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Papers of Denis Kevans
MSS 226

Collection Title

Papers of Denis Kevans

Collection Identifier

MSS 226

Inclusive date(s)

1955 to 1991

Extent and Medium

16 boxes + 4 oversize

Category

Literature

Subject: Person(s)

Collection Description

Correspondence, diaries, photographs, scrapbook, notebooks, audiovisual material, proofs, posters, clippings, leaflets and notes relating to Denis Kevans

Administrative / Biographical history

Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Kevans

Peter Denis Kevans (1939-2005) was an Australian poet, songwriter, journalist, and folk singer from Canberra. Known as Australia's "poet lorikeet", he wrote mainly on political, human rights and environmental topics. Initially enrolled in medicine at the University of Sydney, he worked for a time with the Department of External Affairs before returning to the University of Sydney where he completed an arts degree and a teaching certificate. Kevans worked for 20 years as a journalist and teacher whilst also writing poetry, often with anti-war or environmental themes. Many of his poems were set to music and recorded by Australian bands and musicians, and two of his poems were chosen for the World Heritage Stones at Echo Point in Katoomba. Kevans won many poetry awards in his lifetime and is featured in several anthologies.

References:
Austlit : Denis Kevans https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A4777 retrieved 21 July 2020

Acquisition Details

Check with Curator

Scope and Content

The papers of Denis Kevans comprise of drafts and notes for such works as The Great Prawn War and Other Poems (1982), Ah, White Man, Have You Any Sacred Sites?(1985) and The Bastard Who Squashed the Grapes in Me Bag (1991). Correspondents include Peter Sculthorpe, Dorothy Hewett, Frank Hardy, John Manifold, and Sonia Bennett. The extensive diaries, notebooks, drafts, and clippings relate to Kevan's work as a poet, songwriter, journalist and teacher

Access Restrictions

Other

Access: Check with Curator

This collection contains a variety of copyright material. Copyright is held by the creator of each item. Specific conditions for this collection are listed below. If no conditions are stipulated then the standard terms of the Copyright Act apply for published and unpublished items. Digitised material from manuscript collections is provided to clients by UNSW Canberra in good faith for private study and research only, and may not be published or re-purposed without the express and written permission of the individual legal holder of that copyright. Refer also to the UNSW copyright, disclaimer and takedown policy.

Copying: Check with Curator

Existence and Location of Orginals

Special Collections, UNSW Canberra

Related and Separated Materials

Related Material

Further papers of Denis Kevans are held by the NLA at MS 5555

A videorecording of Denis Kevans reading his poetry and singing at the ADFA Library was taken on the 1 November 1990 and is held at PR9619.3 .K479 D46


Separated Material

The following published items have been catalogued and added to the main Academy Library collection:

The Bastard Who Squashed the Grapes in Me Bag, by Denis Kevans -- Sydney : Left Book Club Co-operative, c1991 x 3 copies

The Blue Mountains Mystery Track : Lindeman Pass , Jim Smith -- Winmalee, NSW : Three Sisters Productions, 1990 -- (A history of the Jamison Valley ; v. 1)

Education : Journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation – Sydney : The Federation, 1919- -- Vol. 54, 1973 Index x 2 copies; vol. 55, 1974, vol. 56, 1975

Front Bar Politicians : Australian Bawdy Bush and Bar-room Ballads, by Rocky Marshall -- Oaklands Park [S. Aust.] : Wahratta Enterprises, 1984

The Green Alliance Newsletter --Sydney : The Green Alliance, 1980-

Historic Blue Mountains : Being Selected Images of a Unique Region Extending Through Some Twenty Townships, from Emu Plains to Hartley and Beyond to Mount Wilson, paintings by Richard Smolicz; historical text by John Low -- Katoomba, N.S.W : Blue Mountains City Council, 1987

Letter from Switzerland [manuscript], by April Glaser-Hinder, 1979

Migrant Mosaic -- Blacktown [N.S.W.] : Blacktown Migrant Resource Centre, 1988 -- Sunday 18 September 1988

Poems[manuscript], by April Glaser-Hinder, 1979

'The poetry of Henry Weston Pryce' [manuscript], Denis Kevans -- 1976

The Realist : Journal of the National Council of the Realist Writers' Groups -- Northbridge, N.S.W : National Council of the Realist Writers' Groups, 1964-1969 -- No. 21, Summer 1965, no. 24 Summer 1966, no. 26, Winter, 1967, no. 27, Spring 1967, no. 33, Winter 1969, no. 34, Summer 1969

The Seamen's Journal, Seamen's Union of Australia -- [Sydney] : The Union, 1935-1993 -- Vol. 36, no. 6, June 1981, vol. 41, no's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 9, 10, vol. 42, no. 1, vol. 42, no. 2, February 1987, vol. 42, no. 4, April- May 1987, vol. 42, no. 5, June 1987, vol. 43, no. 8, vol. 45, no. 3, vol. 45, no. 5, June- July 1990. vol. 45, no. 6, August 1991, vol. 45, no. 8, October 1990

