Report for Assembly 2000

Historical Reference Committee

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 In August 1999 the Review Implementation Committee (ARIC) considered the National Assembly Historical Committee (NAHC) to be an essential for the Assembly. The ARIC proposed an upgrading for the NAHC. As a result the name of the NAHC changed into Historical Reference Committee (HRC) and its reporting to the Assembly was no longer through the Standing Committee but directly to the Assembly. The mandate was revised. The main changes are: The number of persons for the Executive increases from 4 to 6. The committee members are the appointed archivist of each Synod or another person appointed by the Synod together with the six executive members. The committee has power to co-opt up to two additional persons.

1.2 The revision makes it clear that the HRC is more than a keeper of archives. It has been given responsibilities connected to the vision of the Assembly as a whole. The HRC can give advice on certain policies and can participate in cross-agency projects and teams established by the Assembly. It can make recommendations to establish special task working groups.

1.3 The Assembly Standing Committee [ASC minute 98.82.08 (a)] gave interim approval to this revision.

2. LIST OF NAMES

Executive members:

Geoffrey Barnes, chairperson, William Emilsen, Daryl Lightfoot, Joan Mansfield,

Malcolm Prentis, Cornelis Uidam, archivist (all NSW).

Members:

Ian Breward (Vic), Eric Clancy, Co-opted (NSW), Rosalie Faser (Tas) , Lesley Gilks

(WA), Gale Hall (NT), Clare Horne (Qld), Brian Jones (SA).

The President and the General Secretary are members ex officio.

3. MEETINGS

3.1 The NAHC Executive (based in NSW) met six times since 1997. The NAHC full committee met for the first time in September 1991. As its budget only provided for triennial meetings the second meeting took place in 1994. In 1997 the Assembly office advised the Committee that all budgets would be diminished by 15%. As the allowed budget was only $3,000.00, which covered the honorarium of the archivist, the Executive offered to forgo the 1997 triennial committee meeting provided that the budget of $3,000.00 would not be scaled back. The third meeting was held in November 1999 attended by appointees from all Synods and the members of the Executive.

3.2 Matters dealt with were (amongst others):

Reports from each Synod appointee on archival work in their Synod and the diversity of models of this work;

Ownership of Assembly and Synods records;

Issues of legality and privacy;

Computerisation;

Communication between the archives of the various Synods and Synod as well as between Synod archives and Assembly archives;

Oral history.

4. SITUATION IN SYNODS

4.1 Northern

Records pertaining to the Synod, its presbyteries, agencies, churches and congregations up to 1986 are situated at the NT Government Archives. The files after 1986 are housed in the Synod Office. Office staff sort incoming material.

4.2 Western Australia

The Synod Council accepted a report outlining the importance of the archives in the life of the church. A work and research area was established. 250 boxes deposited at the Battye Library were returned and stored at the basement of the new location. The number of volunteers increased. They do the sorting, collating and filing of the material as well as transferring all records into a computer database program. The aim is to find a suitable building to establish their own Archives Centre.

4.3 South Australia

Records and registers go via the Synod office to the Mortlock State Library. Memorabilia, photos and books are held at the UCA Historical Society's archives in Malvern. The Society has 100 members and assists in: the preservation of records; the provision of lectures, publications and displays covering church history; planning of anniversaries of historical church events.

4.4 Victoria

An Archival Centre and museum-display is located in a church building at Elsternwick. Incoming material is sorted and catalogued by volunteers and is kept in this building. Computerising has commenced. The Historical Society functions separately from the archives. It organises lectures and assist in publications.

4.5 Tasmania

It does not have a Synod Archives Committee. In theory records are going to the Tasmania State Archive's but in Launceston some material is held in the Queen Victoria Museum and some congregations retain some or all of their records.

4.6 New South Wales

A Church Records & Historical Society is in charge of the Synod archives located in a building at North Parramatta. Volunteers are handling incoming material. All records remain in the building. The workstation of the Assembly archivist is in this building. Computerisation is in progress and upgrading of the photographic section has started.

4.7 Queensland

The John Oxley Library continues to be the custodian of the church records. A shortage of storage in this library caused a return of 150 boxes, which are now stored at the Church Centre. A large volume of incoming records is in off-site storage. This makes access a problem and prevents using the archival material for the welfare of the church. The papers of a former President (R. Busch are in the Fryer Library, University of Queensland.

5. RESPONSIBILITY

5.1 The fulfilling of the mandate area was on the same level as in the 1997 report but the facility to do so improved considerably after a telephone, a computer and a printer were installed.

5.2 Sorted and catalogued on computer were: Australian Hymnbook Committee; President-ial papers (except of R. Busch see Queens-land); Frontier Services, 39 films and 64 boxes with papers; Structure Review Committee; Regulations Review Committee; Standing Committee and Assembly

5.3 Only sorted were:

Commission on Doctrine; Ecumenical Affairs Committee National Adult Fellowship Committee; Legal Reference Committee up to 1994; Commission on Liturgy.

5.4 The Central Catalogue on UCA material anywhere in Australia has grown somewhat. Various requests for information were answered. Some answers helped to solve problems in the life of the Church.

6. ACTIVITIES

Steps have been taken to publish a history of Australian Congregationalism. It will consist of an updated version of Lindsay Lockley's thesis.

A dinner was arranged to pay attention to the bicentennial anniversary of the arrival in Sydney of eleven Protestant missionaries.

The chairperson attended an ecumenical service for the bicentennial anniversary of the first Christian service in Ryde led by the LMS missionary William. Henry.

The Executive attended a John Dunmore Lang bicentenary celebration in Sydney and was represented in the planning for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the UCA held in Sydney in May 1997. The publication of the occasion, 'Marking Twenty Years'. is available from the United Theological College, Parramatta

Attention has been drawn to the centenaries of the first meeting of the Presbyterian General Assembly of Australia (190 1), the General Confer-ence of the Methodist Church of Australia (1902) and the inauguration of the Congregational Union of Australia in 1904. The negotiations leading towards, and the inauguration of, the national denominational bodies had a significant influence on federation (1901).

7. PROBLEMS

7. 1. Some church officials or members of committees (or their family) are of the opinion that official documents received or generated in the line of their service to the Church are their personal property. This means that important documents do not come to the archives. A statement that those papers belong to the church might overcome this difficulty.

7.2 Some Agencies independently deposit their records in various libraries. If they supply an index that is lacking the proper information like dates and subjects, those records loose their value. In general libraries will not sort the material further nor make a better catalogue.

7.3 It would help if the Assembly could request each Synod or its archivist to prepare a brief list of their holdings to share with the Assembly archivist and with other Synod archivists.

7.4 Work on Assembly material is done by the archivist. Occasionally one volunteer assists him. The designation of an assistant to the archivist is a matter of urgency such that the Historical Reference Committee can continue to fulfil its responsibility, as stated in the mandate, in the event of any contingency.

Cornelis Uidam

Assembly archivist