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This series contains newsletters sent by Mary Andrews to friends and supporters. Until 1975, these were distributed under the title of "The Church of England Deaconess Institution Prayer Fellowship Letter". In 1976 the title becomes "News Letter", reflecting Dss Andrews' retirement and roles in other organisations. From 1982 onwards, the title is "The Anglican Deaconess Institution Prayer Fellowship Letter" following a decision by the Deaconess Council to revive the earlier newsletter - aside from a small number in 1982 under the banner of The Anglican Fellowship of Prayer.
The newsletters contain homilies or spiritual insights from Dss Andrews, news relevant to the Deaconess institution (and other organisations, following Dss Andrews' retirement), personal news and travel reports. Dates and times for events related to the Deaconess Association (and others) are also listed, as are prayer requests and brief news from other members of the Association. Occasional attachments such as invitations to Deaconess House graduations are also included.
Newsletters were published once every 2-3 months in the 1950s, 60s, and early 70s; yearly from 1975; then once every three months from 1982.
This series had been previously set apart and placed in acid-free folders. New series numbers have since been added and fasteners replaced with plastic paperclips, and duplicates have been discarded, but no other changes have been made.
This series was originally combined with Series 5.

The series comprises original documents and copies of material possibly gathered for Mary Andrew's planned autobiography that was never published, the partial biography written by Margaret Yarwood Lamb and may be used for future biographical purposes. In addition to official documentation such as birth certificate, visas, passports, the series includes charitable donations, family history, school reunion, details of travels, response to her Member of the Order of Australia award.
Also includes copies of her ordination certificate (1946) and her death certificate (1996).
A note concerning Item 31 of this series. It appears that soon after returning to Australia from Missionary service Mary Andrews commenced preparing lists with brief descriptions of the major events and achievements in her life including overseas travel and lists of positions held were appended. . These seems to have been updated regularly although the date of composition is not recorded prior to 1979. From March 1979 they were known as Bio Data. It is assumed that these were prepared for occasions when background information was required and as source material for biographers and journalists..
Some routine material has been culled. Some however has been retained (such as travel documents) as this has been used to date some of Mary's writings.
The routine material (tickets, boarding passes, drafts have been removed from the travel records.

This series consists of press clippings - from newspapers, magazines, and other publications - that pertain to topics with which Mary Andrews had a particular connection. A large number of clippings deemed to be of insufficient interest have been disposed of (see below).
Preserved items in this series relate to the work of the Deaconess Institution, and to the topic of the role of women in the church - particularly the Anglican Church of Australia.
Articles on the Deaconess Institution describe activities in Deaconess House (excluding articles which refer to Mary herself in her capacity as principal or in citation, which are included in Series 21), ancilliary activities of the Institution such as the hospitals, the ordination of deaconesses, and the activities of Deaconess House graduates and other deaconesses in Australia and worldwide.
Additionally, Mary Andrews kept a small collection of articles relating to former Deaconess House trainee Miss (later Dr) Barbara Ferguson, who went on to do missionary work in Vietnam.
The articles on the role of women in the church cover historical milestones including the reestablishment of the Order of Deaconesses, the admission of women to the Anglican Synod, the ordination of women as Deacons, and the ordination of women as Priests in various parts of Australia and worldwide, along with reports on the controversial nature and debates surrounding the events.
Articles on the role played by women in church organisations belonging to other denominations are also included. Note: articles relating directly to the Movement for the Ordination of Women have been included in Series 8.
The majority of papers in this series were collected by Mary Andrews herself, but a small number show signs of having being forwarded to her by friends. In most cases the articles have been cut out with scissors, and an attempt has been made to preserve the header to show which publication they originated in. In some instances - but not all - this has also resulted in the preservation of evidence of the original date of publication. Some articles were previously attached to a paper backing with mounting putty [Blu-tack]. This has been removed in most cases - where removal was possible without damaging the article - and the dried putty remnants disposed of along with the backing-paper.
A large number of clippings preserved by Mary Andrews have been disposed of on the grounds that their content was well-documented elsewhere and/or not within the scope of this collection. Topics included: China - particularly reports regarding the Three Self Patriotic Movement (the authorised Christian church in China), but also a large number of articles reporting on the aftermath of the Tianenmen Square protests of 1989. The Anglican Church, particularly the activities of clergy within the Diocese of Sydney, including obituaries (note that all articles regarding the role of women within the Anglican Church have been preserved). Activities - particularly ecumenical ones - of other Christian denominations (similarly, articles relating to women's ministry in other Christian denominations have also been preserved). Aged care and healthy living. General women's interest. Annual Honours listings and reports on other Members of the Order of Australia.
*The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, royal visits to Australia, and the activities of Governors-General of Australia, state Governors, and their wives.
Articles pertaining to organisations with which Deaconess Andrews was affiliated have been inserted in the relevant Series pertaining to that organisation.
Additionally, duplicates in this series have been disposed of. Priority has been given to copies in better states of preservation or which retain additional contextual information.

