A Guide to New South Wales State Archives relating to Aboriginal People

Part 1: Archives of the Aborigines Welfare Board 1883-1969 (cont.)

• Histories of girls and boys unattached and for whom forms have not been prepared, circa 1930-38
• Aboriginal Boys' Training Home, Kinchela. Case papers, 1944-67
• Returns of Aboriginal people, 1886-87
• Station reports and returns, 1942-48
• Special bundles, 1920-57
• Copies of letters sent, 1914-27
• Registers of letters received, 1910-13
• File movement registers, 1948, 1953-58, 1968
• Printed copies of Acts and Regulations relating to the protection of Aborigines, 1915-18
• Common Seal of the Aborigines Welfare Board, no date

Part 1: Archives of the Aborigines Welfare Board 1883-1969 (cont.)

Histories of girls and boys unattached and for whom forms have not been prepared, circa 1930-38

These records may contain personal information and are therefore restricted. Permission to access these records must first be obtained from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. After permission has been obtained, please contact the Archives Authority for the current location (City or Kingswood) of these records.

This volume is an alphabetical register of Aboriginal children who were not wards and therefore were not included in the Ward registers (See Ward registers, 1916-28). The children listed here lived independently of the Board or were placed in institutions such as mental hospitals. Most of the entries are for marriages, and list the names of the partners and the date of marriage. More detail is given if the person was committed to an institution.

Aboriginal Boys' Training Home, Kinchela. Case papers, 1944-67

These records may contain personal information and are therefore restricted. Permission to access these records must first be obtained from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. After permission has been obtained, please contact the Archives Authority for the current location (City or Kingswood) of these records.

This series is incomplete. Each of these files relates to a child who resided at the Home. The children ranged in age from approximately 7 to 17 years.

The files vary in size and content. Many contain correspondence from the Superintendent of Aborigines Welfare dealing with matters such as work placements, requests for holiday leave, the health of wards who had been ill and letters giving praise or criticism about school reports. Some files also contain letters from parents, relatives and former guardians. As well, many of the files contain: Medical Cards which list medical history and treatment; Aborigines Record Cards that provide details of family history; and Aboriginal Child Record Cards that list date and reason admitted to homes, level of education and training, health, conduct and character. Most of the files also hold Progress Reports that were compiled by the home manager at the end of each school term. The file numbers place these records among the Aborigines Welfare Board: Correspondence files, 1949-69 (See Correspondence, 1949-69). They were, however, in alphabetical order by surname when located.

Returns of Aboriginal people, 1886-87

These records may contain personal information and are therefore restricted. Permission to access these records must first be obtained from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. After permission has been obtained, please contact the Archives Authority for the current location (City or Kingswood) of these records.

These papers were located in the Board's Tabulated expenditure at Aboriginal stations, 1887-88 (7/3641) (See Tabulated expenditure at Aboriginal Stations, 1887-88) and were removed prior to microfilming. They consist of an undated listing of the numbers of Aboriginal people in each district of New South Wales, town by town (noting whether male, female, or children, Aborigine or half caste (editorial note: this is the language as it is used in the record), and the number at school); a Government Stores Department Minute paper (No. 87/3147 of 17 June 1887) which encloses several returns of Aborigines in the Grafton sub-district 1886-87; and a letter from the Police Officer, Grafton, dated 16 February 1887, enclosing a list of names of Aboriginal people recommended for clothing.

Station reports and returns, 1942-48

These records may contain personal information and are therefore restricted. Permission to access these records must first be obtained from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. After permission has been obtained, please contact the Archives Authority for the current location (City or Kingswood) of these records.

These records consist of managers' monthly reports, monthly returns, daily diaries, work sheets and pumping plant returns. The returns provide information on day-to-day life on stations, including work schedules, population numbers, marriages, accommodation, visitors, land cultivation and the conduct of residents.

