The records comprise New Guinea Society papers presented at meetings in Canberra, records relating to membership and activities, correspondence, constitution, minutes and notices of meetings. The collection also includes some documents relating to the Papua and New Guinea Society, a group formed in Port Moresby in 1962.

Includes: (a) The New Guinea Society Constitution, dated 31 Jul 1957;
(b) The New Guinea Society: Constitution, revised to 1959;
(c) Proposal for an amendment to the Constitution;
(d) Document signed by C.A. Hughes, Hon. Sec., headed The New Guinea Society, possibly issued in second half of 1964, which reports formation of the Society in Canberra in 1957 and announces Symposium on Tertiary Education in PNG for 13 Oct;
(e) two versions (one ms., one ts.) of list of papers delivered to Society (?) & their authors, 31 July 1957 to 26 Jun 1963, some of which are collected in PMB1379/1, while others are not, e.g. M. Groves, ‘Present day relations between the government & the governed in the Central District of Papua’, 16 Apr 1958; and S.A Wurm, ‘The languages of New Guinea’, 25 Sep 1957 (but see brief summaries of these authors’ presentations in PMB1379/11);
(f) Annual Reports, Annual General Meetings, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1962/63, 1963/64, 1964, some dates uncertain;
(g) Lists of members of Society at 24 Jul 1963;and 1 Jun 1964;
(h) announcements of meetings of Society, 22 Nov 1961to 3 May 1965;
(i) (Executive) Committee meetings, 1 Jun 1964 and 25 Feb 1965;
(j) New Guinea Society Office holders for 1961-2;
(k) ALP Federal Conference Perth, July-August 1963 Papua-New Guinea [ Replacement of Party’s existing platform on PNG by new platform], 2p.; and
(l) miscellaneous letters, press releases and other documents.

Lists: (a) List of members at 9 Jul 1962;
(b) List of members of the Department of Territories who are financial members for 1961-2;
(c) Names of members of Society, undated (ca. 1961?);
(d) List of membership fees, dated 5 Jul 1961;
(e) untitled list, including officers of the Department of Territories.

Committee meetings: (a) Minutes of the inaugural meeting of the Society, held 31 Jul 1957;
(b) Minutes of committee meeting, 9 Aug 1957;
(c) NG Soc. Committee, 13 Sep;
(d) The NG Soc: Report of proceedings 1957;
(e) Commeet, 17 Dec;
(f) NGSOC: Committee meeting, 31 Jan 1958;
(g) New Guinea Society Committee Meeting, 25 Mar 1958;
(h) 1959/60 Committee, 10 Aug 1959;
(i) 1959/60 Committee, 3 Nov 1959;
(j) 1959/60 Committee, 24 Feb 1960;
(k) The New Guinea Society Committee meeting, 15 Sep 1960;
(l) New Guinea Society meeting, 13 Oct 1960;
(m) Minutes New Guinea Society Committee Meeting, 25 Nov 1960;
(n) Committee, New Guinea Society, 3 May 1961;
(o) Business meeting, 27 Jul 1961;
(p) Committee meeting, 6 Sep [year?];
(q) New Guinea Society Committee Meeting, 15 Mar 1962.

Other documents: Notice of committee meeting, 24 Feb [year?]; Committee summoned to home of Professor Barnes, 24 Jun [year?]; undated letter fr. Joe to Francis, apparently concerning Society administration while Joe is away somewhere; New Guinea Society officers 1960-1; letter from Col Alexander to Brookfield re films, w. attached list; and circular dated 12 Mar 1962 re subscriptions and renewal of membership.

(a) Memos dated 4 Jul and 18 Jul 1957, signed by Bulmer and others, asking for indication of support for a New Guinea Society;
(b) announcements of meeting to inaugurate Society, dated 25 and 29 Jul 1957;
(c)The New Guinea Society Draft Constitution, undated;
(d) The New Guinea Society, Constitution, dated 31 Jul 1957;
(e) document signed by Bulmer, secretary, reporting inaugural meeting of Society and listing elected officers, undated;
(f) circular signed by Christian (president) and others, reporting that Society now functioning and urging interested persons to take out full membership, undated;
(g) circular announcing forthcoming talk by R. Marsh on topic “Background to government: concepts underlying administrative police in Papua-New Guinea, scheduled for 3 Sep 1957, followed by numerous announcements of talks.

The file also includes minutes of First Annual General Meeting of Society, undated (perhaps 1958?); Second Annual General Meeting, 23 Jul 1959; Third Annual General Meeting, 10 Aug 1960; New Guinea Society, Secretary’s report presented to the Annual General Meeting, 26 Jul 1961; Annual General Meeting, 23 July [year?]; New Guinea Society, Office holders for 1961-2; and brochure headed Australia in New Guinea. The Twenty-fourth Summer School of the Australian Institute of Political Science, to be held in Canberra 25-7 Jan 1958 w. speakers inc. Dr. J. T. Gunther, Hon. Paul Hasluck, Mr. J. R. Kerr, Q.C.

(a) J R. Kerr, ‘The political future of New Guinea’, 22 Apr 1959; 12p.
(b) J. Hohnen, ‘The white settler in New Guinea’, May 1959, 10p.
(c) J.W. Davidson, ‘Independence for Samoa’, Sep 1959, 12p.
(d) R.G. Crocombe, ‘The pattern of development in New Zealand’s Pacific territories’, 7 Dec 1960, 11p.
(e) A.M. Healy & A. L. Epstein, ‘New Guinea- fast or slow?’, 8 Mar 1961, 14p.
(f) Francis West, ‘Sir Hubert Murray: the man and his policy’, 26 Apr 1961, 9p.
(g) Ralph Bulmer, ‘Men and birds in New Guinea: an anthropologist’s comments on problems of nature conservation in the Central Highlands’, 14 May 1961, 14p.
(h) Herbert Feith, ‘The West New Guinea conflict some political and ethical aspects’, 28 Jun 1961, 9p.
(i) Paul Hasluck, ‘The economic development of Papua and New Guinea’, 20 Oct 1961, 35p. [in file PMB1379/ there is a leaflet fr. Dept. of Territories 14 Nov 1961 which includes a corrected sheet for p. 24]
(j) David G. Bettison, ‘Immigration of indigenous peoples into new urban areas’, 22 Nov 1961, 9p.
(k) Margaret McArthur, ‘Food and health in New Guinea’, 4 Jul 1962, 14p.
(l) Paul W. van der Veur, West New Guinea: Irian Barat or Papua Barat?, 27 Sep 1962, 20p.
(m) R.T. Shand, ‘Obstacles to the economic development of Papua and New Guinea’, 17 Apr 1963, 13p.
(n) N.D. Oram, ‘Indigenous settlement in Port Moresby’, 3 Jun 1964, 11p.
(o) charts to accompany talk by David Chenoweth; the text of talk, apparently on structure of PNG administration, was never submitted, undated, 3p.; [in PMB1379/4, there is a list of papers inc. one by D. Chenoweth, ‘Towards a native Public Service’, 29 Mar 1962; also in PMB1379/7 there is correspondence fr. Feb 1962 probably related to this talk]
(p) set of statistical tables concerning PNG economy, 6p., ca.1960, possibly related to (i) above.