This series contains short publications, articles, and coursework material - mostly theological - on a range of topics of interest to Mary Andrews. Some of them were originally separated and presented as coherent courses of study, but others have been compiled from disparate corners of the collection during the sorting phase. Ordination of Women Background Material: Theological and sociological articles and reports, along with some pertinent news stories, debating the propriety of including women in ordained ministry. Christian Counselling Correspondence Course: Run by the Christian Counselling Institute, taking the form of loose papers divided into ten lessons by blue separators. Mary Andrews may have taken this course in 1970 (according to the date on the attached cover letter) or examined it for potential use in the Deaconess House. Deaconess Andrews extended the Deaconess House curriculum to include lectures in counselling from government departments and Sydney University staff following a trip to the UK in 1958-9 in which she researched training methods. Reports on Ministry and Missiology: Booklets and single articles from a variety of sources, many of them ecumenical. Some of these were most likely received as readings to inform the topics of discussion at conferences attended by Deaconess Andrews run by the World Council of Churches, Church Women United, and other similar organisations. Contents include sociological, theological and creative analyses of world evangelisation. Short Guides: Short articles from a wide range of sources that contain concrete guides for the content of prayer or preaching.
*Samuel Marsden in New Zealand: Articles, book extracts and press clippings relating to Samuel Marsden's trip to Matauri Bay in 1814 and its 175th anniversary in 1989.

This series contains prayer letters sent by Mary Andrews to CMS to be distributed to supporters, written between 1947 and 1951 during her time in China; and also letters and drafts of letters written for publication in the CMS "Round World" magazine, with an intended audience of children.
These letters are intended for a praying audience, and contain particulars of Mary Andrews' life and ministry in China as well as devotional commentary and descriptions of her state of mind, health, encouragement, and other concerns.
The prayer-letters in this series had been previously set apart and placed in acid free folders. New series numbers have since been added and fasteners replaced with plastic paper-clips, but no other changes have been made.
The published versions of some of the "The Round World" articles have been placed in series 13.
This series was originally combined with Series 6.

This series consists of orders of service and other papers for occasions when Mary Andrews had spoken or on occasions preached, and letters of acknowledgement sent following her visits. The series demonstrates two important features of Mary Andrew's mission .
(a) Spreading her passion for Christian work in China
(b) Encouraging interest and commitment to women's ministry including the work of Deaconess House and of Parish Sisters and sundry organisations committed to the ministry of women.
It would appear that the extant material is a small portion of Mary's ministry of accepting invitations to speak wherever possible.
The series does not contain the text of papers delivered by the Deaconess.
There are also references in Series 1 - Personal Letters Received where correspondents comment on Mary's visits and addresses.

This series consists of press clippings - from newspapers, magazines, and other publications - that either refer to Mary Andrews by name or feature her photograph, but which were not authored in their entirety by Mary herself. Early clippings relate primarily to Deaconess Andrews' missionary work, including articles pertaining to her role in the survival of American airmen shot down over China in World War 2. During the period in which she was headmistress of Deaconess House, the clippings naturally relate mainly to the role in and expansion of that institution, though there begins to be a small number of articles in which she is asked to comment on the role of women in the Anglican Church. These increase in number following her retirement; along with articles relating to her travel reports, obituary comments on Anglican and other figures she knew personally, and reports of her speaking engagements. Receiving the Order of Australia in 1980 was a particularly proud occasion for Mary Andrews, and she preserved a range of press reports of the event. She kept a similar collection of congratulations (mainly from Christian organisations and the retirement home she lived and ministered in) following her inclusion of the International Biographical Centre's "Women of the Year" publication.
The majority of papers in this series were collected by Mary Andrews herself, but a small number show signs of having being forwarded to her by friends. In most cases the articles have been cut out with scissors, and an attempt has been made to preserve the header to show which publication they originated in. In some instances - but not all - this has also resulted in the preservation of evidence of the original date of publication. Some articles were previously attached to a paper backing with mounting putty [Blu-tack]. This has been removed in most cases - where removal was possible without damaging the article - and the dried putty remnants disposed of along with the backing-paper.
A large number of duplicates in this series have been disposed of. Priority has been given to copies in better states of preservation or which retain additional contextual information.
No obituaries of Deaconess Andrews are kept in this series, as it consists only of papers collected by Mary herself.

