Ron Gale - Ronald L. Gale Masonic Collection, being papers, 1866-1998

MLMSS 6390/Boxes 2-19
MLMSS 6390/Item 1X
VT 675-VT 676

fonds

1866-1998

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Nonmusical Sound Recordings, Clippings, Photographs, Moving Images

111147

Digitised

4.75 metres of textual material (18 boxes, 1 outsize item) - manuscript, computer files, computer printouts, photocopy, typescript, typescript, photocopy, typescript, carbon, typescript, processed, printed, and printed, photocopy
Clippings - some photocopies
Photographs
6 audiocassettes (7 hr., 9 min.) - 10 × 7 cm, 4 mm tape
Moving Images - video recordings

Ronald Leslie Gale, a former international trade consultant and a Freemason, was born at Gunnedah, N.S.W., in 1928. He was initiated and raised into Freemasonry by his father, Leslie Herbert Robert Gale, in 1951; Gale's son John Leslie is a fourth-generation Freemason. Between 1970 and 1979 Gale was elected to nine United Grand Lodge of New South Wales offices, culminating in his election as Junior Grand Warden. In 1979, as Chairman of the Public Relations Sub-Committee of the Masonic Centre Opening Committee, he presided over celebrations for the new headquarters of the Grand Lodge in Sydney, and organised the International Masonic Festival at the same venue.

This collection mainly follows the arrangement by Ronald L. Gale. An overview of his series with location numbers is set out below. This is followed by further descriptions of each series. Ronald L. Gales' detailed listings/inventories of his collection have been annotated with location numbers and placed at MLMSS 6390/2.

Series:
Certificates, 1910-1980, at MLMSS 6390/1X
Masonic Bibles, 1947-1978, at MLMSS 6390/2
Reference Books and Magazines, 1940-1990, at MLMSS 6390/2-3
Worshipful Master's Book of His Year's Work, 1955-1971, at MLMSS 6390/4
Video Tapes (2): Onward Brother Masons, 1979, ca. 1990, at VT 675-676
Cassette Tapes (6), 1978-1979, at MLOH 272/1-6
Family Records, 1866-1995, at MLMSS 6390/5-13
General Records, 1884-1995, at MLMSS 6390/14-15
Photographs at MLMSS 6390/13
Ritual books, explanatory notes and ceremonial guides, 1922-1997, at MLMSS 6390/16-17 (REPRODUCTION RESTRICTED)
Masonic Records - Part 2, 1894-1998, at MLMSS 6390/18-19

Further description:
1910-1980; Certificates of Arthur P. Gale, Leslie H. R. Gale and Ronald L. Gale, with printed enclosure: 'An Egyptian Temple in the Heart of Sydney', The Sydney News, 15 May 1927 (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/1X)

1947, 1951, 1968, 1978; Masonic Bibles: Presentation Holy Bible. Chicago, Ill.: The Masonic History Company, 1947, received by Ronald L. Gale at his initiation into Lodge Zion No. 218, Gunnedah, N.S.W., 4 Apr. 1951, and Holman Masonic Bible presented to Gale by the Grand Master, California, 30 Aug. 1978, with detailed listings/inventories of the Ronald L. Gale Masonic Collection annotated with location numbers (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/2)

1940-1980; Reference Books and Magazines: Mainly brochures, bulletins and monographs from Australia, United States of America and New Zealand (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/2)
1969-1990; Reference Books and Magazines: Include constitutions, Lodge histories and year books (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/3)

1955-1971; Worshipful Master's Book of His Year's Work: Bound volumes (2), one of the activities of Leslie H. R. Gale - Lodge St. Ives No. 873, 1955-1956, 1961, and another of the proceedings of Lodge Galen No. 660, United Grand Lodge of N.S.W., presented to Wor. Bro. Ronald Leslie Gale, Worshipful Master, 24 Mar. 1970 (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/4)

1979, ca. 1990; Onward Brother Masons, being video tapes (2) of film concerning the opening of the new Masonic Centre in Sydney, and the activities of the International Masonic Festival, 2-11 Mar. 1979. The original colour and sound film was proposed, researched, scripted and produced by Ronald L. Gale. The video copies were made ca. 1990. (Call No.: VT 675-VT 676)

1866-1995; Family Records, being 9 blue foolscap ring binders in acid-free boxes and arranged chronologically by core date-range by Ronald L. Gale, located at MLMSS 6390/5-13:

1927, 1947-1970, 1991-1995; 1. Include detailed listings of and notes concerning the Ronald L. Gale Masonic Collection, compiled by Ronald L. Gale; research material concerning the Masonic history of the Gale family and the Egyptian Room in the Royal Arch Temple, College Street, Sydney, N.S.W.; letters received; printed material including Lodge by-laws and invitations; and colour and silver gelatin photoprints, and colour slides (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/5)

1970-1975, 1995; 2. Include notes, correspondence, printed material concerning, among other things, installations and newscuttings (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/6)

