HMSS 0182 Woodger Family Papers

ACT Heritage Library Manuscript Collection

HMSS 0182 Papers of W. G. Woodger and Family

Scope and content notes

Call Number

HMSS 0182

Collection 

W G Woodger and Family Papers

Date Range

1912 - 1984

Quantity

0.6m (1 small Manuscript box; 1 oversize)

Access Conditions

Open

Copying Conditions

with attribution

Related Collections

-

William George Woodger, a founding partner and managing director of Woodgers and Calthorpe, was Canberra’s first real estate agent and a nationally recognised stock and station agent.  He later sold the business to L J Hooker and became a director of that firm.  During more than 50 years of an active business life, he was director of several companies, member of commercial and sporting organisations, and a staunch supporter of Canberra as both the national capital and a city in its own right.

The collection consists of photographs relating to the first land sales in Canberra, the Atlas (Insurance) Cup at Royal Canberra Golf Club, and the Woodger and Calthorpe families; and correspondence, newscuttings, interviews, articles and other documents relating to land sales and development in Canberra, Mr Woodger’s professional and military life and his and Mrs Woodger’s involvement in the social life of Canberra. There is also a Woodger family tree and miscellaneous family history notes.

Box List

Box No.

File No.

Description

Date Range

1

1

19 photographs:

  • posters for sites at  Blandfordia and Ainslie for auction 12/12/1924
  • inkwell, pen and gavel used at first Canberra land sale 12/12/1924
  • studio portraits of William George and Elsie Barton Woodger, 1940s
  • Atlas Cup competition at Royal Canberra Golf Club, 1960s
  • Bill and Elsie Woodger with Harry and Dell Calthorpe.

1924-1960s

1

2

  • Photocopies of title pages of The Australian Stock & Property Code, compiled by W G Woodger and A E Robinson, no. 2, 1912 and no. 3, 1918.
  • Letter to Miss Dawkins from Managing Director, Warden Harry Graves Ltd, Sydney, on her leaving the firm, 1913.
  • Attestation paper, W G Woodger, 1916.
  • Record of return to Australia, W G Woodger, 1919.
  • Letter of termination of appointment to the AIF, 1919.
  • Photocopy of title page and map, Federal Capital Advisory Committee, Construction of Canberra; First General Report, 1920-21.
  • Letter from Yarrowlumla Shire Council certifying that W G Woodger made a valuation of rateable land in the Shire, 1922.
  • Letter from Dalgety Shire Council certifying that W G Woodger made a valuation on rateable lands in the Shire, 1938.
  • Photocopy of poster advertising the first auction of land in Blandfordia, 1924.
  • Photocopy of ‘First Land Sale at Canberra, FCT’, 1924.
  • Photocopy from Queanbeyan Age of details of first land sales, 1924.
  • Canberra Leases: First Sale: 12 December 1924, reproduced in Canberra in Crisis, 1974.
  • Reports of land sales in Canberra, extracted from Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 1924.
  • Extracts from The Federal Capital Pioneer, including early land sales, Woodgers & Calthorpe advertisements, social events, 1924-1927.
  • Photocopied reports of social events, Manuka Centre leases and Woodgers & Calthorpe advertisement, from Canberra Times, 1920s.
  • Title page and p.27 of Federal Capital Advisory Committee, Construction of Canberra; Final Report, 1926.
  • Photocopy of articles on building Canberra, from Evening News, 1926.
  • Photocopy of ‘Babies’ Week at Canberra’, with photograph of Elsie Woodger, from The Community News.
  • Photocopied extract ‘Land Administration’, Dept of Territories, 5th Annual Report, 1929.
  • Photocopied extract from an Advisory Committee report on first leasing of city lands, [ca 1929]
  • Photocopied article concerning Woodgers & Calthorpe’s first ram sale at Cooma, Country Life and Stock and Station Journal, 1929.

1912-1929

1

3

  • Photocopied article on Woodgers & Calthorpe, Canberra Times, 12 March 1934.
  • Letter from J I Dent appointing W G Woodger as managing agent, 1938.
  • W G Woodger’s call-up letter for Air Training Corps, 1942.
  • Photocopied article from unidentified newspaper about W G Woodger’s handling of the biggest property deal in Australia, 1950s.
  • Typescript biographical notes on W G Woodger, 1950s.
  • Letter of introduction for W G Woodger from Royal Canberra Golf Club to overseas clubs, 1951, and letter from the Club offering life membership, 1966.
  • Correspondence with Country Life Newspaper Co concerning celebrating W G Woodger’s 50 years in business, 1954.
  • Photocopies of various newspaper articles concerning W G Woodger’s 50 years in business, 1954.
  • Typescript of recorded interview of W G Woodger  by radio station 2CA, 1954.
  • Typescript biographical notes on W G Woodger for Canberra Day, 1958.
  • With Compliments slips and notices, advising merger of Woodgers & Calthorpe with L J Hooker, 1959.
  • Envelope containing 2 business cards for Woodgers & Calthorpe and 2 invitation cards, 1960.
  • Correspondence concerning information about W G Woodger for a supplement to Country Life marking 50 years of the Stock and Station Agents’ Association of NSW, 1960.
  • Correspondence concerning notice of W G Woodger’s retirement, 1960.
  • Biographical notes from 1958, updated to mark W G Woodger’s 73rd birthday, 1960.
  • Letter from W G Woodger to the Editor, Sydney Morning Herald, commenting on recent articles on Canberra, 1961.
  • Photocopied article ‘An Acre at Red Hill for ₤200’, Canberra Times 12 December 1962.
  • Typescript of notes for an interview on ABC radio, prepared by W G Woodger, 1962.
  • Photocopies, ‘The Beginnings of Business in Canberra’, by W G Woodger; ‘Chamber of Commerce’; ‘Canberra Milestones’, Canberra Times 12 March 1963.
  • Letter to the Editor concerning shortage of land in Canberra, Canberra Times 10 September 1963.
  • Newscutting ‘In Canberra 25 years ago’ [1938], sponsored by L J Hooker, Woodgers & Calthorpe, Canberra Times, 1963.
  • Memo concerning tape recording W G Woodger’s memories, 1964.
  • Newscuttings and letter concerning W G Woodger’s retirement, Canberra Times 10 December 1964.
  • Typescript biographical notes on W G Woodger, 1972.
  • Death notice and obituary, Canberra Times 1979.
  • Typescript of funeral oration, 1979.
  • Topics for discussion and correspondence with National Library concerning oral history interview about W G Woodger, 1980.
  • Booklet advertising the auction of five J B Young properties, including the first lease sold in 1924, by  Richardson & Wrench (Auctioneers for the first Canberra land sales), 12 December 1984.
  • Typescript extract from unknown source concerning early land sales in Canberra.
  • Woodger family tree and other biographical notes.
  • W G woodger death notice and obituary newscuttings, Canberra Times 31 January 1979.

1934-1984

 1 4 Photographs of Canberra taken by Woodger family1940s-1960s
2 oversize 

 Professional certificates, mounted

  • Associated Real Estate Institutes and Agents' Associations of Australia, 1 March 1929
  • Commonwealth Institute of Valuers, 31 January 1934 
1929; 1934