“Of all our national assets, Archives are the most precious; they are the gift of one generation to another and the extent of our care of them mark the extent of our civilization.”
Sir Arthur G Doughty, Dominion Archivist and Keeper of the Public Record: Ottawa.
The Mount Albert Grammar School Archives were established, in a formal way, in 1999, the 78th year of the school.
While we have significant collections going back to the earliest days of the school, there are gaps and we are always pleased to receive new acquisitions. Among the things we are always pleased to receive are:
1. Books
a. Copies of works by staff members and alumni, either oeuvres or seminal works. We would particularly welcome copies of Health is Wealth (Bedggood) and Experimental Science (Caradus I and II).
b. Texts; particularly with handwritten names or dedications in the flyleaf.
c. Prize Books with prize plates pasted on the flyleaf and/or covers with gold embossed common seal of the Auckland Grammar Schools’ Board.
2.Other Publications
a. Early or wartime copies of The Albertian, School Lists (1922-1930), Calendars (1922-1979).
b. Copies of; Mount Albert Grammar School: Silver Jubilee Souvenir (Harvey 1946), Mount Albert Grammar School: Golden Jubilee(Brown 1971), and Mount Albert Grammar School House Golden Jubilee (Hemus 1977).
c. Programmes of events: Sports, concerts, dramatic performances, dinners and the like.
3. Documents
Posters and event tickets, memories (written and recorded), speech notes, curricula vitae, minutes of meetings, Old Boys Newsletters and early Corridors, letters, reports, testimonials, exercise books, exam papers, receipts, exeat passes, library passes, absence and other notes, memos and other ephemera. The kinds of things that would normally be discarded can often be the most revealing of day-to-day life.
4. Photographs
Formal photographs of classes, sports teams and other School and School House groups; other groups of pupils in formal and informal settings; cadets, classrooms, informal games and competition games. Photographs of the School, House and Farm of all periods.
5. Militaria
Any details of World War II servicemen, (and those of subsequent wars) as well as War Records, diaries, uniforms, decorations, photographs.
6. Textiles
School uniforms, blazers, ties, caps and every day wear of all periods. We would particularly welcome a navy-blue woollen winter shirt; Sports uniforms of all periods, early fabric Lions and sports caps.
7. Mementoes
Badges, school pens, cufflinks, rings and other school-linked mementoes, including quirky items not listed elsewhere.
Brian Murphy, Archivist
Publications
There have been several publications about the school’s history. All of the following are available in the School Library.
Silver Jubilee Souvenir: 1922 -1946 . Edited by JH Harvey, 80 pp, limp.
Golden Jubilee: 1922-1971 . Edited by JG Brown, 240 pp, cased.
Tradition and Change, Mount Albert Grammar School: The First Seventy-Five Years . RCJ Stone and NAC MacMillan, 405 pp, cased.
The Albertian yearbook which is published annually in the first term of the following year, providing an official record of each school year.
Interviews
We would be honoured to interview Albertians about their experiences at School and in later life. In particular, ex-servicemen from World War II and later conflicts may wish to share their memories. The annual Anzac Service remains of great importance in the school as we have lost 200 past students in the service of their country.
If you would be willing to be interviewed, or have items you would like to donate to the school, please contact Archivist Brian Murphy at [email protected] or phone 846 2044 x 8180