1971-1978, 1993; 3. Include papers concerning the new Masonic Centre, Sydney, and the International Masonic Festival, Sydney, 2-11 Mar. 1979, and colour and silver gelatin photoprints of the Centre and Festival, ceremonies and functions, and Sir James Hardy and Noel William Warren, Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of N.S.W. (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/7)

1952, 1961, 1978-1979, 1995; 4. Include notes; index to and listing of Masonic addresses and articles by Ronald L. Gale; correspondence with American Lodges, 1978-1979, and the Grand Lodge of F. & A. M. of China; and colour photoprints (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/8)

1978-1979, 1995; 5. Include notes; papers, including silver gelatin and colour photoprints and b&w proof sheets, concerning the official opening and dedication of the new Masonic Centre, Sydney, and the International Masonic Festival, Sydney, 1979; papers concerning the film, Onward Brother Masons; and colour photoprints of the Orange & District Grand Masonic Cabaret Ball, 25 May 1979, and special service for Freemasons, their families and friends at the Great Synagogue, Sydney, 11 Mar. 1979 (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/9)

1979-1980; 6. Include papers and colour and silver gelatin photoprints concerning the Egyptian Room in the Royal Arch Temple, Sydney, N.S.W., Sep. 1979; papers concerning the Masonic Film Festival, 1979, Combined School Lodges' Association of N.S.W., and the Australasian Masonic Conference, Melbourne, Vic., 21 Mar. 1980; and colour photoprints of Masonic apparel and regalia (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/10)

1970, 1980-1995; 7. Include notes on, among other things, Masonic degrees and ranks, 1995; papers concerning Ronald L. Gale's overseas trip, 1992; Past Grand Master MW Bro. Noel William Warren (1918-1994); Gordon Bennett Chapter No. 626 Beecroft, 1970-1983; Leichardt Conclave of the Order of the Secret Monitor, No. 9, 1973-1984; and colour photoprints of Masonic apparel and regalia (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/11)

1866, 1910-1995; 8. Include notes concerning the diary of Christopher Parrah Gale's 1855 voyage from England to Australia and research material concerning the Masonic history of the Gale family, including Leslie H. R. Gale; and colour photoprints of Masonic apparel and regalia, and silver gelatin prints and photonegatives of Arab and English Freemasons (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/12)

1994-1995; 9. Include correspondence with the State Library of New South Wales, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland and the National Museum of Australia concerning acquisition of the collections of Ronald L. Gale; listings of the collection and copies of addresses and articles, with computer disk (GALEMASN), by Ronald L. Gale; and colour photoprints, photonegatives and slides, and photocopied proof sheets, mainly of Masonic apparel and regalia (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/13)

1884-1995; General Records, being subject files mainly of printed and photocopied material located at MLMSS 6390/14-15:
1978-1980; 'Charitable Organisations - NSW' (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/14)
1970-1995; 'General Reference' (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/14)
1884, 1971-1974, 1995; 'Historical' (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/14)
ca. 1960-ca. 1979; 'Humour' (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/14)
1892, 1948-1995; 'International' (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/14)
1968-1973; 'Social' (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/14)
1972-1980, 1995; 'Victoria' (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/14)
1970-1995; 'USA' (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/15)
1971-1995; 'USA' (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/15)
197-; 'USA - General Reference' (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/15)
1921-1980; 'USA - Charity' (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/15)
1958-1978; 'USA - Education' (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/15)

Photographs, mainly of Masonic apparel and regalia (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/13)

1946-1980; Ritual books, explanatory notes and ceremonial guides, with minute book of the Combined School Lodges' Association of N.S.W.. Listing enclosed with contents. REPRODUCTION RESTRICTED (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/16)
1922-1975; Ritual books, explanatory notes and ceremonial guides. Listing enclosed with contents. REPRODUCTION RESTRICTED (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/17)

1894-1998; Masonic Records - Part 2, being mainly printed material, including reference books and by-laws, concerning Blue or Symbolic Degrees; Ancient and Accepted Rite of H.R.D.M. for England and Wales; Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of England and Wales - Cryptic Series of Degrees; United Supreme Grand Chapter of Mark and Royal Arch Masons; Grand Priory - United Religious and Military Orders of the Temple and of St. John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes ad Malta; Grand Lodge of Ireland; and General Records, being an issue of Life, with the feature article: 'The U.S. Masons - A Pictorial Essay in Colour', 8 Oct. 1956, and a brochure and application form for the Grand Lodge Deposit Scheme conducted by the National Bank of New Zealand, ca. 1990. Listing enclosed with contents. (Call No.: MLMSS 6390/18-19)

Audiocassettes:
Series 01: Ronald L. Gale sound recordings (MLOH 272)

Reproduction Restricted

The description of this material has been supplied from the Oral History Digitisation Program, undertaken 2014 to 2017, of the Library's oral history collections.