Transfer and management of the Mary Andrews papers
- AU AU-MTC 093/32
- Série
- 2009-2015
Includes the deed of gift for the transfer of the Mary Andrews papers to Moore College from the Deaconess Institution 26/10/2009
Andrews, Mary Maria
Transfer and management of the Mary Andrews papers
Includes the deed of gift for the transfer of the Mary Andrews papers to Moore College from the Deaconess Institution 26/10/2009
Andrews, Mary Maria
The series consists primarily of private letters written to Dss Andrews by current and former students, and others in Christian work. The letters from former students detail their work in parishes and other fields of service, and share problems and troubles that they are experiencing, and decisions to move on or to seek other opportunities. They also cover personal interests and updates concerning their families. The letters are evidence of the nurturing relationship the Dss developed with her students, who continued to seek her guidance throughout their careers. The personal nature of Dss Andrews’ relationships with her former students is further evidenced in that many letters are signed with Christian names only (in retrospect, this often causes problems in the identification of the correspondents).
The series also contains invitations to and acknowledgements of the Deaconess' speaking at conferences, parish activities and similar engagements, and discussions of her travels. It appears that the Deaconess’ own return letters have not survived, though in some cases early drafts have been preserved among her writings (see Series 3).
The following material has been destroyed:
Duplicates
Receipts
*Routine mail-outs and other unsolicited mail
Andrews, Mary Maria
The majority of these diaries date from the period during which Mary Andrews was the Principal of Deaconess House (viz 1951-1975), and from her retirement until her death in 1996.
The content varies considerably - from brief notes relating to speaking engagements and other appointments, and lists of those for whom she had prayed on particular days, to detailed descriptions of her thoughts, interviews, and experiences when travelling. Many of the diaries indicate a combination of professional and personal events. Most diaries include notes at the beginning which could have been Mary's devotional, notes for an address, or those made from a sermon heard.
Physically the series varies from pocket diaries to larger format diaries and includes notebooks. For some years Mary maintained a pocket diary that recorded appointments and a more complete diary with details of her activities, thoughts and prayers.
Some of the smaller diaries have been tied into bundles to facilitate ordering.
The following have been removed from this series as previously sorted:
Andrews, Mary Maria
Letters composed by Mary Andrews
This series contains letters written by Mary Andrews, some of which are drafts and some of which are letters which had been posted but which were returned to Mary at a later date. In some cases, letters were preserved for Mary's benefit at her explicit request in the body of the letter - for example, in the case of personal letters which doubled as travel memoirs.
The series includes letters sent to CMS during Deaconess Andrews' time on the mission field (with the exception of circular newsletters and submissions to The Round World magazine, which have been included in Series 5), drafts of letters to bishops and other ecclesiastical figures, drafts of letters to the editors of publications, personal letters (and drafts thereof) including letters to relatives, and informal notes left around Deaconess House or (later) the Retirement Villages.
The letters have been arranged in chronological order, with some approximation.
Letters with insufficient contextual information for a definite date have been grouped together at the end of the series.
The content of this series was separated in part from Mary's collection of personal letters received (see Series 1), and was otherwise collected piecemeal from miscellaneous unsorted paperwork distributed haphazardly throughout the collection. It is unknown if there was any original intended order to these latter papers (though it seems unlikely) or if the arrangement was an arbitrary decision by Archives Consultant Debra Leigo, who supervised the re-boxing of the collection in 2011.
Andrews, Mary Maria
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.
Andrews, Mary Maria
Records of Australian Church Women
United Church Women of Australia (UCWA) was formed at a meeting of the Australian Council of Churches (ACC) on 4 October 1962. UCWA comprised of representatives from the Federal Denominational Women’s Organisations, State Women’s Inter-Church Councils, Australian Council of Churches Committee on Women’s Work and State Committees for Women’s World Day of Prayer. Representatives were appointed approximately equally from office-bearers of the existing organisations and other people appointed for their abilities as Christian leaders. UCWA was affiliated with the Australian Council of Churches to assist in the establishment of links with similar organisations internationally. An Interim Committee was formed to recommend a structure for the ongoing organisation. The Committee recommended that a National Committee be formed together with state and local Committees. The National Committee included six women resident in Sydney who would form the Executive. At the Annual Meeting of the Australian Council of Churches in February 1963 the establishment of Australian Church Women (ACW) was authorised.
At the Annual General Meeting of the ACC in 1964 the recommendation of a consultation held in Sydney in March of that year received 'general approval'. The recommendations covered the aims of ACW, its federal structure and its structure within the ACC.
The aims were
Andrews, Mary Maria
Papers relating to addresses given by Mary Andrews
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.
Andrews, Mary Maria
Short biographies of Mary Andrews
The series consists of lists of correspondence with major Australian and International biographical organisations including biographical questionnaires and draft biographies and certificates awarded.
Andrews, Mary Maria
Press clippings - topics of interest to Mary Andrews
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.
Andrews, Mary Maria
Correspondence received from family
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:
Andrews, Mary Maria