers re Coombes Building, ANU, 1970-71 (File 3-2-2) - Box 7

Report on Council debate on Research School of Earth Sciences proposal, 1971 (File 3-2-2) - Box 7

Memos re North Australian Research Unit, 1971-74 (File 3-2-2) - Box 7

"Early days at ANU: an anecdote" - photocopy, (n.d) (File 3-2-2) - Box 7

Academic references, 1965-84 (File 3-3-1) - Box 7

Papers re the beginnings of the University of PNG the University of the South Pacific, 1962-80 (File 3-4-1) - Box 7

"Early days of UPNG" - seminar paper, 1989 (File 3-4-1) - Box 7

Series 4. Scholarly Papers, Essays and Reviews, 1934-88

Miscellaneous writing (pre-ANU), 1934-65 (File 4-1-1) - Box 8

Published papers, 1938-45 (File 4-2-1) - Box 8

Published papers, 1947-52 (File 4-2-2) - Box 8

Published papers, 1953-56 (File 4-2-3) - Box 8

Published papers, 1957-64 (File 4-2-4) - Box 8

Published papers, 1965-68 (File 4-3-1) - Box 8

Published papers, 1971-77 (File 4-3-2) - Box 8

Published papers, 1977-88 (File 4-3-3) - Box 9

Miscellaneous writing: ABC talks, early 1950s (File 4-4-1) - Box 9

Miscellaneous writing: Historical geography, 1950s-1972 (File 4-4-1) - Box 9

Miscellaneous writing: Education, early 1950s (File 4-4-1) - Box 9

Controversies, 1953-87 (File 4-5-1) - Box 9

Literary and facetiae, 1940s-1988 (File 4-5-1) - Box 9

ANU memos and other papers, 1959-88; Travels, 1967-70 (File 4-5-2) - Box 9

Papers on the Pacific, 1959-86 (File 4-6-1) - Box 9

Papers on geography, 1940-78 (File 4-6-2) - Box 9

Papers on South Asia, 1943-81 (File 4-6-3) - Box 9

Miscellaneous papers, 1957-77 (File 4-6-4) - Box 10

Papers on Australia, 1957-84 (File 4-6-4) - Box 10

Reviews: geography and miscellaneous, 1950-86 (File 4-7-1) - Box 10

Reviews: Asia and Australia, 1950-78 (File 4-7-2) - Box 10

Reviews: Pacific, 1963-78 (File 4-7-3) - Box 10

Series 5. Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1944-88

Australian geographical correspondence, T. G Birtles, 1985-8; R. H Greenwood, 1966-68; Ann Marshall, 1952-58; RGSA (Qld), 1952-87 (File 5-1-1) - Box 10

Archie Price, 1951-83; Griffith Taylor, 1951-63; Text book scandal, 1944-53 (File 5-1-2) - Box 10

University of W.A., 1953-4; Webster/Peter Ryan re Moon man, 1983-84; Arthur Wilcock, 1951-54 (File 5-1-3) - Box 10

Australian correspondence - general, 1953-88 (File 5-2-1) - Box 11

UK correspondence, 1951-88 (File 5-3-1) - Box 11

Correspondence with A. J Toynbee and other papers re Toynbee, 1950-62 (File 5-3-2) - Box 11

USSR correspondence, mainly A. M Ryabchikov and I. Fyodorovna, 1963-88 (File 5-4-1) - Box 11

USA correspondence, 1950-70 (File 5-5-1) - Box 11

USA correspondence, re Francis Drake, 1976-80 (File 5-5-2) - Box 11

USA correspondence, 1947-88 (File 5-5-3) - Box 11

Series 6. India and Pakistan, 1946-87

Papers re Punjab boundary dispute (Lahore), 1947 (File 6-1-1) - Box 12

Correspondence with Survey of India, 1950-52 (File 6-2-1) - Box 12

India and Pakistan maps - correspondence re battle with Indian bureaucracy, 1966-67 (File 6-2-1) - Box 12

Correspondence re attempted banning of India and Pakistan, 1961-70 (File 6-2-2) - Box 12

Correspondence with A. T. A Learmouth, 1971-76 (File 6-2-2) - Box 12

Correspondence re changing map of Asia, 1966-70 (File 6-2-2) - Box 12

Indian correspondence, 1946-87 (File 6-3-1) - Box 12

Indian correspondence, including re National Atlas of India, 1956 (File 6-3-2) - Box 12

