Hugh Mason papers, [ca. 1956]-2015

MLMSS 10370

fonds

[ca. 1956]-2015

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Drawings, Ephemera

9616397

0.64 metres of textual material (4 boxes)

Hugh Mason was born in New Zealand in 1925, where he studied art and was a reporter on Wellington's 'Southern Cross'. In 1950 he migrated to Brisbane where he worked as a commercial artist before moving to Sydney in 1956. He wrote short stories, novels and plays for the New Theatre, and drew cartoons for trade union papers, while also working as a wharf labourer, signwriter and then library assistant at the University of Sydney's Fisher Library. He was a member of the Realist Writer's Group, and in 1958 won the Mary Gilmore Award for 'When You Run'. In 1969 he and his wife Betty helped found the Annandale Association, whose aim was to promote the quality of life of the suburb's citizens. Mason died in 2016.
References:
Hugh Mason. New Theatre history wiki. http://newtheatrehistory.org.au/wiki/index.php/Person_-_Hugh_Mason (accessed 19 February 2020)
Library correspondence file

Papers from folders previously titled ‘Journal’ and numbered 1-45, mainly comprising correspondence, news clippings with articles and cartoons by Mason, and original sketches. Also included are draft manuscripts of novels and plays.

BOX 1
No. 1: News clippings from 'Tribune' and 'Challenge' relating to topics including plant diversity, tobacco, smoking; cartoon sketches; ca. 1956-ca. 1991

No. 2: News clippings from 'Maritime Weekly', 1961-1963

No. 3: 'Labour and the 35-hour week' pamphlet by the N.S.W. Branch of the Australian Labor Party; correspondence including letters received from Jim Henderson, Stephen Murray-Smith, 1965; articles on the Cuban crisis, arbitration, 'OZgraph', 1965; drawing of trailer tent, 1965

No. 4: Correspondence including with William Heinemann re novel 'Country Girls they are the Best', Arthur Calwell, the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC), and Phillip Adams; topics include the Vietnam War; 1966

No. 5: Correspondence re novel 'Country Girls they are the Best', letters sent to Bill Peach; letters received from Michael Wilding, and John Malos, physicist; 1967

No. 6: Correspondence with Stephen-Murray Smith; letters sent to the Australian Broadcasting Commission; 'Speech delivered by Mr Petersen, M.L.A. in the Legislative Assembly on the Address in Reply'; 1968

No. 7: Correspondence with Phillip Adams and the Australian Broadcasting Commission; 'Journal of the Fisher Library Association'; 1969

No. 8: 'The Labor Party introduces George Petersen, endorsed A.L.P. candidate for Kembla' pamphlet; correspondence with Phillip Adams; information on hyperventilation; 1970

No. 9: Drawing of a house in Bondi; letter from Bill Collins; notes on 'Monday Conference', (ABC) re computers; correspondence with W. G. Keighley re abortion; 1971

No. 10: Letter from Michael Wilding; letter to A.L.P. re civic reform of bodies such as Annandale Society; letters re dyslexia, parking privileges, talk to students at Sydney University; notes on psychiatry computerisation and ecology; 1972

No. 11: Application to Commonwealth Fund for economic support while finishing novel, 'Who Passed Befoul his Prime'; University of Sydney Librarian’s Information Bulletin; correspondence re displays for the foyer of Fisher Library; 1973

No. 12: Memo and clippings re Mason’s displays including 'Streakerscope' in Fisher Library Foyer; correspondence with ABC; 'Journal of the Fisher Library Officers Association'; 1974

No. 13: Letter from Jim Cairns, letters re Medibank and uranium mining, flyer re high-rise buildings in Annandale; 1975

No. 14: Telegrams from Gough Whitlam; letter from Bill Collins; correspondence with Dave Ballantyne, NZ writer and journalist, and Geoff Burton, film producer; letters to Editor of Sydney Morning Herald (SMH); 1976