Special bundles, 1920-57

These records may contain personal information and are therefore restricted. Permission to access these records must first be obtained from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. After permission has been obtained, please contact the Archives Authority for the current location (City or Kingswood) of these records.

The special bundles are comprised of seven registered files with an `A' prefix, which possibly may be from the Chief Secretary's correspondence. They deal with specific matters such as the management of reserves, appointments to the Board, and wards.

Copies of letters sent, 1914-27

These records may contain personal information and are therefore restricted. Permission to access these records must first be obtained from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. After permission has been obtained, the records may be examined on microfilm in both Archives Authority Search Rooms.

This volume comprises circulars sent by the Aborigines Protection Board relating to its established functions, and is arranged numerically and chronologically. The circulars contain details of action taken by the Board in response to business arising from the minutes and official correspondence, such as regulations laid down by the Colonial Secretary, or the Public Service Board. The circulars are often accompanied by sample forms, such as tenders for supply or census return sheets, which were sent out to be filled in and returned. The circulars were mainly sent to managers and teachers on the reserves, local police, and local committees. There are also copies of circulars received from other Departments for internal circulation by the Board. These were then regarded as Board circulars.

Registers of letters received, 1910-13

These records may contain personal information and are therefore restricted. Permission to access these records must first be obtained from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. After permission has been obtained, please contact the Archives Authority for the current location (City or Kingswood) of these records.

These registers record brief details of letters received by the Aborigines Protection Board. They use an annual running number system. Letters were registered in order of receipt, except for later correspondence relating to subject matters already registered which were filed with the previous papers. The registers record who sent the letters, where from, subject, action taken by the Board, and any further correspondence arising from this action. The original registration is recorded in red ink and the further action in black ink. The correspondence was from managers and superintendents of the stations and reserves, local police, and other government departments (eg. Supply, Treasury, Public Instruction, Chief Secretary, and Auditor-General). Volume 7/3645 carries references to cards, which appear to trace the case history of action taken by the Board on matters of significance; these cards do not appear to have survived. Each volume has a subject and person index at the front, which treats each letter separately, with a brief description. The letters themselves do not appear to have survived.

File movement registers, 1948, 1953-58, 1968

These records may contain personal information and are therefore restricted. Permission to access these records must first be obtained from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. After permission has been obtained, please contact the Archives Authority for the current location (City or Kingswood) of these records.

These registers record the movement of correspondence through the filing system. They give date, current number, numbers of former papers, reference to card (which may indicate the existence at some time of a card index to the correspondence), and `locations'. `Locations' indicates whether the file has been filed, or given a new registration number, or sent to another branch or Department. Volume 4/8564 is in very poor condition and consequently many of the entries are incomplete. The registers also contain some annotations made after the transfer to the Aboriginal Services Directorate of the Department of Child Welfare and Social Welfare (later Youth and Community Services) (post-1969). These indicate the new file number, which began with a `D' prefix. (See also Aboriginal Services Branch. Correspondence ('D') files, 1969-81).

Printed copies of Acts and Regulations relating to the protection of Aborigines, 1915-18

These records may contain personal information and are therefore restricted. Permission to access these records must first be obtained from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. After permission has been obtained, please contact the Archives Authority for the current location (City or Kingswood) of these records.

These comprise the Aborigines Protection Act 1909 (No. 25), as amended by the Aborigines Protection Amending Act 1915 (No. 2) and the Aborigines Protection (Amendment) Act 1918 (No. 7); the Aborigines Protection (Amendment) Act 1918 (No. 7); and the Regulations under the Aborigines Protection Act 1909, as published in the New South Wales Government Gazette No. 97 of 2 June 1915. Volume 4/8579B is a duplicate copy of volume 4/8579A.

Common Seal of the Aborigines Welfare Board, no date

This record is restricted. Permission to access this record must first be obtained from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. After permission has been obtained, please contact the Archives Authority for the current location (City or Kingswood) of this record.

This embossing seal was the official Seal of the Board and was affixed to all official documents.