Series 7. Australia and the Pacific: Papers re Geography, History and Exploration, 1947-88

Papers re Portuguese discovery of Australia, including correspondence with Armando Cortesao, 1947-79 (File 7-1-1) - Box 13

Papers re Portuguese discovery of Australia - miscellaneous, 1956-83 (File 7-1-2) - Box 13

Correspondence with WA Richardson, 1984-8 (File 7-2-1) - Box 13

Correspondence with K. G McIntyre and others re The Secret discovery of Australiam, 1978-88 (File 7-2-2) - Box 13

reviews, etc., 1978-85, notes and correspondence re "Luso-Australia", 1978-81 (File 7-2-3) - Box 13

Notes and correspondence re George A Collingridge, 1978-82 (File 7-2-4) - Box 13

Correspondence re de Lozier Bouvet, 1962-64 (File 7-3-1) - Box 13

Reviews, notes, correspondence, pictures, etc. re Peter Dillon, 1974-75 (File 7-3-2) - Box 13

Portuguese translations for Australian Commonwealth Investigation Service, 1957-63 (File 7-4-1) - Box 14

Correspondence with Dr Claudio Veliz (Chile), 1971 (File 7-4-1) - Box 14

Meanjin and Quadrant correspondence, 1954-60 (File 7-4-1) - Box 14

Papers re death of J. W Davidson, 1973 (File 7-4-2) - Box 14

Papers re Cook commemoration, Bega High School, 1969-70 (File 7-4-2) - Box 14

Correspondence with Lord Casey re proposed book on exploration and discovery of Australia, 1966-70 (File 7-4-3) - Box 14

Correspondence and reviews re Australia (Ernest Benn), 1967-68 (File 7-5-1) - Box 14

Typescript of report on development in PNG, 1953 (File 7-6-1) - Box 14

Typescripts, drafts and other papers re Pacific history, 1965-85 (File 7-6-2) - Box 14

Papers re Pacific history, 1986-88 (File 7-6-3) - Box 14

Miscellaneous Pacific correspondence, 1976-86 (File 7-7-1) - Box 15

Miscellaneous Pacific correspondence, 1967-88, including with Frank Horner, 1982-87 (File 7-7-2) - Box 15

Pacific since Magellan - drafts, correspondence, progress notes, 1970-83 (File 7-8-1) - Box 15

Correspondence and reviews re The Spanish Lake, 1979-83 (File 7-9-1) - Box 15

Correspondence and reviews re Monopolists and freebooters, 1983-84 (File 7-9-2) - Box 15

Series 8. Fiji, 1955-70

"The Fijian political scene: some reflections", 1959 (File 8-1-1) - Box 15

Correspondence with H. P Ritchie and P. MacDonald, 1957-67 (File 8-1-1) - Box 15

Correspondence with R. W Robson, 1958-60 (File 8-1-2) - Box 15

Broadcasts, texts of talks, correspondence, clippings, 1958-61 (File 8-1-2) - Box 15

Correspondence with Stuart Inder (Pacific Islands monthly), 1959-60 (File 8-1-2) - Box 15

Miscellaneous papers re 1959 Fiji report, 1957-74 (File 8-1-3) - Box 15

Correspondence with R. R Nayacakalou, 1958-64 (File 8-1-4) - Box 15

Notes on village visits, 1958 (File 8-1-4) - Box 15

"Personalia", fragments, etc. 1955-58 (File 8-1-4) - Box 15

Papers re Fiji Education Commission, 1968-70 (File 8-2-1) - Box 16

Printed copy of Education for modern Fiji, 1969 (File 8-2-1) - Box 16

Series 9. Scandals, 1954-79

UNESCO questionnaire, 1966 (File 9-1-1) - Box 16

Institute of British Geographers "Letter from afar" - correspondence etc, 1964-65 (File 9-1-1) - Box 16

Correspondence with Flinders University re symposium and book on Matthew Flinders, 1974-79 (File 9-1-2) - Box 16

Correspondence with the University of WA, re attack on geography, 1958, re L. A Noonan Phd, 1969 - 71 (File 9-1-3) - Box 16

Correspondence with International Institute of Arts and Letters, 1962 (File 9-1-4) - Box 16

Clippings and correspondence re Francis West's article on ANU, 1954-70 (File 9-1-4) - Box 16

Clippings and correspondence re Daniel Bennett's Canberra times letter on the House of Representatives, 1978-79 (File 9-1-4) - Box 16


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