| Summary |
Research notes and original source material used in preparation of Downs' publication, The Australian trusteeship: Papua New Guinea, 1945-75, together with other original documents collected during Downs' career. The papers include: general correspondence and memoranda, 1935-1994; patrol diaries and reports, 1938-1955, including diary documenting Hagen-Sepik patrol, 1938; Highlands period, 1952-1968; Legislative Council and House of Assembly, 1957-1968; other papers, including material relating to the Select Committee on Constitutional Development, Gazelle Peninsula dispute and Mataungan insurrection, biographical files and records of interviews with prominent figures in the Australian administration.
The Acc07/35 instalment includes correspondence and papers relating to the Highland Farmers' and Settlers' Association and to the Tariff Board Inquiry, c.1939-1968.
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| Biography/History |
Administrator, politician, planter and historian. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Downs joined the New Guinea administration as a patrol officer in 1935. He was appointed Assistant Director of Native Affairs in 1951 and was later elected to both the Legislative Council and House of Assembly. Downs served as President of the Highlands Farmers' and Settlers' Association between 1957-1968 and he wrote an official history of the Australian administration which was published by the Australian Government Publishing Service in 1980.
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