Guide to the Papers of Sir Frederick Harold Stewart

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MS 7732

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Creator
Sir Frederick Harold Stewart
Title
Papers of Sir Frederick Harold Stewart
Date Range
1925-1958
Collection Number
MS 7732
Extent
0.7 metres (4 boxes + folio items)
Language of Materials
English
Repository
National Library of Australia

Introduction

Scope and Contents

The collection comprises letters, photographs, diaries, reports, financial papers and cuttings relating to Stewart’s career in Federal politics and his involvement in the Metropolitan Omnibus Company, radio station 2CH, Dundas Wollen Mills and the Methodist Church.

Conditions Governing Access

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2877457).

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Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions.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 Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.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 Sir Frederick Harold Stewart, National Library of Australia, MS 7732, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated to the Library under the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme by Lady Stewart in 1986.

Arrangement

The collection has been arranged into 8 series.

Biographical Note

DateEvent
1884Born Newcastle, New South Wales
1889-1903Attended South Newcastle Public School
1903-1923Worked Railways Department, Newcastle
1908Married Lottie Glover
1923Left Railways, started road making business in Sydney, bought buses
1925Formed Metropolitan Omnibus Company
1930Founded Dundas Woollen Mills
1931Elected to Federal Parliament as Member for Parramatta, found Radio 2CH
1932Minister for Commerce in the Lyons Government
1934Resigned Ministry in favour of a Country Party Member to aid coalition unity, appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary for Employment
1935Represented Australia International Labor Conference, Geneva
1935Made Knight Bachelor
1939Minister for Social Services and Health
1939Minister for External Affairs
1939Minister for Supply
1940Minister for Health and Social Services
1941Menzies Government falls
1943Lottie Stewart died
1944Donated land and money to set up the Lottie Stewart Hospital as a memorial to his wife
1945Married Marjorie Dixon
1945Sold woollen mils to John Vicars
1946Retired from Federal Parliament
1949Visited England
1956Helped to organise World Methodist Congress, Lake Junaluska North Carolina
1961Died 31 July, Royal North Shore Hospital
DateEvent
1884Born Newcastle, New South Wales
1889-1903Attended South Newcastle Public School
1903-1923Worked Railways Department, Newcastle
1908Married Lottie Glover
1923Left Railways, started road making business in Sydney, bought buses
1925Formed Metropolitan Omnibus Company
1930Founded Dundas Woollen Mills
1931Elected to Federal Parliament as Member for Parramatta, found Radio 2CH
1932Minister for Commerce in the Lyons Government
1934Resigned Ministry in favour of a Country Party Member to aid coalition unity, appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary for Employment
1935Represented Australia International Labor Conference, Geneva
1935Made Knight Bachelor
1939Minister for Social Services and Health
1939Minister for External Affairs
1939Minister for Supply
1940Minister for Health and Social Services
1941Menzies Government falls
1943Lottie Stewart died
1944Donated land and money to set up the Lottie Stewart Hospital as a memorial to his wife
1945Married Marjorie Dixon
1945Sold woollen mils to John Vicars
1946Retired from Federal Parliament
1949Visited England
1956Helped to organise World Methodist Congress, Lake Junaluska North Carolina
1961Died 31 July, Royal North Shore Hospital

Item Descriptions

Series 1. Youth and Personal

In this series can be found things as educational certificates, letters about Stewart’s time in the Railways, other items in this series includes letters concerning his Knighthood, a certificate of life membership of a charity, as well as tributes on his death.

Folio items include: Letter from Dominion’s Office, 24 May 1935, offering the honour of Knight Bachelor; Life Governor’s Certificate for the N.S.W. Society for Crippled Children.

Series 2. Bus line, 1925-1937

This series is papers to do with the Metropolitan Omnibus Company formed in 1925. This included the Memorandum of Association, balance sheets, and correspondence. It includes material on the closure of Metropolitan by the Government in 1932, and the sale of the assets to the Government.

Folio items include Newspaper clippings, 1931-33; Photograph of the Annual Christmas Day Picnic tendered by the Metropolitan Omnibus Company to children from inner suburbs of Sydney.

Series 3. Political Career, 1931-1946

This series covers Stewart’s career from pre-selection to retirement. It includes samples of election material, and photographs of the Lyons and Menzies Ministeries. It also contains the reports which came from investigations Stewart made into employment and social insurance while Minister for Social Services.

Folio items include: Newspaper clippings, 1931-35; Photograph of Latham federal ministry, with autographs of all those in the group; Two photographs of Stewart engaged in Ministerial duties; Portrait group at the presentation of the new U.S. Consul General, Miles Cox; Biographical note, 1943.

Series 4. Radio Station 2CH, 1931-1945

The station was set up in 1931 with Sir Fredrick Stewart putting up the money, and the Australian Council of Churches the land. The Churches were to receive free air time on the station, particularly on weekends. The papers deal with the station’s beginnings, its lease to AWA and eventual sale.

Series 5. Dundas Woollen Mills, 1930-1945

Stewart founded the mills and ran them for six years before leasing, then selling them to John Vicars and Company, one of the Mill’s principal competitors. Material includes balance sheets, legal documents and letters to do with the Mill, and Dundas Investments in whom the title was vested whilst the Mill was leased.

Series 6. Other enterprises, 1930-1950

These were various businesses and sporting ventures Stewart was engaged in, not large enough to be categories on their own. The records include newspaper clippings, photographs and correspondence. Covered are the St Clound Jersey stud, the Australian National Airlines in which Stewart was a partner of Charles Kingsford Smith, an attempt made on the Land Speed record in 1931, and three land subdivisions Stewart was involved in.

Folio items include: Photograph of dairy cows.

Series 7. Charitable and Religious life, 1928-1958

This documents his involvement in charitable work and in Methodist Church affairs. Material includes correspondence, photographs and newspaper articles on Stewart House at Curl Curl, Lottie Stewart Hospital and Stewart’s involvement in the 1956 World Methodist Conference.

Folio items include: Letter from E. Benson Perkins of the World Methodist Council, 7 November 1953; Copy of letter from Helen Kellar to Lady Stewart, 19 April 1948; Copy of newspaper article on the Lottie Stewart Hospital; 16 mm, 20 minute film “The Junaluska Story”, 1956.

Series 8. Travel Diaries, 1949-1957

These Diaries were written and posted to friends while Sir Fredrick and Lady Stewart were overseas. Material includes a description of the Queen’s Coronation and of the 1956 World Methodist Conference.


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