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BulletinsAgency Bulletin - February 2005On This Page
A Message from the DirectorWelcome to the second edition of the Agency On-Line Bulletin! I hope you find the variety of articles that it contains both enjoyable and informative. This issue includes details of an exciting new service that was released in late January 2005 for State Records of South Australia's customers - the capability for the public to search our database via the Internet. We believe this service will be invaluable for our registered researchers, particularly those who don't reside in Adelaide, South Australia. This issue features an article on the amendments to the Freedom of Information Act, 1991 which has significant benefits for the community by providing greater access to government records. You will also be introduced to the new members of the Privacy Committee of South Australia that State Records supports in the administration of the Information Privacy Principles. From a facilities perspective, customers who frequent the Gepps Cross Research Centre may have noticed that sunscreens have been installed to reduce the heat and glare. Hopefully, we've created a comfortable environment that is even more conducive to carrying out important research. Feedback on our October 2004 Issue of the Agency Bulletin has been positive so please keep it coming. We want to ensure that the Agency Bulletin contains information that is relevant to of our readers. The opening of our new City Research Centre and the refurbishment of the Gepps Cross Research Centre has been an enormous undertaking and most State Records staff members have had a well-deserved break over the festive season, utilising leave that had in many cases been deferred so that the changes could be delivered. Now all staff members are 'back on deck', refreshed and determined to make 2005 another successful year for State Records and our customers. Terry Ryan Related Information:
Search our Archives from the Comfort of your HomeExciting new on-line research tool available on the State Records website. For the first time the public can search our database of indexes from our collection of more than 54 kilometres of records in the comfort of their homes. Anyone with Internet access can now search our catalogue database and find previously hidden treasures. To give you an idea of the types of Government records we hold, our collection includes maps, plans, correspondence, files, volumes, audiotapes, videotapes, film, photographs and microfiche / film. These records can be used for research into family history, historical events, immigration, emigration and shipping, issues relating to Aboriginal people and law enforcement / legal purposes. The newly available system is an easy-to-use search tool called ArchivesSearch. To access ArchivesSearch you simply go on-line to our website http://www.archives.sa.gov.au/archivesearch/index.html, use it to search through our catalogue and if you find something special, pre-order via ArchivesSearch and then view the records at one of our two Research Centres - with some exceptions. Terry Ryan, Director of State Records said, 'Previously people had to attend a Research Centre and ask staff to assist their search, so ArchivesSearch is an invaluable new research tool for our customers'. Related Information:
Retracing your Family History?Our Ancestors in Archives publication can help you! When used in conjunction with our new on-line tool ArchivesSearch, Ancestors in Archives will ensure greater success in tracing your family history. This publication details information on how our collection is organised, with specific references to those series of most interest to family history researchers (e.g. passenger lists, school admission records etc). Ancestors in Archives can be purchased from the information counter at either of our Research Centres. An on-line copy of the order form can be found at the link below. Please complete it and return it to us at the address provided. Related Information:
State Records Council UpdateThe State Records Council is established under the State Records Act, 1997. The Council performs two major functions:
The term of the second State Records Council expired on 24 November 2004. A new Council has been appointed for a term of three years, concluding on 23 November 2007. It convened for the first time on 8 February 2005 with meetings to follow on a bi-monthly basis. Membership of the new Council is as follows (new appointees are asterisked): Margaret Anderson Heather Croucher* Julie-Ann Ellis Susan Farrimond* Marie Feltus* Simon Froude* Bruce Hammond Michael Moore Kylie Percival
Related Information:
New Privacy CommitteeIn November 2004, the Minister for Administrative Services, Michael Wright MP, appointed a new sitting of the Privacy Committee of South Australia. The Committee, originally proclaimed in July 1989, has several functions relating to the protection of personal information in the custody of the South Australian Public Sector. The membership of the Committee currently comprises: Anne French Gaby Jaksa Terry Ryan Andrew Stanley Lee Thomas Bernadette Quirke Mr Ryan was the Presiding Member of the previous Privacy Committee. His current role as Director of State Records includes responsibility for records and information management policy in the South Australian Government. Ms French, Mr Jaksa and Mr Stanley were all members of the previous Privacy Committee and bring extensive knowledge of the management of personal information in the fields of public sector employment, information technology and health, respectively. Ms Quirke and Ms Thomas are new appointments to the Privacy Committee. Ms Quirke is a solicitor within the Commercial Finance Section of the Crown Solicitor's Office and has been involved with the application of the South Australia Public Sector's privacy requirements in contractual arrangements with the private sector. Ms Thomas is an experienced clinician and manager within the nursing industry and therefore brings to the role practical knowledge in an area where handling personal information is of particular significance. The connection between the Privacy Committee and State Records is particularly strong because of the importance of information management. It is because of this connection that State Records provides executive support to the Privacy Committee. More information about the Privacy Committee and the Information Privacy Principles can be found at the State Records web site. If you wish to make an enquiry or a complaint, please contact the Executive Officer of the Privacy Committee on (08) 8226 7750 or email your query to privacy@sa.gov.au.
