New Years Honour, 1970 Before the creation of the Australian Honours system in 1975, awards under the Imperial Honours System were announced in the New Year’s list and in the Queen’s birthday list. On New Year’s Day 1970, the list … Continue reading 39. Commander of the British Empire medal awarded to Elsie Curtin, 1970
At his first Christmas as Prime Minister, John Curtin was to spend the holiday in Canberra while Elsie was with the family at home in Western Australia. Object #37 is the telegram sent by John to Elsie during this first war time Christmas … Continue reading 37. Christmas Telegram, 1941.
Of itself, this letter appears to be fairly inconsequential. Written by Russell Dumas (later Sir Russell), to Alex McCallum, it connects two men who made significant contributions to the development of water resources for the expanding population of Perth and … Continue reading 36. Letter from Dumas to McCallum, Canning Dam, 1936.
Mason’s Trowels from the McCallum Collection Object #33 is the set of mason’s trowels held in the McCallum collection. Alex McCallum was a friend and mentor to … Continue reading 33. Mason’s Trowels and Memorials, 1924 to 1934.
Many objects in our Special Collections contain a single record of a significant event. The inscription in the Bible, Object 32, records one of the most significant events in the life of John … Continue reading 32. Bible used at appointment of Prime Minister John Curtin, 1941
Centenary of Western Australia The foundation of the settlement at Swan River was commemorated with the felling of a tree in what is now Barrack Street in the City of Perth. One hundred years later, the Centenary of Western Australia … Continue reading 31. Centenary silver trowel, 1929
Object #30 is one of the first items received early in the history of the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library, the carved walking stick given to John Curtin … Continue reading 30. Carved walking stick, 1942.
The Eureka Stockade Among the Curtin Library Special Collections and rare books are a number of limited editions and works published by private presses. This week’s … Continue reading 26. The Eureka Stockade, 1942.
John Curtin delivered numerous speeches during his working life and political career. Many of these were to live audiences with only a small number recorded for broadcast on radio … Continue reading 22. Gramophone discs – John Curtin’s speeches, 1938 – 1944.