Papers of Eric C. Rolls, 1821-2009 [manuscript]
- Bib ID:
- 703956
- Format:
- Manuscript
- Author:
- Rolls, Eric C. (Eric Charles), 1923-2007
- Related Online Resources:
- Finding aid at National Library of Australia
- Access Conditions:
- Available for research. Not for loan.
- Description:
-
- [1821-2009]
- 18.40 m. (114 boxes) + 3 cartons + 1 fol. box.
- Summary:
-
MS 7027 comprises correspondence, manuscripts, lectures, reviews, notes, posters, photographs, publications, and historical material on the Doyle and Eather families. The collection includes manuscripts of The green mosaic, Running wild, The river and A million wild acres. Many of the papers relate to natural history and conservation in New South Wales. Correspondents include George Johnston, Douglas Stewart, John Tierney, Nancy Keesing, Barry Watts, Barbara Ker Wilson, John Thompson, Hal Porter and Elizabeth Harrower (34 boxes, 1 fol. box).
The Acc05.116 instalment comprises papers relating to articles for the Sydney Sun-herald, 1993-1995; articles, talks, lectures and addresses, 1993-2004; and papers on addresses at conferences, workshops and community meetings, 1989-2004. There are also drafts, research material and correspondence relating to publications, television programs, talks and essays, 1983-2004; forewords, essays and reviews, 1990-2003; and, correspondence with fellow writers and with Rolls' wife Elaine van Kempen, and one letter from Douglas Stewart, 1968 (8 boxes, 3 cartons).
The Acc07.144 instalment includes financial records, school exercise books from Fort Street Boys' High; research material relating to Visions of Australia: impressions of the landscape 1640-1910 (2002), and Australia: a biography, the beginnings from the cosmos to the genesis of Gondwana, and its rivers, forests, flora, fauna, and fecundity (2000); speeches, articles and correspondence (34 boxes).
The Acc10.100 instalment comprises papers reflecting Rolls' careers as a public speaker and writer, largely on environmental subjects. They comprise family and business correspondence; research material; draft articles, reviews and book excerpts; talk texts; event programs; and photographs. Topics, publications and places represented by substantial amounts of material in the collection include: slow food and the Ark of Taste Award for Slow Food; Australian wildlife, particularly the kangaroo; introduced animal species ("animal immigrants"); the Pilliga; "The north coast story"; Visions of Australia: impressions of the landscape 1640-1910 (2002); and Sojourners: the epic story of China's centuries-old relationship with Australia: flowers and the wide sea (1992).
Correspondents include Alan Seymour, Ron Baddeley, Cameron Creswell, Tim Curnow, Timothy Findlay, Bill Gammage, Jacqueline Kent, Cheryl Kernot, David Malouf and Barbara Ker Wilson. In addition, there are papers of Elaine van Kempen, including articles and correspondence (14 boxes).
The Acc11.161 instalment comprises papers documenting Rolls' careers as an historian, non-fiction writer, poet and public speaker. They include correspondence, draft manuscripts, talks, essays and articles, research material, ephemera, notes and notebooks, poetry, news cuttings and photographs. Of particular interest is an incomplete unpublished work, referred to by Rolls as the "Aboriginal book", incorporating large amounts of research and original material, and manuscript and typescript drafts. Other subjects represented in the papers include the Chinese in Australia, animal stories, early Australian exploration and the Pilliga. The photographs comprise copies of those used in Rolls' book, They all ran wild, and negatives and slides relating to the Chinese in Australia (19 boxes).
The Acc12.148 instalment comprises papers relating to Rolls' career as a writer, including correspondence, articles, manuscripts, children's stories, research material and book reviews. In addition there are photographs, family history papers, general correspondence and condolence letters received by the family after Rolls' death (5 boxes).
- Biography/History:
-
Farmer, naturalist, poet and historian. Eric Charles Rolls was born into a farming family in western New South Wales in 1923. Following the Second World War, when he served in Papua New Guinea, Rolls farmed his own land and continued to write poetry. He published several collections of poetry including, Sheaf tosser and other poems (1967), The green mosaic: memories of New Guinea (1977) and Miss Strawberry verses (1978). He was also the author of wildlife and historical books, including They all ran wild: the story of pests on the land in Australia (1969), A million wild acres: 200 years of man and an Australian forest (1981), The river: a chronicle of life on the land (1984), and Doorways: a year of the Cumberdeen diaries (1989).
Rolls contributed to The Sydney morning herald, Island magazine, The bulletin, The Australian, The age and Overland. Among the numerous literary awards he received were the 1973 John Franklin Award for a children's book for Running wild and the Age Book of the Year in 1981 for A million wild acres, and two Blind Society awards. In 1992 Rolls was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to literature and environmental awareness and, in 2001, he received a Centenary Medal. Rolls died in New South Wales in 2007.
- Notes:
- Manuscript reference no.: MS 7027, MS Acc05.116, MS Acc07.144, MS Acc10.100, MS Acc11.161, MS Acc12.148.
- Related Material:
-
- Eric Rolls interviewed by Hazel de Berg in the Hazel de Berg collection; Located at; National Library of Australia Oral History collection ORAL TRC 1/1292.
- Eric Rolls oral history collection; Located at; National Library of Australia Oral History collection ORAL TRC 2225.
- Cited In:
- Guide to collections of manuscripts relating to Australia, E758.
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Finding aid (30 p.) available in the Special Collections Reading Room.
- Subject:
-
- Rolls, Eric C. (Eric Charles), 1923-2007 -- Archives
- Kempen, Elaine van, 1937- -- Archives
- Doyle family
- Eather family
- Authors, Australian -- 20th century -- Archives
- Poets, Australian -- 20th century -- Archives
- Historians -- Australia -- Archives
- Naturalists -- Australia -- Archives
- Forests and forestry -- New South Wales -- Pilliga Region
- Pilliga Region (N.S.W.) -- History
- Time Coverage:
- 1821-2009
- Occupation:
- Other authors/contributors:
- Kempen, Elaine van, 1937-
- Terms of Use:
- Copying of Eric Rolls' copyright material permitted for research purposes.
- Copyright:
-
Copyright Undetermined
If you wish to copy or order copies, contact us. For access conditions return to the record display above.
- Reason for copyright status:
- A Manuscript Collection may have a range of formats and dates.
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary Dramatic Musical
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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