HENRY LAWSON TREASURE TROVE

In the archives at Charles Darwin  University  is a fabulous  collection  dealing with  famous  Australian  poet  and short story  writer  , Henry  Lawson  (1867-1922), above,  items from which   could  be   included  in  a   major   attraction  ,  a  kind  of   media   and   literature  museum,  in    the   Northern  Territory   capital .

 Little Darwin  was  lucky  earlier this year to   spend   a  short  period    of time   rapidly  perusing   the   great collection  which  was  compiled and donated to the university by  the  late Professor  Colin Roderick , of Townsville , who  wrote  extensively about  Lawson ,and   promoted   the  study of   Australian   literature   and   authors.

The collection, contained in  two sliding  panels of  a   cadenza , includes  some  40 cartons . glass negatives,  files , letters,  early  magazines , Australian Labor Party  newspapers  and  leaflets  , information  about   Lawson's   Norwegian   ancestry compiled by Mrs Roderick  - his sailor  father  jumped  ship ,  joined the  Victorian goldrush, married  Louisa Albury   , a feisty woman  way ahead of her times , a poet, writer,  publisher, suffragist . She  ran the Republican  and  another  publication , Dawn , employed  women  as  printers .    

Some of the  extensive Henry Lawson   letters and  verse   manuscripts in  the  collection    above   and   below . 

 One  item   appears to be   a scrapbook  kept   by Roderick  about   Olaf Ruhen's  novel  entitled  Naked Under Capricorn ,  which mentioned the Northern Territory , first  run as a series  in the  Sydney Morning Herald ,    made  into  a  TV  movie  starring  Nigel Havers, Noni   Hazlehurst  and  David  Gulpilil .   

Interestingly, author  Xavier Herbert  , who wrote the  l938  Australian   Sesqui Centenary  award winning novel , Capricornia  , about the  Northern Territory ,  had   dealings  with   Ruhen , whom  he  claimed  suffered  from writer's itch . churning out so much  material he had two typewriters, jumping from one to the other . Indeed,  Ruhen's  papers in the  National Library of    Australia  consist  of  75 boxes of written material  in 10 metres of space.

 Xavier reportedly   told   Ruhen, a  Kiwi , who came to Sydney in 1947,   to "piss off  "  in  an  hilarious  episode   at  the  Cairns  Airport  .   Herbert  . dodging   Ruhen , who was visiting Cairns ,  was  found  by  Olaf  hiding in a light  aircraft  which was being  towed by a  tractor ,

Herbert  denied rudely  telling him to depart,   admitted saying, "Buzz off! " 

A small cardboard  box in the collection is identified  as  containing  glass negatives , London 1901 , the contents of  which would be  most interesting  to  peruse .

After spending time in New Zealand , Lawson was urged by the    New South Wales Governor  , Earl Beauchamp,  a British Liberal politician ,  to further his  career in London.  While the governor was attacked by the  Bulletin and regarded as something of  dandy, Lawson said he was an educated person who loved the bush people of Australia  and had dealt  well with  the  bubonic  plague  of  1900 

Lawson went to London with his  wife , Bertha,  and  son ,hoping to cash  in on his  reputation as  a   writer of  the  great  Australian bush.

While he did receive a lot of attention and  made some money, he described his  time there  as a  nightmare. His wife   returned to Australia, he lingered on  under  great pressure, came back to Australia in 1902 , attempted suicide. So  the  content  of those  glass  negatives  could  be most  interesting . 

Professor  Roderick (1911-2000), played a large part in seting up the Chair of Australian Literature at the University of Sydney and helped  establlsh the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1965 he was  appointed the inaugural Professor of  English at   James Cook  University , Townsville.,where he set up the  Foundation  for  Australian Literary   Studies . 

Over the years he wrote extensively about   Lawson.  Poet and balladeer     Banjo   Paterson ( Man from Snowy River and Waltzing Matilda )  and   German  explorer  and  naturalist   Ludwig  Leichhardt  were  other subjects.   In  respect  of  Leichhardt , whose  expedition  disappeared  in the outback in 1848, Professor  Roderick  applauded  the  written   suggestion  by  author, journalist, publisher and  artist , Glenville Pike , on what    had  happened  to the  Leichhardt   expedition, and  where ,  subsequent  relics   found   bearing   out   his  speculation.  Pike  started the North Australian Monthly magazine , printed in Townsville at one   stage ,  wrote about frontier life  in  North   Australia . 

A box in the  collection is  identified  as   containing the criminal record of Charles William  Lawson . Possibly  the  British soldier who  came  to colonial NSW , was in the party of Europeans which  first crossed  the  Blue Mountains in 1813 , was involved in  the  Norfolk Island penal settlement ,took  part  in  the   Rum  Rebellion which  overthrew   Governor  Bligh , became a  grazier , politician ,

A l930  circular  put out by the  Henry Lawson Literary Society  provides  details  for  a  special evening  of  Australian  music  at the Sydney  Arts  Club  to  honour  Henry  Lawson on   his  birthday .Sighted in the  collection were   several   copies of  The  Standard , the  weekly official  journal of the  Australian  Labor Party  , with  1940s front page  stories   having   a   crack  at   the  Sydney  Morning  Herald  and  banks .   

The following  1959  letter  shows  Dr  Roderick  was   intending to visit Melbourne   to carry  out  research  into  the life and work of  Henry Lawson.