I’m happy  to announce that the Ursula Bethell papers have been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World New Zealand documentary heritage register. The register highlights significant documentary heritage as a way of demonstrating the importance of preserving and providing access to all documentary heritage.  Ursula Bethell was a Canterbury poet and painter, and her letters, manuscripts, and paintings are held in the Macmillan Brown Library.  Her papers are well used, and have contributed to many published works.

We were the only successful inscription on the register this year, and the ceremony was to be in Ōtautahi but it was decided to postpone it due to Covid uncertainty.  However, there will be some kind of official announcement and media in October.

If you want to know more about the collection, below is an excerpt from the 30 page nomination form I submitted. The full form will be online in October:

The Ursula Bethell papers contain over 1200 letters, manuscript poetry and photographs, and is notable in that it shows the development of literature in Christchurch in the first half of the 20^th century.  Bethell was fifty before she began to write the poetry that marks her as an innovator in New Zealand literature. She was a pivotal figure in the Christchurch arts community, and among her friends were many of the major artistic and literary figures of the day. Born in England in 1874, Bethell spent most of her early childhood in North Canterbury. She spent the next two decades involved in faith-based social work in both England and New Zealand, settling back in Christchurch after the first World War, with her lifelong companion Effie Pollen.  The relationship between Ursula Bethell and Effie Pollen has been given much attention by scholars. They were together for 30 years and Bethell was devastated when Pollen died. She stopped writing poetry, except for the next six years she wrote one poem on the anniversary of Pollen’s death. Bethell destroyed many letters when she moved from Rise Cottage in 1935. Notably, the collection includes the only surviving letter from Pollen. While Bethell described their relationship as “maternal”, some academics have argued the need to read Bethell as a lesbian poet, and therefore the papers serve as a vital source for early 20^th century lesbian visibility in Aotearoa. There is ongoing interest in this collection from scholars researching aspects of cultural history in New Zealand. The collection continues to actively contribute to our understanding of New Zealand literature, cultural and gender history.

Thanks to Sarah, Cherilyn and Lydia for the help with proofing the nomination form.