Guide to the Papers of John Meredith
MS 1007
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Meredith, John Stanley Raymond
- Title
- Papers of John Meredith
- Date Range
- 1948 - 2001
- Collection Number
- MS 1007
- Extent
- 4.7 metres (31 ms boxes + 1 packet + 10 sound/av carriers)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Special Collections (Manuscripts)
Introduction
Scope and Contents
The collection comprises papers relating to Meredith's long career in the folk music industry. There is correspondence; research material from field trips and for his books; transcriptions of songs; drafts of his writings, including those for several of his books; musical scores; scrapbooks; diaries and photographs. Correspondents include Hugh Anderson, Gwenda Davey, Charles Edward, Ron Edwards, Martin Fitzgerald, Mary Gilmore, Alfred Hill, Catherine Jeffries, John Low, Vance Palmer, Pamela Rosenberg, Yvonne White, Stephan Williams and Chris ("Woody") Woodland.
Conditions Governing Access
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1170340).
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Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions.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 Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.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 John Meredith, National Library of Australia, MS 1007, [box number and series and/or file number]'.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers were acquired from John Meredith in a number of instalments dating from 1964 to 1999. Following his death in 2001, further papers were received from Gay Scott in 2003.
Related Materials
The Oral History Collection features a large number of recordings relating to Meredith. A CD-ROM of field recordings of folk musicians from 1985 (Artists include John Meredith, John McKinnon, Alan Scot, Tim Whelan and Lyndon Badcoe) was transferred to the Oral History collection from MS 1007.
The Pictures Collection features a large number of photographs relating to folk music, which were taken by Meredith. Material transferred to the Pictures Collection includes musical instruments (A button accordion, An ocarina); Photographs (Large mounted black and white photographs of various folk musicians; a box of mainly 20 x 25cm black and white photographs of folk musicians) and Miscellaneous (The Australia Folk Trust Award, presented to Meredith in 1993).
Also see: MS 10219 Papers of John Stanley Raymond Meredith, 1993.
Bibliography
Meredith's published works include: • Songs from Lawson, Sydney, Alan Scott, 1956 (edited by Meredith) • The wild colonial boy: the life and times of Jack Donahoe 1808(?)-1830, Sydney, Wentworth Press, 1960 • Folk songs of Australia and the men and women who sang them, Sydney, Ure Smith, 1967 (co-authored with Hugh Anderson) • Frank, the poet: the life and works of Francis MacNamara, Melbourne, Red Rooster, 1979 (co-authored with Rex Whalan) • Ned Kelly after a century of acrimony, Sydney, Lansdowne Press, 1980 (co-authored with Bill Scott) • The coo-ee march, Gilgandra-Sydney 1915, Dubbo, Macquarie Publications, 1981 • Duke of the Outback: the adventures of "a shearer named Tritton", Melbourne, Red Rooster Press, 1983 • Learn to talk old Jack Lang: a handbook of Australian rhyming slang, Kenthurst, Kangaroo Press, 1984 (drawings by George Sprod) • The householders' compendium, Shepparton, Night Owl, 1986 • King of the dance hall: the story of fifty years of ballroom music with Frank Bourke and the White Rose Orchestra, Kenthurst, Kangaroo Press, 1986 • Gallant Peter Clark, Woden, Popinjay, 1988 • The last kooradgie: Moyengully, chief man of the Gundungurra people, Kenthurst, Kangaroo Press, 1989 • Dinkum Aussie slang, Kenthurst, Kangaroo Press, 1991 (drawings by George Sprod) • Real folk, Canberra, National Library of Australia, 1995 • Breaker's mate: Will Ogilivie in Australia, Kenthurst, Kangaroo Press, 1996 (compiled and edited by Meredith)
Biographical Note
Folk musician and folklorist John Stanley Raymond Meredith was born at Holbrook, New South Wales, on 17 January 1920. A self-taught musician, Meredith formed the original Bushwhackers band in 1952 and was a founding member of the Bush Music Club (1954) and early editor of its magazine Singabout. In 1954, he also became secretary of the new Australian Folklore Society. Meredith spent many years collecting and recording hundreds of traditional Australian folk-songs and bush-dance music. In 1960, with the aid of a government fellowship and together with Hugh Anderson, he collected material for Folksongs of Australia, Vol. 1, which was published in 1967. A second volume was published in 1987. Meredith went on to publish a number of books relating to the Australian folk music scene and to write many of his own songs, including two ballad operas The wild colonial boy and How many miles from Gundagai?
Meredith's contribution to Australian Music was recognised when he was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia in 1988, appointed a Member in the Order of Australia in 1992 and awarded an Australian Folk Trust Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. John Meredith died in Albury, New South Wales, on 16 February 2001.
Item Descriptions
Class. Consignment added 25 May 1989
Class. Consignment added 9 May 1991
Series. Correspondence, 1970-1980
Correspondents include Hugh Anderson, Gwenda Davey, Charles Edward, Martin Fitzgerald, John Low, Stephan Williams, Pamela Rosenberg, Yvonne White (publisher OUP)
Series. Typescripts and manuscripts
Papers relating to Meredith's writing, including photocopies, cuttings and correspondence.
