Series 1: Rosemary Creswell papers, 1945-2017

MLMSS 11862
VT 5662
DC 102/1-2

series

1945-2017

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Photographs

9673336

2.84 metres of textual material (14 boxes and 1 outsize box) includes some photographs
videocassette (60 minutes) - VHS

Box 1
Rosemary Creswell writing, 1976-2005

Thesis: ‘Christopher Marlowe: A study of the Imagery of his Plays’ by Rosemary Creswell, submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, University of Sydney, 1976
Assorted writing, published and unpublished including essays and articles, 1975-1992
Notebook containing notes for projected short stories including Carpe Diem, 1991
Unpublished edited typescript of novella – ‘A Very Strange Thought’, late 1970s
Draft pages for memoir on growing up in Sydney in the 1940s and 1950s, with edits by Drusilla Modjeska, 1980s
Notebook containing part draft of a planned detective novel (later published as ‘To Sleep, to Die’ under the pseudonym Ruth Clarement, 1989) and random notes for planned short stories, 1980s
Notebook with brief notes for Carpe Diem short story, 1985
Notes for short stories written whilst in St George V Hospital and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, July 1989
Notes for article on science books
‘Senator’ notes for ABC TV Series with Dick Hall, early 2000s
'Divided House' drafts of a short story with edits and annotations by George Papaellinas, 1992
Photocopy of ‘Dr Faustus and the Renaissance World’ Sydney Studies in English 1 (1975): 13-31
Notebook: Notes on planned short stories, 2005-2007
Poetry, 1984-2005 includes ‘Setting the record right on a man of the left’ (to Roger Milliss), 1984; ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ (to Roger Milliss), 1984; ‘Lantanarama’ early draft, 1986
'Girls Own Shed' notes on a proposed project

Box 2

‘Painting from Memory’ by Rose Creswell, screenplay adapted from the story "Painting from Memory" in ‘Lovers and Others’, (1989) including notes, treatments and screenplay drafts

‘Painting from Memory’ notes and copies first draft screenplay for projected feature film, July 1990
‘Painting from Memory’ introduction, story line and short treatment, 1990
‘Painting from Memory’ early draft screenplay - script for feature film and extensive notes on the project, July 1990-May 1991
‘Painting from Memory’ first draft screenplay with comments by Tony Bremner (United Kingdom)
‘Painting from Memory’ "Most recent "draft screenplays, August 2000
‘Painting from Memory‘ extended treatment, 1990
‘Painting from Memory’ first draft screenplay, 1990; correspondence with Mike Wilcox, 1991-1992
‘Painting from Memory’ first draft screenplay (Bound), August 1990

Box 3

Fourteen notebooks, some annotated by her partner Roger Milliss in his later years after macular degeneration had reduced his capacity to write, 2004-2010. Most of these notebooks contain Creswell's notes written after her diagnosis with Benson's Syndrome dementia on 30th August 2005. Milliss wrote: "The fragments of writing scattered oddly through the pages of these largely blank notebooks show a poignant insight into the deterioration of the mind of an erudite, creative woman as she tries to hold onto her identity"

Box 4

Rose Creswell personal papers, 1970-2016

Includes Creswell's miscellaneous personal papers including files collated on her family history, correspondence with and material she collected about her brother Harvey Creswell, and paperwork on the Mitchell Library's acquisition of earlier tranches of her papers

Personal papers ca. 1970-2008

Correspondence, 1983-2008 correspondents include Michael Thornhill, Roger Milliss, Stephen Little, Anne Brooksbank, John Creswell, Thomas Shapcott and others
Personal papers including Birth certificate, three passports, a subpoena for all research papers and material relating to Arthur “Neddy” Smith; original poetry of Rosemary Creswell, copy of Johnson’s eulogy for Robert Levet, copy of journal article ‘Dr Faustus’, 1983-2006
Media clippings with articles about Creswell and/or her clients, ca. 1970-2012
27 Photographs, ca. 1970-2009
Miscellaneous papers including correspondence, clippings, Belvoir Theatre material, 2012-2016

Family papers, 1988-2008

Photocopies of family history papers including Rose's father, Arthur Robert Creswell’s World War 1 service records, Howard Smith Ltd employment details
Correspondence with Mitchell Library relating to Creswell archives and a copy of her CV, 1993-2000
Material collected for Rosemary’s brother Harvey Creswell relating to Indigenous Affairs in the Northern Territory, 2003-2008
Family correspondence between Rosemary and her brothers Harvey, Robert and John Creswell, 1988-2008
Miscellaneous papers including correspondence from Jane Cameron, Krysty Macdonald, Barbara Wiesner, Jan McLelland, Robert Hampshire, Thomas Shapcott, Carol Treloar, Lew Phillips; proofs of ‘Rose’s story’, a chapter on Creswell from ‘My Life as a Side Effect’ by Milissa Deitz (2011)

