Archives

Donations

As Old Girls sift through their treasures the School continues to benefit with donations to the Archive and Museum collections.  Donations in the past twelve months have included photographs, early uniform lists, uniforms and badges, blazer pockets, student report books, books and various issues of speech night publications, a dance card and Ruyton branded tennis racket cover. We welcome any donations of items relating to the School.

Our knowledge of life at Ruyton continues to expand with these additions.

Donors in 2009 were: Merienne Ashton (Marshall 1965); Joan Brayshaw (Capp 1951); Sally Dean (1970); Vanessa Gough (1967); Helen Hall (Holland 1961); Nerida Hamilton (Allen 1973); Kathleen Kelsall (1960); Geraldine Nicoll (Weynton 1943); Sally Nixon (Dahlsen 1951); Sally Rowe (Snowball 1956); Margaretha Scott (Ashburner 1932); Sara Symons (Randell 1976); Barbara Thompson (Henty-Wilson 1949); Lillie Tulloch (Scott 1932); Louise Utter (Foletta 1962); Christine Cunningham (Read 1970) & Diane Andrews (Read 1963) on behalf of their mother Kathleen Read (Petty 1928-?); and Jennifer O’Dea on behalf of her mother Brenda Higgins (Hardy 1916-?); Mr Arthur Withers.

Late in 2008 the School received a collection of 103 hand-bells from the Estate of Miss Margaret McRae who was Principal from 1963 to 1985. This collection includes bells made from ceramic, metal, and glass from very small to rather larger size.

General Operation

Twenty-nine enquiries have been received from within the School: these relate to such areas as ORA Reunions and general administrative matters. But twenty-one enquiries have been received from outside the School from persons not associated with the School’s management.

Revision of the “Retention Schedule for School Records” alluded to in the last report is now in its final stages and will be formally introduced shortly. This schedule, which is an important management tool, will more easily enable identification of archival records and allow for the timely destruction of temporary records with no archival value.

In October the School hosted a very successful meeting of 30 members of the School Archives Special Interest Group of the Australian Society of Archivists.


Trevor Hart, School Archivist