MS 9477 comprises paper clippings documenting the activities of Ashton's and other circuses, used by Judy Cannon in the writing of Take a drum and beat it. Most of the cuttings have been pasted into scrapbooks, and some include memorabilia such as sample tickets, publicity material, flyers and programs, and a few examples of correspondence. Other items such as an Ashton family tree and photocopies of a few early accounts of the circus add to the historical interest of the collection.
Other performing troupes represented in the collection include the Australian tours of the Great Moscow Circus, 1971, the German National Circus, 1972, and Los Muchachos Spanish boys circus in 1975. Aspects of the careers of entertainers Tommy Hanlon, Paul Hogan and Will "Sugarfoot" Hutchins are also recorded. In addition, the cuttings provide interesting insights into animal welfare issues, including the treatment of circus animals, the pro- and anti-circus movements, and the operations of zoos and animals parks such as the Bacchus Marsh Lion Safari (4 boxes, 8 folio boxes, 1 map folio).
The Acc06.115 instalment comprises an original photograph of Wirth's Circus, featuring Thomas Dunn, dating from a tour of New Zealand, ca. early 1900s (photographer W. Hall Raine, Wellington), together with one page featuring colour copies of a photograph of James Henry Ashton, a photograph of Vera Ashton (sitting) and Ethel Ashton, and the 1920 burial certificate for Elizabeth Ashton (1 file).
Ashton's Circus was established by James Henry Ashton (ca. 1819-1889) in Launceston, Tasmania, in February 1851. The show toured to all Australian colonies and New Zealand, and today remains the longest surviving circus in Australia. Judy Cannon arrived in Australia from England in 1970, and has worked widely as a journalist and freelance writer. Her history, Take a drum and beat it: the story of the astonishing Ashtons, 1848-1990s, written with Mark St Leon, was published by Tytherleigh Press in 1997.
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