Provenance
and context
In 1909, the
National Library of Australia acquired the diary kept by William
John Wills from 23 April to 28 June 1861 along with the diary kept
by Robert O’Hara Burke from 16 December 1860 to 20 January 1861.
Both diaries were purchased from Mrs Grace Gavan Duffy for a total
of £25. Mrs Gavan Duffy was the only surviving child of the original
transcriber of the diaries, William Henry Archer. She married Philip,
a surveyor and civil engineer, and the son of Sir Charles Gavan
Duffy. Sir Charles, prominent in the Irish nationalist movement
and later Premier of Victoria in 1871 and 1872, contributed £40
to the funeral of Robert O’Hara Burke.
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