Historical information
Information from donor: "Item 2 has a long history and came to me two years ago when younger brother Pat downsized from Mentone to East Brighton. ... when mother Annie passed away [he] took possession of a roll top writing desk from the premises in which we grew up.
To fit the desk in his new unit, the roll top was removed and this original manuscript was found. Silver fish have attacked the paper that is now perished but I was able to carefully obtain a photocopy and preserve a copy of Thomas Drenen's handwriting."
Significance
Thomas Drenen was born 1861 and died in 1932. He was the editor of the local paper, The Rutherglen Sun, from 1886 until his retirement. This makes him unique in the opportunity to gather information on the history of the Rutherglen district. This manuscript was written by him for broadcast on radio station 3AR (which became a part of ABC Radio National). While the donor was not certain of the date of the broadcast, evidence from the document leads to the conclusion that it was between July 1927 and September 1928, as he mentions the recently opened Soldiers Memorial Hall (officially opened in July 1927) and the new Convent that was under construction (Mt Carmel Convent was officially opened in September 1928). [information on dates from the Indigo Shire Heritage Study, 2002]
Physical description
Original is a hand written document of 12 pages that has been badly attacked by silverfish. Copy was photocopied before original continued to deteriorate.
Inscriptions & markings
On sticker on plastic sleeve of copy: "Robert Drenen | Copy of Grandfather Thos Drenen - Broadcast on 3AR. Unknown Year. Thos D passed away July 1932"