'More than a life (and that's only the half of it!); an autobiography': in four parts (File) - Box 4
Correspondence, 1984-1988 (including Memorandum of Agreement with publisher); notes (including correspondence 1982, 1988); notes (returns of Aborigines and letter 1986); 'Moyengully and the Gundungurra people': paper read at The Oaks Historical Society, 1984; photographs, Meredith's autobiography: 'More than a life (and that's only the half of it!); an autobiography' (File) - Box 5
The last kooradgie : Moyengully, chief man of the Gundungurra people: final draft (duplicate), plus indexing copy from publisher (File) - Box 5
'Oedipus rocks; a ballad opera': draft and notes (including correspondence 1981-1982) (File) - Box 6
King of the dance hall: the story of fifty years of ballroom music with Frank Bourke and the White Rose Orchestra: final draft (duplicate); Notes (including correspondence 1985); photographs and negatives (File) - Box 6
Gallant Peter Clark: proof and draft 'Data' - notes (including correspondence 1983-1988), cuttings, 'The ballad of Peter Clark'; new introduction for special reprint, notes (including correspondence 1986-1988); additional notes for second edition; 'illustrations' - photographs and photocopies (File) - Box 7
'The Australian adventures of John Bairstow', edited by Meredith - photocopy duplicate Notes (including correspondence 1984) (File) - Box 8
The coo-ee march, Gilgandra-Sydney 1915: notes Learn to talk old Jack Lang: a handbook of Australian rhyming slang, notes to second edition, Dinkum Aussie slang and letter 1990 (File) - Box 8
'Authentic Australian bawdy ballads etc', collected and edited by Meredith (unpublished) (File) - Box 8
Folk songs of Australia and the men and women who sang them, Roger Covell and Patricia Brown, volume two (File) - Box 9
The wild colonial boy; an Irish-Australian ballad opera of the convict days, Joan Clarke and John Meredith: original version (1955) and revisions Notes (including correspondence 1965, 1981-1983); bibliography; photographs of Donahoe country 'Here's luck', an Australian ballad opera, John Meredith and John Dengate - draft (and telegram 1969) (File) - Box 10
Series. Miscellaneous papers
Class. Consignment added October 1992
This consignment comprises seven volumes of field notes compiled by John Meredith during the 1950s containing the words and sometimes the scores of hundreds of folk songs. The volumes are interleaved with additional comments prepared by W.N. Scott in 1992. One of the volumes is an anthology of Ned Kelly songs and tales.
Class. Consignment added 22 January 1997
This consignment comprises letters received by John Meredith relating to folklore, 1990-1994
Class. Consignment added 1 September 2003
Correspondence and reviews re Real folk, published by the National Library of Australia in 1995 (File 6) - Box 17
Correspondence between Gay Scott and Lyndon Badcoe following Meredith's death, 2001 (File 7) - Box 17
Journal entitled 'Australianities: in the vernacular et cet plus journal at Tarana from 14.10.99' (File 14) - Box 19
Notebooks entitled: 'Letters 1.7.97'; 'Busking tunes'; 'Tune book'; 'Rhyming slang - flash to straight for 3rd ed.' and 'Writers at the Liberty' (File 14) - Box 19
Folders entitled 'Sundry traditional texts' containing mostly lyrics and music to songs (File 15_16) - Box 19
Typescript, photographs and papers for family history 'The brothers Meredith', c 2000 (File 22) - Box 20
Corrections relating to The householders' compendium, published by Night Owl, 1986 (File 23) - Box 20
Photographs for the book, the text of Meredith's launch speech, reviews and correspondence with publishers Kangaroo Press and Simon Schuster (1995-2000) relating to Breaker's mate: Will Ogilvie in Australia (File 29_31) - Box 21
Research material relating to a second book about Ogilivie by Meredith entitled 'Will Ogilivie - the Scottish jackaroo' (File 33) - Box 21
Research material, correspondence (1995-2000) and photographs relating to 'Will Ogilivie - the Scottish jackaroo'; correspondents include Rosenberg Press, University of Queensland Press and Catherine Jeffries (great-granddaughter of Will Ogilivie) (File 34_37) - Box 22
Notes and correspondence with publishers Rosenberg Publishing (2000) relating to a work by Meredith entitled 'The valley of the shadow' (File 47) - Box 25
Miscellaneous copies of short stories, poems and songs, some of which were written by Meredith (File 52) - Box 25
Miscellaneous copies of short stories, poems and songs, some of which were written by Meredith (File 53_54) - Box 26
Script of 'The invis-ible dog' (File 55) - Box 26
Photocopy of a letter written by Maud Bowyer-Smyth, 1905
Proof copy of The true story of Jimmy Governor by Laurie Moore and Stephen Williams, published by Allen Unwin in 2001 (File 56) - Box 26
Packet with certificates for various awards and honours bestowed upon Meredith (File) - Folio-Box (Shared)
Audio Cassettes (File)
The Australian city (Item NLA.MS-SAV016698) - Cassette-Box 786
1 Item, Philips CD90, Compact cassette tapeA: the Bush balladistsMore info in case.B: Will Ogilvie reads his own poetry
Leo and Orley Benson, 1/02/1983 (Item NLA.MS-SAV016699) - Cassette-Box 786
1 Item, TDK D-C90, Compact cassette tapeViolin and accordian
Mudgee bush craft and music festival (Item NLA.MS-SAV016700) - Cassette-Box 786
1 Item, audiosonic C60, Compact cassette tape
Sr Mary Philippine (Item NLA.MS-SAV016702) - Cassette-Box 786
1 Item, Fuji DR-II 60, Compact cassette tapere Steve williams and Jack Bradshow reminiscences. Side B blank. Rob and Olya Willis card included
Pure merino fandango. Felix Meagher, 7/03/1987 (Item NLA.MS-SAV016704) - Cassette-Box 786
1 Item, BASF CR-M II 90, Compact cassette tapeworld premier. Pt Fairy Opera house
A: Al knight and J. McKinnonB: Merv Murnana piano (Item NLA.MS-SAV016705) - Cassette-Box 786
1 Item, TDK AD 46, Compact cassette tapeMore information on case