Related Information:
Did you know... In 1988, the same year as the enactment of the Commonwealth Privacy Act, 1988, Cabinet approved the form and content of the Cabinet Administrative Instruction 1/89 - The Information Privacy Principles. Cabinet also approved the establishment of an ongoing Privacy Committee, which was appointed in July 1989. The Information Privacy Principles were based on the organisation for Economic and Development 1980 Guidelines Governing the Protection of Privacy and Trans-border Flows of Personal Data, which established the basis for many of the world's data protection regimes.
New FOI Amendment Act ProclaimedDue to the recent amendments to the Freedom of Information Act, 1991, information is now more accessible to those wishing to access documents held by South Australian government agencies. Following considerable debate in both houses of Parliament, the Freedom of Information (Miscellaneous) Amendment Act 2004 (the FOI Amendment Act) was proclaimed on 2 December 2004 to come into force on 1 January 2005. The first significant change to the FOI Act is the strengthening of its objects to express the purpose of openness and accountability and to generally favour the disclosure of information over non-disclosure. A section provides applicants with a legally enforceable right to access government information - subject only to such restrictions that are consistent with the public interest (including the maintenance of the effective conduct of public affairs through free and frank expression of opinions) and the preservation of personal privacy. The new amendments will also allow access to Cabinet and Executive Council documents, provided a Minister has certified that Cabinet or Executive Council have approved the document for release under FOI. The powers of the external review authorities (the Ombudsman and the Police Complaints Authority) have also been broadened. In particular their investigative powers will now be similar to that of a Royal Commission. The review authorities will now have the power to vary or reverse an agency's determination. Previously, the review authority could only direct an agency to vary a determination. The amendments now also allow for greater access to Government contracts. A contract document will no longer be exempt merely because it is a contract containing business information. If government agencies wish to protect confidential parts of the contract from disclosure under FOI, they will need to seek specific approval from the responsible Minister (or his or her delegate) before the contract is signed. One amendment that may reduce the availability of information is the removal of the 30-year sunset clause relating to the release of personal documents. Documents containing personal information can no longer be accessed where it would be unreasonable to do so, regardless of the age of the document. If you wish to obtain further information about the changes to the FOI Act, you can contact State Records on (08) 8226 7750 or email your query to foi@sa.gov.au. A copy of the FOI Act with the recent amendments can also be purchased from Service SA's Government Legislation Outlet situated at 101 Grenfell Street, Adelaide. Alternatively, a copy can be purchased on-line from Service SA via the following link: http://www.shop.service.sa.gov.au. Related Information:
Major Record Copying Project in full SwingState Records has embarked on a major record-copying project to meet the needs of the 'Bringing Them Home' Report, as well as two legal proceedings. We are currently making several copies of around 350,000 documents from one of our most utilised and important records series GRG 52/D within very tight time-frames. In this era of greater transparency for Government, State Records is leading the way by ensuring that access to these records is available to the various parties who need to view them simultaneously. As an added bonus, this project has given us the opportunity to ensure that these popular and rather well worn records are preserved for future generations.