No. 15: Letter and article received from Steven Rose, Professor at the Open University; letters from Dave Ballantyne; correspondence with Harrison Bryan, Fisher Library, re sitting for portrait painting; 1977

No. 16: Notes for interviews with ALP politicians; letters from Imre Perlesz re 'The Last Enemy'; 1978

No. 17: Documents relating Australian Film and Television School’s license re 'The Vandiphone', letter to N. Wran re extension of Mascot runway; cartoon sketch of Wran with volumes of Man’s report; article written for Cinema Papers (not published); 1979

No. 18: Letters from ABC and SMH; letter from Harrison Bryan re Mason’s gift of Bryan’s portrait to the University of Sydney; correspondence with Brian White, 2SM, re 'White on the Media' book; 1980

No. 19: Letter from Clyde Cameron, MP, and copy of speech; flyer for Salon de Refuses; letter from S.A. Film Corp re 'Last Enemy'; correspondence with F. J. Walker, Attorney General, re prosecution of William Snow for defacing cigarette billboard; 1981

No. 20: Memo from Plant Diversity Protection Committee; letters from Earl Hackett, Robyn Williams; letters to Australian Society of Authors, SMH; 1982

No. 21: Letters from Lionel Bowen, Bill Hayden, John Kerin; letters to Laurie Brereton requesting a portrait sitting; 1983

No. 22: Correspondence with Justice Michael Kirby re sitting for his portrait, correspondence with David Lange re New Zealand’s stand against nuclear-powered ships from the US; correspondence with Phillip Adams and ABC; notes on 'Fat Man Running'; 1984

BOX 2
No. 23: Money collected for Nicaragua – list of donors; letters to Laurie Brereton re monorail; letter to Leichhardt Council re David Lange; cartoon re 'Hawkes "Foreign" Policy'; correspondence with Roger Millis re 'Serpent’s Tooth'; 1985

No. 24: List of members of the Annandale Branch of the ALP; letter from James McClelland; draft submission to Laurie Brereton re waterfront land on Rozelle Bay; letter from Registrar, Macquarie University re Mason’s gift of portrait of Peter Mason; letters to SMH, ALP, and ABC re topics including arms race, monorail; 1986

No. 25: Letters from Gough Whitlam, David Ballantyne, Alan Roberts and Justice Miles; letter to James McClelland; correspondence with Robyn Williams; flyer 'A Retrospective of Hugh Mason’s Paintings' at Leichhardt Library; 1987

No. 26: Agenda for Sydney Federal Electoral Council meeting; 'Inner City Labor Newsletter'; letters from Brian Toohey, Jo Valentine, MP; Greenpeace; submission re Second Airport’s Transport; letter to Gough Whitlam requesting to paint his portrait; letter to Dick Smith re cigarette advertising; letter to SMH re monorail (published); 1988

No. 27: Letter to Gareth Evans; correspondence with David Lange, correspondence with Tony Vinson requesting to paint his portrait; letter from Justice Miles re portrait; letters from Lex Marinos and James McClelland; 1989

No. 28: Letter from Pip Kalajzich re 'The Last Enemy'; submission re 'Sydney Airport Environmental Impact Statement'; Letter from Sydney Church of England Girls School thanking Mason for the use of anti-smoking painting; letters re homeopathic hospital Glebe, the third runway at Sydney airport; Federal Airports media release; 1990

No. 29: Correspondence with Wendy Bacon, Richard Ackland and Neville Gruzmann re development at Grosvenor Place; letter to ABC re program on euthanasia; letter to Jeanette McHugh re Pol Pot; letter to David Hill, ABC, re Gulf War; letter from Terry Lane re self-publishing; 1991

No. 30: Address to ALP Branch; letter from Random House re 'Fat Man Running', letter from Jeanette McHugh; 'Humanising Economics' by John Langmore; letter to Warwick Smith, MRH re the future of the ABC; 1992

No. 31: Letter from Greenpeace; draft of letter to Paul Keating; letters from Steven Rose and Des Griffin; critique of 'Chaos' by Glerck from Steven Rose, Open University; letter re Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney; material from Fistula Hospital, Addas Ababa; 1993