Kingsgrove Appointment Diary, 2003

‘Fact or Fiction’ Short Stories by Lew Phillips. Written by Creswell's childhood neighbour, Phillips became the subject of one of her stories in her collection of short stories ‘Colouring In’, and after reading the story, contacted Rose and rang her frequently, even from aged care

Box 5

Correspondence personal and professional, 1962-2011

Mark Troy, 1970s-2008
Jean Bedford, 1985-1993 includes an original manuscript from Bedford/Creswell collaboration ‘Colouring In’
Tony Bremner, 1984-2011
John Kerr, 1983-2007
RF (Bob) Brissenden, 1986, 1990-1991 includes original poems and prose by Bob Brissenden, 1 July 1986: ‘Sacred Sites’ I. Pleasant Hills: Anzac Day 1938; II. Cowra: Place of Rocks,1945 (for Angelo) i. Families, ii. The Book, iii. Reading in bed; III. Leros, 1982 i-iii, (for Tony and Dimitris); V. Rock climbers, Uluru 1985 (for Adam); VI. South Coast Midden
Frank Moorehouse, 1992-2006 includes a transcript of a speech made by Moorehouse at the farewell of Jane Palfreyman at Random House, 2006 and articles on Moorehouse
Carol Treloar, 1986-2010
Myfanwy Horne, 2000-2007
Annette Hughes, 2000-2009 includes poetry by Hughes’ partner Geoffrey Datson ‘Homeland Border Wasteland’, and a postcard from Tony Maniaty
Carl Harrison Ford, 2002-2004
Richard Hall, 1985-2003 includes 5 photographs, postcards and draft of speech for his memorial service in 2003 and a typescript letter from Eric [Walsh] ca. 1962 to Hall regarding federal parliamentary procedure
Linda Funnell, 2003-2007
Don Anderson, 2003-2007
Harvey Creswell - Response to CIS Report for Financial Review (Chris Short) regarding the “Aboriginal Situation”, March 2004-2005
University of Technology, 2004-2005
Queensland Writers Centre, 2005
David Creswell and Creswell family, 2005-2006
Jane Palfreyman, 2002-2006
Birthday Parties, 2007-2009

Box 6

Ceremonial material, 1976-2017

Material relating to Creswell’s OAM Medal of the Order of Australia, 26 January 2008, including correspondence, investiture booklet and 14 photographs, 2008-2017
Original OAM Certificate, 2008
PhD Testamur, Rosemary Creswell, 17 June 1976

Box 7

Memorabilia, photographs and correspondence, 1945-2017

Includes the contents of Creswell's desk and pinboard as she left it when she moved to aged care. Includes press articles, miscellaneous correspondence, business cards, photographs, address book, a contemporary copy of ‘Rosarium philosophorum’ and material relating to the sale of Brett Whitely works including a portrait of Rose
Literary clippings including HQ Magazine containing article on Rose Creswell, 1986-2002
Correspondence ca. 1975-2017 correspondents include Kate Jennings, Bob Brissenden, Michael Thornhill, John Kerr, Michael Stutchbury, Kerri Morey, Jean Bedford, Stephen Little, Linda Funnell. John Brennan, Annette Hughes
Large format birthday card for Rose’s 50th birthday 28 June 1991
21 photographs, 1945-2006

VT 5662: VHS tape 'Rose’s Birthday', 2001

DVD Photographs of Rose’s investiture of OAM, 2008 (DC 102/1)
CD-ROM with Photographs of Rose’s investiture of OAM, 2008 (DC 102/2)

Box 8

Client Writing,1992-2005

Final typescript, bound ‘The Death Trust’, David A. Rollins, 2004
Typescript, ‘On Radio’, Chas Savage, 2005
Draft typescript ‘The Ballad of Desmond Kale’, Roger McDonald (Winner of the Miles Franklin Award 2005)
Draft outline of ‘The Slap’, a story based around the “cream can bomber” in Bega, 1957, Roger McDonald, 10 October 1996

Box 9

Draft typescript ‘The Glance’, Angelo Loukakis, 2005
Draft typescript of Arthur “Neddy” Smith autobiography, ‘Neddy: the life and crimes of Arthur Stanley Smith’ with Tom Noble, 1992
Annotated typescript of Arthur “Neddy” Smith autobiography
Photocopies of amended typescript pages of Arthur “Neddy” Smith autobiography