Stringybark & Greenhide --Newcastle, N.S.W : [s.n, 1979?- (S. & G., P.O. Box 424, Newcastle, N.S.W.)] -- Vol. 2, no. 4, August 1980, vol. 3, no. 3, Spring 1981, vol. 4, no. 2, 1982, vol. 5, no. 2, May 1984

To Make My Heart and Voice Come Loud, ed. by Eric Beach -- Hobart : Kaleidoscope Community Arts, 1989

Young Writers' Camp, Stanwell Tops, April 1983 -- Arncliffe [N.S.W.] : N.S.W. Dept. of Education, Metropolitan East Region, Professional Services Centre, 1983

Your Friendly Fascist --Sydney : Your Friendly Fascist, [197-]-, No. 18

The following published items were separated from the collection and do not appear in the catalogue:

Amandla, No. 5, January/February 1985

Australian Aid for Ireland, July 1989

The Australian Tradition, No. 15, December 1967, no. 22, May 1970, no. 33, December 1973

The Beacon, April 1986, June 1986, July 1986, July 1989, September 1990, July 1990, August 1990 x 6 copies

Blue Mountains Gazette, Vol. 27, no. 43, 4/10/1990

Care Newsletter, No. 64, October 1984

Challenge, 24/2/1981, 30/3/1981, 14/4/1981, 7/7/1981, 26/8/1980, 13/5/1981, 15/7/1980, 4/12/1981, 18/12/1981, Mar. 80, no. 23, 29/7/1980, 2/12/1980, 31/3/1981, 9/9/1980, 27/1/1981, 10/2/1981, 10/3/1981.

Conservation Issues : General Studies, Teacher's Association

The Cornstalk Gazette, No. 201, August 1990 x 2 copies

FOCO Newsletter, Vol. 2, no. 8, February 1969

Free Chile National Bulletin, October-November 1980

Green : Nuclear Disarmament Newsletter, June 198?

The Guardian, No. 517, 31/1/1990

Hawkesbury Flora, Summer, 1984-1985, No. 8, Winter, 1985

How are you South Australia, by Dave Clark and Val Holden

INPA (Illawarra National parks Association), August 1987 and April 1989

Irish Weekly, Saturday 21 June 1980

Jail News, Vol. 3, no. 1, October 1980

Latin American Newsletter, May 1987

Lots Wife, Vol. 28, no. 13

Lousy Little Sixpence : Discussion Guide

Maritime Worker, Vol. 64, no. 1, Mar. 1964, May 29, 1970, vol. 61, no. 13, October 18, 1977, vol. 62, no. 10, September 1979, vol. 63, no. 1, February 1980, November 1979, vol. 62, no. 7, Jun 19, 1979, August 1979, vol. 62, no. 8, July 3, 1979, May 8, 1979, Mar. 27, 1979, April 17, 1979, vol. 62, no. 13, October 24, 1978

Mulga Wire, No. 29, February 1982, no. 34, December 1982, no. 40, December 1983, no. 46, December 1984, no. 52, February 1985, no. 53, December 1985, no. 55, June 1986, no. 64, December 1987, no. 67, June 1988, no. 70, December 1988, no. 71, February 1989

National Parks Association of NSW Inc., December 89-January 1990

Newcastle Green Movement, September 1990

Newsletter, Blue Mountains Environmental Council, No. 3, December/January 85/86

Newsletter, CORE, No. 6, 21 October 1989

Newsletter (National Parks Association), Illawarra, 86.3, 86.4, 86.11, November 1988

Newsletter, Queensland Folk Federation, No. 28, no. 74, July 1986, no. 64, October 1985, no. 104, January 1989, no. 71, April 1986, no. 88, September 1987, no. 89, no. 113, December-January 1989

NPA (National Parks Association), Illawarra Branch, April-May 1990

Open Council, May 1981

NSW Folk Federation Newsletter, No. 75, Mar. 1982

Peace Paper, May 1989

P.E.N., 1979

The Stirrer, No. 14, June 1990, no. 14, June 1990 x 4 copies, no. 16, August 1990 x 2 copies, no. 17, September 1990 x 3 copies

Survey, Vol. 12, no. 4, May 1989

The Sydney Bushwalker, February 1990

Tribune, No. 2631, 14/11/1990

Upper Blue Mountains Conservation Society Publication, No. NBHO 925

Women & Health (Illawarra), February-Mar. 1989, November-December 1988, April 1989, October 1990, May 1988, January-February 1990

Youth Voice, September 1990 x 5 copies

Disclaimer

This collection contains a variety of copyright material. Copyright is held by the creator of each item. Specific conditions for this collection are listed above. If no conditions are stipulated then the standard terms of the Copyright Act apply for published and unpublished items. Digitised material from manuscript collections is provided to clients by UNSW Canberra in good faith for private study and research only, and may not be published or re-purposed without the express and written permission of the individual legal holder of that copyright. Refer also to the UNSW copyright, disclaimer and takedown policy.

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Items in Collection

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