MS 9061
Papers of Edward Adrian Joseph Duyker (1955- )



Scope and Content Note

  • Papers
  • 1830-200 (bulk 1970-2000)
  • 3.69 metres (19 boxes + 2 folio boxes)
  • Available for reference

The collection comprises mainly correspondence, research material and drafts relating to the compilation of Duyker’s publications The Dutch in Australia; Of the star and key: Mauritius, Mauritians and Australia; Officer of the blue: Marc-Joseph Marion Dufresne, south sea explorer, 1724-1772; Daniel Solander: collected correspondence 1753-1782; A woman on the goldfields: recollections of Emily Skinner, 1854-1878; and The discovery of Tasmania: journal extracts from the expeditions of Abel Janszoon Tasman and Marc-Joseph Marion Dufresne, 1642 & 1772. 

There are a number of papers relating to Duyker’s research into the history of Mauritius and his involvement in Mauritian family history research, including correspondence with genealogists.  There is a copy of Gaston Sarre's Recueil de reseignements sur les familles de L’Ille Maurice, 1945, containing genealogical notes on some 3000 Mauritian families.  There is also correspondence written by the firm of Bell, Regnard & Co., Melbourne, to Pipon, Bell & Co., Mauritius (1853-1855), concerning the import of Mauritian sugar.

The remainder of the collection comprises papers relating to various areas of interest to Duyker, together with a copy of his PhD thesis entitled ‘Tribal guerrillas: the Santals of West Bengal and the Naxalite movement’ and associated research material.


Biographical Note

Edward Adrian Joseph Duyker was born in Melbourne in 1955.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree from La Trobe University, Melbourne, in 1977 and was awarded a PhD from the University of Melbourne in 1981.  Duyker was an intelligence analyst for the Joint Intelligence Organisation, Department of Defence, Canberra, and then joined Griffith University, Brisbane as a Teaching Fellow in the Humanities Department.  In 1984 he moved to Sydney and began working as a full-time writer.  He has been the Chairperson of the Australian Mauritian Research Group since 1983. 

Duyker’s publications include:

The Dutch in Australia, 1987

Of the star and the key: Mauritius, Mauritians and Australia, 1988

Molly and the Rajah: race, romance and the Raj, 1991

The discovery of Tasmania: journal extracts from the expeditions of Abel Janszoon Tasman and Marc-Joseph Marion Dufresne, 1642 & 1772, 1992

Officer of the blue: a biography of the South Sea explorer Marc-Joseph Marion Dufresne 1724-72, 1994

Daniel Solander: collected correspondence 1753-82, 1995

A woman on the goldfields: recollections of Emily Skinner, 1854-1878, 1995


Provenance

The papers of Dr Edward Duyker have been acquired from him in several instalments from 1996 to 2003.

Arrangement

The papers have been listed as received, by box and folder, item or packet number.  Most of the papers are contained in manila folders and, where provided, the titles of the folders have been used for the folder descriptions.  Where no title is available, the description is based on the contents of the folder, item or packet.  Because the papers have been received in instalments, there is no discernible order in the overall arrangement.

Folder/items 1-41 and 44         received in 1996

Folder/item/packets 45-81a      received in October 1998

Folder 82                                  received in November 2000

Folder/items 43 and 83-85       received in July and December 2001

Folder/item/packets 86-112      received January and February 2002

Folder 113                                received in June 2003

Related Material

The Oral History Section of the Library holds an interview with Duyker, conducted by Barry York in 1994 (ORAL TRC 3101)

Access

Available for reference


Box list

Box 1         Papers relating to The Dutch in Australia, published by AE Press, Melbourne, in 1987

Folder

1                Early Dutch trade, 1914-1986

2                Dutch immigrants 19th-20th centuries, 1877-1987

3                Dutch convicts

4                Dutch and the Victorian gold rush, in particular papers relating to the Dutch gold digger Jan Vennik’s involvement in the Eureka uprising.

5                Dutch aviation links with Australia, 1978-1986

6                Dutch military involvement in Australia during World War II and the Netherlands East Indies forces contribution to the Pacific War.  Included are newsletters from the 18th Squadron NEI-RAAF Forces Association.