This series contains correspondence, meeting minutes, and other records relating to the three missionary organisations with which Mary Andrews was most closely connected: The Church Missionary Society of Australia (CMS), CMS-UK, and the South American Missionary Service (SAMS).Mary Andrews was a missionary with CMS from 1938-1951, working primarily in
China but with a short role in India. She had a secondment agreement of sorts with CMS-UK, with which she was in regular contact while in the field. Following her return to Australia, she made inquiries with CMS-UK regarding the possibility of missionary work with them in South-East Asia. After this failed to eventuate, she remained in casual correspondence with staff at CMS-UK for some time. In addition to the paper records in this series there are two cassette recordings viz: CMS Prayer Weekend 1981 (Rev R.A. Cole) and CMS Summer School 1982 Dr and Mrs Coleman. These may be located in Series 29/4.
Due to her position as Principal of Deaconess House (and missionary experience), Mary was part of the CMS Candidates Committee, Training Committee, and General Committee. As a number of single female missionaries and missionary wives were trained at Deaconess House, Mary was responsible for providing candidate evaluation reports and occasionally conducted interviews with prospective missionaries (including missionary couples) on behalf of the Candidates Committee. She also regularly attended meetings of the above and made a number of recommendations on training policy. Mary ceased being a member of the Candidates Committee in 1976, following her retirement. She then resigned from the General Committee in 1987. Return correspondence suggests that she was dissatisfied with what she perceived as the narrow roles that CMS would allow female missionaries to fill. SAMS was founded in 1844 as a missionary society focused on evangelising Latin America. Mary Andrews served on their Candidates Committee and NSW General Committee from 1975 (at the latest; possibly as early as 1965) until her death in 1996. She also engaged in friendly correspondence with a number of SAMS missionaries and home staff.

Share and stock certificates, correspondence, bank deposit books, copies of will and tax returns.

This series contains letters and cards received by Mary Andrews from family members, principally after her return from missionary service in China and throughout the rest of her life. It does not include correspondence from her mother.
Mary Andrews was a diligent correspondent, and appears to have been in regular contact by mail with her extended family throughout her time as Principal of Deaconess House and during her retirement.
Frequently featured in this series are the following writers:
*Florence ("Florrie") McGoffick (nee Andrews), Mary's sister.
*Anne [later Lathrop, see note below] and Maryanne [married surname
unknown], daughters of Florence and Jim McGoffick Elizabeth Clarkson (nee Andrews), Mary's sister (Married to Neal). Dorothea ("Dot") ?Glaston [spelling uncertain] [nee Andrews], Mary's sister Sam Andrews, Mary's brother Roslyn [later Tufrey, married to Brian] and Carol Andrews, daughters of Sam and Joyce Andrews Graham Andrews (married to Vickie), son of Sam Andrews and Joyce Andrews
Some identities are unclear:

• Elizabeth Clarkson appears to have gone by the name of "Lil" or "Lilian" at one point but was inconsistent in her insistence on its usage (signatures alternate between the two names even when the letters in question were sent in close proximity to each other. One letter dated 26/5/1960 is signed "Elizabeth" with "Lil"scratched out next to it).
  -Anne McGoffick similarly seems to have on occasion spelt her name "Ann" (both she and her mother Florence use both spellings). From 1984 letters start arriving signed "Anni" Lathrop (married to Bill), and a 1996 letter from Florence seems to confirm that they are the same person.
  -There is one letter, dated 1956, is addressed to "Aunty" from "John", a child resident of Glen Miln (then Florence McGoffick's residence). It is unclear whether "John" was a blood relative or had some other connection to the family and referred to Mary as "Aunty" as a term of affection.