Summary heading
Function and purpose
This series consists of papers, photographs and press
articles accumulated by Dame Mary Cook, wife of former Prime Minister Sir
Joseph Cook. Included are newspaper
clippings and copies of various publications (such as The British Australian
and New Zealander and The New South Wales Red Cross Record)
featuring articles about Dame Mary Cook and her activities primarily while Sir
Joseph was a Government Minister and Australian High Commissioner to
Britain. Some articles focus on her
involvement with the Australian Red Cross.
Importantly, the series contains a folder of Dame Mary’s
personal papers comprising employment references she received as a teacher
about the time of her marriage to Joseph Cook, correspondence with colleagues,
family and friends, and royal invitations.
A significant proportion of the series consists of photographs, primarily
portraits of Dame Mary and photographs of events she attended, including a
photograph of her in the dress she wore to the wedding of Princess Mary and
Lord Lascelles, a photograph of a Red Cross Board of Governors' meeting held in
Paris with Dame Mary (representing the Australian Red Cross) standing at the
head of the table and a photograph of Chesterton Board Girls' School which Dame
Mary attended as a pupil and teacher between 1875-85.
Related legislation
Using the series
Language of material
Physical characteristics
System of arrangement and control
Single number control symbols [1]-[21] have been imposed on
the items in this series by National Archives.
Relationships with other records
Finding aids
Access conditions
Series history
In 1993 the Cook family donated Sir Joseph Cook papers,
including series M3606, to the National Archives of Australia. The collection was initially located at the
New South Wales Office of National Archives but was transferred to the National
Office of National Archives in Canberra in 2001.
Provenance
Series M3606 is part of the personal collection of former
Prime Minister Sir Joseph Cook, although appears to have been primarily
accumulated by Cook’s wife, Dame Mary Cook.
The Cook family donated the collection to the National Archives in 1993.
Immediate source of acquisition
Custodial history
Quantity in agency custody
Disposal history
Publication note
Additional information
End notes
Sources