Correspondence. Australian National University re maps., 1956 - 1960

Chapman was a meticulous collector of almost every record of his life and has left an extraordinarily rich legacy in his papers. One example gives a sense of the depth of material contained in this collection: in the folder relating to the NZUSA 14th Congress at Curious Cove in 1952 (series 14, item 617), we find correspondence relating to Chapman’s literary contribution, speech notes and clippings about the event, and even a photograph of the attendees. In another we find letters and poems from James K. Baxter. There is a large amount of material gleaned from former student Jonathan Hunt which provides much background to political events, and contributes to the Clipping Files series.

It is difficult to separate the personal and the professional life as Robert Chapman maintained longstanding and cordial relationships with a variety of friends, acquaintances and academics over virtually a lifetime. The titles of a number of folders reflect the bonds Robert Chapman and Noeline formed – genuine friendships as well as academic and professional relationships: for example, American friends, Australian friends, and Broadcasting friends. There is a voluminous correspondence with many individuals, for example Jonathan Bennett, Doug Munro, Paul Reynolds and Bob Pearson right through to the post-2000 period.

Because of the broad range of cultural and academic activities Chapman was involved in, and because of his meticulous nature, the papers offer valuable insights into many aspects of New Zealand cultural, political and academic life over a period of great change in this country.

The papers were retrieved from the Chapman residence at 33 Leys Crescent, Remuera, in early 2006 by Stephen Innes, assisted by Chapman’s son Hal, and a family friend and former student, Pat O’Connor. They were located in several rooms, with the earlier material in vertical filing cabinets and clearly identified. The clipping files were mostly in envelopes and clearly labelled. Some of the later correspondence, particularly after 2000, was less well ordered but clearly fitted into the overall arrangement of the papers.

The papers are divided into two broad sub-categories, Professional and Personal, though there is some overlap between the two. Sixteen series were created on the basis of common function, content or form, and within this the arrangement is primarily chronological except for Clipping Files which are arranged by title. For more detail see individual series descriptions.