7                Post War Dutch immigration and correspondence with individuals of Dutch heritage.  (Some of the material is in Dutch)

Box 2         Papers relating The Dutch in Australia, published by AE Press, Melbourne, in 1987

Folder

8                Dutch cultural contribution, 1951-1987

9                Dutch illustrations

10              General papers relating to the Dutch in Australia, 1892-1985

Box 3         Papers relating to Of the star and the key: Mauritius, Mauritians and Australia, published by the Australian Mauritian Research Group, Sylvania, in 1988

Folder

11              Copies of court proceedings and lists of Mauritian slaves (and convicts) subsequently transported to Australia (1830-1850)

                  Articles from Mauritian newspapers

12              Mauritians and the Australian gold rushes

13              Mauritius/Australian trade, 1987

14              Mauritian immigration, 1880-1985

15              Mauritian and Australian sugar industry, 1872-1985

Box 4         Papers relating to Of the star and the key: Mauritius, Mauritians and Australia, published by the Australian Mauritian Research Group, Sylvania, in 1988

Folder

16              Mauritian newsletters, 1978-1995

17              Mauritian newspaper clippings, 1976-1972

18              Illustrations for the book

Box 5

Item

19              Concertina file containing correspondence between Duyker and genealogists regarding their family histories and Mauritian-Australian connections (c. 400 pp).  Includes a typed index (8 pp).  Note:  a copy of the entire file is held at MS 9061/packet 42.  (See also folders 96-98 for related papers)

Box 6

Folder

20-27         Photocopy of Gaston Sarre’s Recueil de reseignements sur les familles de L’Ille Maurice, which contains genealogical notes on about 3000 Mauritian families, arranged alphabetically.  (A-E)

Box 7

Folder

28-34         Recueil de reseignements sur les familles de L’Ille Maurice (F-M)

Box 8

Folder

35-41         Recueil de reseignements sur les familles de L’Ille Maurice (N-Z)

Folio box 1

Packet

42              Photocopy of Mauritian family history inquiries and typed index (originals filed at MS 9061/item19)

43              Six letters from Mauritius during the mid 1880s by Duyker’s great-great-grandfather Alfred Bullen Commins (1824-1890), together with two genealogical notes from the same period. There are also two genealogical notes written by Duyker’s great-grandfather Walter Hugh Commins.

Box 9

Folder

44              A collection of 58 letters (mercantile correspondence) written by the firm of Bell, Regnard & Co., Melbourne, to Pipon, Bell & Co., Mauritius, between May 28 1853 and December 8 1855, concerning the import of Mauritian sugar.

45-46         Edited typescript of Officer of the blue: Marc-Joseph Marion Dufresne, South Sea explorer, 1724-1772, published by Melbourne University Press, 1994

47-48         Edited typescript of Daniel Solander: collected correspondence 1753-1782.  Edited and translated by Edward Duyker and Per Tingbrand and published by Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 1995.

Box 10

Folder

49-50         Edited typescript of Daniel Solander…(cont)

51-52         Papers relating to A woman on the goldfields: recollections of Emily Skinner, 1854-1878.  Edited by Edward Duyker and published by Melbourne University Press, 1995.  There are research notes, a photocopy of the original and a transcription of Emily Skinner’s diary, correspondence with the publisher, typescript draft and letters received following publication.

Box 11

Folder

53-56         Papers relating to A woman on the goldfields… (cont)

57-58         Typescript copy of Duyker’s PhD thesis entitled ‘Tribal guerrillas: the Santals of West Bengal and the Naxalite movement’ (317pp).  Submitted to the Department of Indian Studies, University of Melbourne in 1981.  Published by Oxford University Press, Delhi, in 1987.

Folio box 2

Item

59              A box of cards containing research notes for ‘Tribal guerrillas: the Santals of West Bengal and the Naxalite movement’

Box 12

Folder

60              Interviews:  Bengal, 1979

61-62         Naxalites, 1967-1972

63              Naxalite publications

64              Dutch Peace Movement

Box 13

Folder

65              Articles on Dutch Armed Forces/Foreign policy

66              A.E. Press [Educational Publishers] – correspondence regarding a publication entitled ‘Mauritians in Australia’, 1986

67              La Trobe University students – cuttings and pamphlets, 1974-1976

68              Israel – newspaper cuttings, articles and journals relating to Israel, 1971-1981

69              Current defence readings – selected articles from current journals, published by Defence Central Library, Canberra, 1981

70              Chou En Lai and Khmer Rouge photographs

71              Writings about Conan Doyle

Box 14

Folder

72              Mauritius export directory, 1989-90

73-74         The discovery of Tasmania: journal extracts from the expeditions of Abel Janszoon Tasman and Marc-Joseph Marion Dufresne, 1642 & 1772.  Edited by Edward Duyker; translated by Edward, Herman and Maryse Duyker and published by St. David's Park Publishing, Hobart, 1992.  Research notes, correspondence and proof copy, 1989-1991.