No. 32: Correspondence, resolutions and flyers re Plant Variety Rights (PVR), and third runway at Sydney Airport; letter from QUT re painting used for book cover; correspondence with Phillip Adams, John Langmore, Dee Margetts; letter to Laura Tingle requesting photograph for painting of Premier’s Conference; letter to Maurice Dobb on 'Socialist Economy Revisited' by Bruce McFarlane; cartoon 'The Cigarette as Phallic Symbol'; 1994

No. 33: Third report on effects of Cartrophen; illustrations of effects of macular degeneration; letters from Myfanwy Horn, Alice Ford, Robyn Williams; letter to Eva Cox requesting to paint portrait; notes on teaching painting; list of portraits to be painted; 1995

No. 34: Draft of 'Topics'; letters to Geraldine Doogue, Paul Keating, Norman Swan, George [Negus], and Shirley Hazzard; letters from Paul Keating, Michael Kirby, Laurie Brereton; 1996

No. 35: Short film script; diagrams for the novel 'Frank’s Flaw'; correspondence with Ian Plimer, letters from Phillip Adams and Jim Cairns; 1997

No. 36: Letters to Kim Beasley, Tanya Plibersek; letters from Kim Beasley, Robyn Williams; 1998

No. 37: Letters from New Zealand publishers re novel 'Homestead'; 1999

No. 38: Correspondence with Phillip Adams; letter to National Archives re ASIO file; letters to Richard Alston re ABC program; letter to manager Envirobooks, letter to Patrick Thompson requesting return of manuscript; 2000

No. 39: Correspondence with Gerard Noonan, Robyn Williams, Phillip Adams; letters from Senator John Faulkner, Jean Tatay, publishers re ‘The Writings on the Wall’, 2001

No. 40: Letters from Jean Tatay, Robyn Williams and Angela Raymond, re 'Homestead', letter from Laurie Brereton; letter from Chris Puplick, 2002

No. 41: Letter to Alan & Unwin re 'The Writings on the Wall'; letter re SMH article by Robert Manne; letter to Sue Spencer re 'Dark Victory'; letter to Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton re film 'Perfect Strangers', reply from Stratton; letter to Prime Minister John Howard re Iraq War; 2003

No. 42: Correspondence with Text Publishing re 'A Foot Wrong / Well There You Go'; Pluto Press re 'Writing’s on the Wall'; 2004

No. 43: Letter to Kep Enderby re euthanasia; letter to Barry Jones re 'The Thinking Reed'; letters to Ross Gittins, Robyn Williams; correspondence with Geoffrey Chia re radio broadcast; statement re David Hicks; 2005

No. 44: Letter to Bob Ellis, letter from Morris Iemma re electricity supply; 2007

No. 45: Letter to Brian Harrisburg re thanks for treatment; to Julia Gillard; to Alan Ramsey; 2010-2015


BOX 3
Papers relating to:
'Binoculars' an unpublished novel
Displays in the foyer of Fisher Library, Sydney University
'Homestead', including publicity
'The Last Enemy' reviews and publicity
ALP resolutions
Plays including 'Once upon a thorn'
'The Republican' newspaper, including cartoons
'Brock’s Second Friend' film script, 1977
Short stories
Cartoons, drawings, sketches, life drawings

BOX 4
Papers re unpublished novels:
Draft of 'Billy', which became 'Country Girls are the Best', 1960s
'The Seventh Day', 1960s
'Fat Man Running', which became 'Gaston', 1980s
'A Minor Flaw' or 'Fatal Flaw', 1980s
'Binoculars', 1980s
'The Writing’s on the Wall', 2001

Unpublished novels:
'Frank’s Flaw'
'Minor Flaw'
'Writing’s on the Wall' or 'Russian Spies Here'
'Binoculars'
'Fat Man Running'

Copyright status:: In copyright
Copyright holder:: Elizabeth Mason
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy Elizabeth Mason