ACT Heritage Library Manuscript Collections
HMSS 0439 David Meyers Personal Papers
Scope and Content Notes
| Call Number | HMSS 0439 |
|---|---|
| Collection | David Meyers Personal Papers |
| Date Range | 1960s - 2011 |
| Quantity | 0.27 m (2 manuscript boxes) |
| Access Conditions | open |
| Copying Conditions | with attribution |
| Related Collections |
David (Dave) Milton Meyers (1946-2010) was an accomplished bush poet, musician, entertainer, writer, historian and public speaker. He was a well-known and popular performer in Canberra and the region where he played guitar, sang and recited bush poetry – often his own – at a variety of venues from folk festivals to nursing homes. He worked for the Commonwealth Bank and stayed initially in Richardson House, the Bank’s hostel in Canberra.
Dave was active in many Canberra associations, clubs and societies including the National Folk Festival, Monaro Folk Music Society, Country Music Association, ACT Writers’ Centre, Canberra and District Historical Society, Regional Studies Network, Migrant Resource Centre, Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Queanbeyan Bush Poets, Canberra Performance Poets and the Shiny Bum Singers.
He was a keen runner,. His obituary in Vetrunner, notes an impressive participation rate from 1984 to 2010, not only in the competition runs, but also in the Tuesday Group for retirees and young mothers. His poem, ‘Tuesday’s Group’, was included in Monaro Morning, a selection of poems published in 2011 by two of his friends. Other sporting interests were tennis and cricket.
Dave was particularly interested in local history and produced a history of the Monaro Folk Music Society, forerunner of the National Folk Festival, followed by a history of the early settlers on the Limestone Plains. He also wrote and performed songs, plays, poems and short stories.
Dave took history and creative writing very seriously, completing an Arts degree in English and History at the Australian National University and, after two unsuccessful attempts to enrol in professional writing at the Canberra College of Advanced Education (now University of Canberra) he completed a creative writing course at Canberra TAFE.
This collection includes most of his creative writing and an example of his performance work, together with some interviews.
Box List
BOX | DESCRIPTION | QUANTITY | DATE RANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
PUBLICATIONS | |||
1 | “Lairds, Lags and Larrikins: An Early History of the Limestone Plains” - final copy of the book (CD), with publication and promotional material | 1 wallet | 2009 – 2010 |
1 | “A Score and a Half of Folk: Thirty Years of the Monaro Folk Society” - final copy of the book, with cover design | 1 file | 2004 |
1 | SONGS, PLAYS, POEMS, SHORT STORIES Some are in published form, most are manuscript. Many of the songs include music | 6 files, 1 ledger book | 1960s – 2011 |
2 | RICHARDSON HOUSE This was the Commonwealth Bank’s official hostel in Canberra. The file includes the bank’s local newsletters under various titles, some with articles or poems by David Meyers: Commonwealth Bank Staff Sporting and Social Club Newsletter 1971-1973; ACT Region Newsletter to June 1977; Trunk Calls July 1977-June 1979 There is also a small collection of photocopied photographs of residents, correspondence, notes and the script for the closing function held on 28 August 1981 | 1 file | 1971 – 1981 |
2 | CITY TO SURF FUN RUN – completion certificates | 1 folder | 1980 – 2002 |
2 | WRITINGS BY AND ABOUT DAVID MEYERS Includes his Certificate in Creative Writing from Canberra TAFE and the class publication “Creative Writings 1992”, and an obituary Other material consists of mainly draft writings on local people and places, bank events including a hold-up in which he was involved, and the creative writing process | 1 folder | 1969 – 2010 |
2 | Diary of a trip to South Africa, England and Europe | 1 notebook | 1974 |
2 | Draft manuscript and backup versions of books and some poems | 1 CD wallet | |
2 | AUDIO TAPES OF INTERVIEWS AND PERFORMANCES Help meeting with Ralph Clothier, 11 April 1995 Help meeting with Anna Malgorzewicz, 11 July 1995 (2 tapes) Interview with Ann Gugler, ACT Regional Studies Network, 9 May 1995 St Valentine’s Day Jazz Festival, Australian National University, interview with Bill Oakes and Norman Hoffman, no date Performance tape: The Many Moods of Dave Meyers, no date Bull and Bush Christmas party, School of Arts Cafe Queanbeyan (master), 16 December 1988 | 7 audio cassettes | 1988 – 1995 |