Box 10

Press files and dossiers compiled by Smith on associates and others in Arthur “Neddy” Smith’s book including Adrian Kay, Jimmy Formica, "Neddy" Smith, Les Cole, Danny Chubb, Barry Croft, Barry McCann, Roy Thurgar, Desmond Lewis, Mick O’Brien, Sallie-Anne Huckstepp, Michael Sayers, Les McGregor, Maria Ann Hisshion, Tony Eustace, Chris Flannery; Dossiers by Smith on Baldie Blair, Ray Chuck or Bennett, Jackie Clarke, Robert Donnelly, Kevin Gore, Harvey Jones, Jake Maloney, Robert McKinnon, Graham Moffitt, Jackie Muller, Ray “Duckie” O’Connor, Stuart Regan, Richard Riley, Gary Sandrie, Luton Chu, Ron Wakefield, Johnny Warren and Eric Williams

Draft film script ‘Bye, Bye Blackbird’ by John Ruane, 2006

Draft typescript ‘Back it always comes’ by Tony Bremner, 2009 with cover letter

Box 11

Two typescript copies ‘Carpentaria’, a novel by Alexis Wright, 2004
Correspondence and publishing agreement relating to Carpentaria, 2004
Articles and correspondence relating to Refugees, 2002
Material relating to Sydney PEN, 2001-2005
Miscellaneous papers 1983-2007 including correspondence from Helen Garner, 1985, George Papaellinas, Myfanwy Horne, Samantha Trenoweth, Frank Moorehouse, Fiona Giles, Jean Bedford and Tom Shapcott; 5 photographs, ‘In Memorium’ transcript for Maurice Isaacs, 1983

Box 12

Typescript, edited draft ‘A Big Life’ Jenny Kee biography, 2005 (incomplete) with personal note to Rose. Kee lived across the road from Creswell in Blackheath.

Papers relating to the Richard Hall Archive at the National Library of Australia (NLA), 2003-2008. Creswell, working with Linda Funnell arranged for Dick Hall's vast archive to be acquired by the NLA. Includes legal documents, correspondence, a copy of the finding aid for the collection at MS 8725

Roger Milliss, Richard Hall material relating to the Whitlam biography. In 2005 Creswell, acting as Milliss' agent brokered a commission between Dick Hall's estate and Milliss to look over Hall's unfinished manuscript on Whitlam, to determine if ready for publication

Two folders of Cameron Creswell material 1991-2009, including correspondence and miscellaneous documents. Correspondents including Senator Brian Harradine, Richard Llewellyn, Ron Miller, Don Norman, Jack Ames, Jane Cameron and others

Box 13

Rose Creswell and Cameron Creswell Agency documents, 1988-2004

Consultancy Agreements between Rose Creswell and Cameron Creswell Agency, 2004
Rose Creswell contract with Cameron Creswell Agency
Stephen Toomey papers including legal documents relating to Rosemary Creswell’s retirement arrangements with Cameron's, September 2003 – November 2005
Bill Leak’s Heart Cancer manuscript editing saga with Carl Harrison Ford, 2005
Two address books
Overseas trip documents, 1988-2004
Australian for Native Title and Reconciliation documents (ANTaR) including material relating to the Sea of Hands project, 1999-2000
Australian Publishers Association Directory of Members, 2001-2002 heavily annotated by Creswell

Box 14

Papers relating to Creswell’s association with Russell Meares, eminent professor of psychiatry and client of Rose's. Rose brokered publication two of his books. He later advised her as a friend on her diagnosis with Benson's Syndrome. Includes drafts and final transcript of speech at the book launch for ‘The Metaphor of Play’; notes, correspondence, press clipping, draft chapter ‘Analogical Structure on the Narrative of Self’. 2005-2008

Financial report and tax returns 2002, 2003

Benson's Syndrome material includes correspondence with controversial psychiatrist Robert Hampshire, who diagnosed the Benson's Syndrome. He started treating Rose in July 2004 as she sought answers for her growing symptoms. Includes psychiatric reports, 1990, 2005-2013, 2017

Guardianship Tribunal application, correspondence, hearing details, 2011

Rosemary Creswell papers relating to her death and Benson's Syndrome. Includes Death certificate with certified copies, In Memorium folder, 1 photograph of Rose with Roger Milliss early 2017 taken by Rose’s brother Harvey. Miscellaneous papers

Box 15X

Rosemary Creswell Publications Financial ledgers, 1987-1990

Copyright restrictions may apply:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy copyright holder