Redruth RevisitedAs it features in the interactive State Records Exhibition titled 'Scabby Knees, Hopes and Dreams'. If you stand on Roper Street in the City, you will undoubtedly see one of the pleasant looking stone buildings that Adelaide is renowned for. Today, this unassuming building is used as legal chambers, but in the closing days of World War One it was known as the 'Wheelwright Arms Hotel'. It is here, with its many rooms reeking of tobacco and liquor fumes, that a 17-year-old girl named Ursula Mary Margaret Cruse took refuge from the authorities. Ursula was a ward of the state who had absconded from the Edwardstown Industrial School, which is now the Glandore Community Centre. The Industrial School was very unique in its day, as girls lived in graded 'cottage' style accommodation instead of the dormitories used at other institutions for neglected or orphaned children. It would be reasonable to speculate that Ursula had been living in the 'third class' accommodation, which housed uncontrollable children and also doubled as the hospital room. On 15 October 1918, Ursula was re-apprehended by two female police officers just around the corner from the Wheelwright Arms in Flinders Street. She was then marched down the road and created such a scene that it drew a crowd of around 200 people, landed her in the courts and featured in the newspaper. Ursula's unruly conduct that afternoon saw her sentenced to a month in gaol, but that was far from the full extent of her punishment. On release, Ursula had her term as a state ward increased by a further two years (until she turned 20) and she was transferred to the Redruth Reformatory School for girls. Reformatories were used to house state wards who were either uncontrollable, or had found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Ironically, Ursula would have been eligible to leave the Industrial School in 6 months had she not absconded and assaulted a police officer. In the year following Ursula's transfer, Redruth Police Station made a report to the Sub-Inspector of Police at Port Pirie. Tempers and tensions were running hot within the reformatory, and the local police were almost totally unprepared for adequately dealing with an angry mob of teenage girls. The unrest at the Redruth Reformatory escalated between 1920 and 1921, culminating in a riot that drew considerable attention from a variety of government agencies and the media of the day. No prize for guessing who the ringleader was. It was believed that the catalyst for the riots was the use of corporal punishment, more precisely, the Matron's 'liberal' use of the slipper. The riots attracted considerable discussion through the State's print media, with Corporal Punishment and the Treatment of Children Within Government Institutions being the main headline. The public debate was extremely polarised - one side questioning why corporal punishment was being administered at all (it was expressly forbidden in female institutions) and the other side arguing that the reason the girls were behaving badly was due to the lack of physical punishment. It is a scene from South Australia's history that is largely forgotten today, but captured forever in archival records as a reminder of what 'bad girls' can do. State Records' interactive exhibition, 'Scabby Knees, Hopes and Dreams', traces the development of the riots through the records held in its repository. The riots are part of a broader display of themes related to childhood. The exhibition is situated at State Records City Research Centre on the lower ground floor of 26-28 Leigh Street, Adelaide and is open from 9am - 5pm Tuesday to Friday (excluding public holidays). Related Information:
Paper Glue and our Local Military HistoryThree things that our former conservator enjoys tying together. Last year Tony Harris retired from his position as paper conservator at State Records. That link will not disappear, as he will use the collection to continue a long-time interest in local military history. Therein lies Tony's fervent wish - that people should realise the depth of material at State Records and how accessible it is. 'Research does require some work but you can be lucky,' he says. 'All of a sudden, bang, you just hit the nail on the head.' It's a buzz he has had more than once. Tony joined State Records in 1999 from State Print where he worked as a planner and estimator. His skills with paper were recognised and he was appointed paper conservator with responsibility for the repair and protection of paper items. It was like putting a mouse in charge of the cheese factory. As a private researcher he had previously used State Records to access a volume on the military small arms of South Australia. 'I gained personally as well as professionally in accessing a lot of the documents,' Tony says. 'I had to repair some papers and lo and behold there were references to something I was unaware of.' One such instance involved him finding a plan of the township of Queen's Own Town, now known as Finniss between Strathalbyn and Goolwa. Tony was aware of a work published by another researcher that alluded to streets of Queen's Own Town being named after officers of the 50th Regiment of Foot stationed in South Australia in the 1860s. Tony found the street plan (GRS 6910/1/P) with all the names laid out and looks forward to further research in this area. He would also like to do a definitive paper on the corps of Royal Sappers and Miners stationed in Adelaide from 1839 to 1860. Their role was as surveyors to help overcome difficulties experienced by Colonel Light in surveying land. As well as a small foyer display at the revitalised Gepps Cross facility, Tony helped put together the Scabby Knees, Hopes and Dreams exhibition at the Leigh Street Research Centre. Tony re-created some of the Barwell boys' documents to more closely resemble the originals. Visitors to the exhibition can leaf through what is a remarkable documentation of their careers and social lives. The Barwell Boys were British lads who came to South Australia in the 1920s to be apprenticed on farms throughout the state. He also created a realistic copy of the earliest birth register for South Australia. These records go back to 1842. Call it careful cheating. Whatever the term, Tony reproduced a replica that people can leaf through and get some idea of how the records look. A number of original pages of a register held by State Records were scanned. The scans were then printed onto archival paper and slotted into an unused ledger from the period and this now looks like the first volume of births in this state. 'Basically, paper and glue has been my business,' he says. 'I have enjoyed a career in the book and printing industry. Being able to finish my working career in State Records was almost the icing on a 40-year cake.' Related Information:
South Australian History Week 21-29 May 2005Building on the resounding success of its inaugural SA History Week in May 2004, the History Trust of South Australia (HTSA) has set another date with history for 2005. The HTSA will coordinate the week-long program of activities and prepare a program with details of all registered events, whether they are in Adelaide or in regional South Australia. The HTSA will also liaise with metropolitan and regional media to promote the Week; and distribute media advice kits and SA History Week posters to all participants for their use in promoting their own events. The HTSA invites organisations and community groups who wish to promote their part in South Australia's history to register activities for inclusion in the 2005 program. Activities can include open days, seminars, historical walks and bus tours, special exhibitions, demonstrations and events, window displays and much more. Organisations wishing to discuss possible activities or want further information can contact the HTSA's Kate Walsh on (08) 8203 9878 or Jan Mudge on (08) 8203 9877. Additional information and an application form is available via the HTSA web site. The program booklet will be available to the public from 1 May 2005.
State History Conference - 2005'Blast From the Past', Whyalla, 28-29 May Since 1991 the History Trust of South Australia (HTSA) has held an annual History Conference, alternating each year between a metropolitan Adelaide venue and a regional location. The Community History Unit of the HTSA is responsible for the organisation of the conference, which will be held this year in Whyalla. Titled 'Blast From The Past', the conference will be held on the last weekend in May (28th-29th) and will focus on the histories of South Australia's rural and industrial communities, with a particular focus on northern South Australia. State Records has again agreed to be a principle sponsor of the Conference and hope to further contribute by presenting papers as well as mounting an exhibition which will provide a rich picture of the Whyalla region based on records from our collection.
Dorothy answers some FAQsDear Dorothy, Dear Cluttered and Cramped, While we do not collect records generated by businesses, when the business interacts with government, records are usually created. We hold records relating to 'defunct' companies - these consist of documents that were required to be forwarded to the Government under various Companies' Acts. Records created by some companies may be found in the State Library of South Australia's Archival collections. The State Records Act, 1997 gives general guidelines around what documents we can accept into our collection. It is unlikely the minutes you hold will fall within those guidelines, but I will pass your letter to the State Archivist, who will respond to you directly. Dear Dorothy, There are also lots of letters from Ruth in later years, and photos of Gran and Ruth as girls with their respective parents, but the writing on the photos just says 'Ruth's Mum' or 'Ruth's Dad'. Is there any way I can find out her full name? Also, is there any way I can begin to fill in some of the other gaps? Dear Intrigued Granddaughter, There are a wide variety of resources at State Records and in other collections, which could help with this. Your clue to finding your Gran's friend is that they were schoolgirls together. School admission registers are available for public access after thirty years and provide a wonderful contextual source, particularly for the smaller towns in South Australia. In looking up my own Gran's admission to school I was able to glean that she was one of four or five in her year who came to Caltowie Primary School as a five year-old, and progressed all the way through to Grade 7. There was a fairly transient population of fellow pupils (maybe due to the depression), many sets of twins, children visiting grandparents for only a few months at a time, and so on. State Records holds approximately 10 percent of all possible admission registers, so the resource is not going to be of assistance to all researchers. I would recommend a visit to one of our Research Centres to find out more or you could search our new on-line database to find out if her school's records are available. Please learn a lesson from this - begin writing down some of the more significant details about your own life before you forget!
Website Links of InterestWant to update your desktop with a photograph from South Australia's historical past? Wallpapers can be downloaded from: Handy links for those carrying out any research into the Government's dealings with indigenous people can be found at: State Records of South Australia, a brief insight into our history:
Clicking certain links on this page will transfer you, in a new window, to a non-State Records of South Australia Web site that is solely under the control of a party unaffiliated with State Records of South Australia. State Records of South Australia shall not be responsible for any content, product, or service offered on such Web sites. |
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