Creator: Historical Note: May Day Committee - Wollongong May 1st was selected as International Labour Day by the Second International held at Paris in 1889. The first May Day celebrations in Australia were held at Barcaldine, Queensland on 1 May 1891. The celebration of May Day in Wollongong appears to date from 1912 when coalminers in the district took an unpaid holiday. Mining unionists were to remain strongly represented on the May Day Committee which was formed some time later. Its particular function was the organisation of an annual parade and picnic. This collection comprises records of the Wollongong May Day Committee. Record Summary: Association records correspondence, minute books, financial records, photographs, news clippings and programs. Date Range: 1935-1981 Quantity: Access Conditions: 90cm (6 boxes) Available for reference. Contact Archivist in advance to request access. Inventory: Compiled 14 October 1977. Last revised 31 January 2011 Page 1 of 6
Series List 1. Minutes 1936, 1939-1941, 1963-1971 2. Attendance Book 1960-1971 3. Correspondence 1935-1972 4. Financial Statements 1936-1972 5. Ledger 1948-1967 6. Subscription Lists 1936-1939 7. Essay Competition 1940 8. Press cuttings and articles 9. Official Programmes 1936-1973 10. Miscellanea 1935-1972 11. Posters 1935-1941 12. Photographs 1935-1981 Page 2 of 6
Item List 1. Minutes 1936, 1939-1941, 1963-1971 Rough minutes of meetings held to organise the celebration of May Day. 1. 18 Jan 1936 2. 16 April 1939 1 March 1941 3. 6 Apr 1963 22 May 1965 4. 23 Oct 1965 28 Oct 1967 5. 10 Feb 1968 3 May 1969 6. 11 Oct 1969 1 May 1971 2. Attendance Book 1960-1971 Delegates to Committee meetings were required to indicate their presence by signing an attendance book. 1. 20 Feb 1960 1 May 1971 3. Correspondence 1935-1972 1. 1935 2. 1936 3. 1937 4. 1938 5. 1939 6. 1940 7. 1941 8. 1942 9. 1957, 1968, 1972 4. Financial Statements 1936-1973 Printed typescript and duplicated copies of financial statements issued by the May Day Committee. 1. 1936 2. 1940 3. 1946 4. 1947 5. 1948 6. 1949 7. 1950 8. 1951 9. 1952 10. 1953 11. 1954 Page 3 of 6
12. 1955 13. 1956 14. 1957 15. 1958 16. 1959 17. 1960 18. 1961 19. 1962 20. 1963 21. 1964 22. 1965 23. 1966 24. 1967 25. 1968 26. 1969 27. 1972 28. 1973 5. Ledger 1948-1967 Rough ledger of income and expenditure relating to the celebration of May Day in Wollongong. 1. 1948-1967 6. Subscription Lists 1936-1939 Manuscript notes of persons who made donations toward the May Day celebrations. 1. 1936 2. 1937 3. 1938 4. 1939 7. Essay Competition 1940 Copies of winning essays submitted in the essay competition conducted by the May Day Committee in 1940. School children were invited to submit essays on either The Co-Operative Movement or The Significance of May Day to the Working People 1. Jessie Bell The Co-Operative Movement 2. Sylda Bell The Significance of May Day 3. Vera Glover The Significance of May Day 4. Laurence Richardson The Significance of May Day 8. Press Cutting and Articles Press cuttings and copies of articles relating to the history of May Day in Australia and also local celebrations held in Wollongong. Page 4 of 6
1. Press cuttings, 1935, 1972 2. May Day in Australia Sydney May Day Committee [x3 copies] 3. History of May Day Sydney May Day Committee [x2 copies] 4. May Day 1957 Sydney May Day Committee 5. Early Australian May Days Len Fox 9. Official Programs 1936-1973 1. 1936 2. 1937 3. 1938 4. 1939 5. 1941 6. 1944 7. 1961 8. 1962 9. 1963 10. 1964 11. 1965 12. 1966 13. 1967 14. 1968 15. 1969 16. 1970 17. 1971 18. 1973 19. 1980 10. Miscellanea 1935-1972 1. Sports program, railway timetable and list of participating organisations. 1935 2. Sports program and railway timetable. 1938 3. Sports results sheets and complimentary luncheon tickets. 1939 4. Sports results sheets, lists of officials and numbers of train tickets issued. 1941 5. May Day pamphlet. 1963 6. May Day greeting card. 1968 7. May Day lapel badges. 1968, 1971-1972 8. Invitations to First Martin Lacey Memorial Lecture. 4 May 1972 [x3] 9. Invitation to 'A Toast to May Day' to celebrate 82nd anniversary of May Day in Australia 10. Undated material including information sheets for persons in charge of various May Day operations, railway timetable, list of secretaries of participating organisations and marshall s armband 11. Posters 1935-1941 Copies of posters printed to advertise the May Day celebrations. Page 5 of 6
1. 1935 [missing] 2. 1935 (Kurri Kurri, Weston and Abermain Districts) 3. 1937 [4 copies] [missing] 4. 1941 [3 copies] [missing] 5. 1946 [2 copies] [1 incomplete] 12. Photographs 1935-1981 1. Miners Federation Secretary, Fred Lowden, leading 1935 May Day March [Note on verso: Most probably May day 1935 since State elections were held in May of that year and W. Davies first contested the seat of Illawarra vis. Sign on the balcony of the Oxford Hotel in background. ] 2. May Day March 1937 [x29 some duplicates] 3. May Day Committee 1938 [on board] 4. May Day March 1938 [x11 some duplicates] 5. May Day Committee 1939 [on board] 6. May Day Committee 1957 [names of members listed on verso] 7. May Day March 1958 [x41] 8. May Day March 1960 [x31] 9. May Day March 1961 [x11] 10. May Day March 1965 [Note on verso: May Day March 1965. Led by Les Corowa Torres Strait Islander Waterside worker] 11. May Day March 1966 [x7] 12. May Day March 1967 [x17] 13. Undated photographs of May Day Marches, mostly during the 1930 s [x17] 14. Martin Lacey, Secretary of May Day Committee 1950-70 15. W. Healy of Waterside Workers Federation [Framed portrait, 20cm x 25cm] 16. Funeral Procession [no date] 17. 1970 [x14 mounted on white board] 18 1971 [x22 mounted on white board] 19. 1972 [x29 mounted on black board] 20a. 1974 [x16 mounted on white board] 20b. 1974 [x24 mounted on white board] 21 1975 [x17 mounted on black board] 22. 1976 [x25 mounted on white board] 23 1977 [x16 mounted on black board] 24. 1978 [x33 mounted on white board] 25. 1979 [x27 mounted on black board] 26. 1980 [x21 mounted on white board] 27. 1981 [x21 mounted on black board] 28. Miscellaneous index prints Page 6 of 6