75              La Caravelle Social and Sports Club [Liverpool, NSW] – newsletters and correspondence, 1997-1998

76              Squatters’ Arms – research notes and correspondence relating to a public house of this name built at Reid’s Flat, near Cooma, in 1841

77              Sutherland authors – research material and correspondence relating to writers in the Sutherland Shire, Sydney, 1994

78              Copies of Canberra-Monaro Searchlight (1981) and National Southern Cross (1982-1983)

Box 15

Folder

79              Copies of the journal of the Sydney Technical High School, 1992-1994

80              Australia-Japan Society of New South Wales newsletters (1976) and a copy of The Daily Chinese Herald, 1997, commemorating Hong Kong’s return to China.

81              Newsletters and papers relating to the Australian French Association of Professional and Technical Specialists (AFSA), 1973-1987

Folio box 1

Packet

81a             Uniform, comprising shorts, T-shirt and cap, worn by a crew member of the replica of the Endeavour

Box 15

Folder/item

82              Biographical cuttings relating to Duyker, 1984-2000.

83              Meteorological statistics and notes on cyclones relating to Rodriguez (a member of the Mascarene Islands group along with Mauritius and Réunion) originally compiled by Alfred North-Coombes

84              A copy of Studies in Santal medicine and connected folklore:  Part III:  how the Santals live, P.O. Bodding, Calcutta, 1940

Item

85              Report on the condition of the Sonthals of Birbhum, Bankura, Midnapore and North Balasore, M.C. McAlpin, Calcutta, 1909.  Microfilm copy from the India Office Library and Records, London.

Box 16

Folder

86-91         Miscellaneous correspondence, brochures, booklets, articles and newspaper cuttings relating to Mauritius, 1968-1993

92              Australia-Mauritius newsletters and flyers, 1992-2000.  Includes copies of Le Didgeridoo and Le Flamboyant.

Box 17

Folder

93              Mauritius tourism statistics

94              Mauritian clubs in Canberra

95              Mauritian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – circulars and invitations, 1995-1997

96-98         Australian Mauritian Research Group – correspondence relating to family history research, 1982-2000.  (See also item 19)

99              Correspondence (1979-1990) of Jim Cowan, Chair of the Branch Livery Committee of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (Australian) Region.

Box 18

Folder/packet

100            Photocopies and notes (including translations from Japanese by Susan Duyker) of papers relating to the Japan-Australia Society, 1927-1940.  Originals held in the Library of Congress (?), G5370 Japanese Archives Roll S-319.

101-103     Presbyterian Ladies College, Croydon, New South Wales – correspondence and ephemera, 1966-1976.  Includes correspondence with Freda Whitlam, copies of the school newsletter –Shmate- and copies of Parents and Friends newsletters.  The school was attended by Duyker’s wife Susan née Wade.

104            Miscellaneous ephemera (see packet for full list).  Includes:

                  Souvenir Flinders Island CWA cookery book, c1983 (reprint of 1946 edition)

                  Dining with Peter Pan, c1970.  Cookery book of the Peter Pan Kindergarten, Paddington.

                  Goat meat recipes, nd.  North Eastern District 31, Australian Cashmere Growers’ Association.

                  Tarcutta Public School cookbook, 1996

105            Miscellaneous ephemera (see packet for full list).  Includes:

                  The metal trade journal, Vol XX, February 1954, No. 3

                  Foundations and footholds:  a story of things that matter, Grace Bros., Sydney, c1947

                  Tomato culture under glass:  with plans for glasshouse construction, New South Wales Department of Agriculture, 1948

                  Healthy motherhood, New South Wales Department of Health, 1946

Box 19

Packet

106            The Samoan times, September 1970 (Apia and Pago Pago editions)

107-110     Miscellaneous theatre programs, 1947-1999.  (See full list in packet 107)

113            Australian Youth Choir – correspondence and ephemera, 1992-1993.  (Note:  newsletters of the AYC are held in the General Collection of the Library)

Folio box 1

Packet

111            Original copy of The home news for Australia:  a summary of European intelligence, No. 682, Friday December 9, 1887

112            Original copy of The Queen, the lady’s newspaper, January 19, 1884-June 28, 1884