Curtin University Library

Curtin University Library empowers great minds. On Collections WA we are showcasing our special collections held in the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library.

Our flagship collection is the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Archive, recognising the contribution to Australian society of war-time prime minister and international statesman, John Curtin (1885-1945). This is an extensive collection including personal records of the Curtin family, books from the Curtin family library, photographs, objects, oral histories, film and sound recordings, the records of organisations and copies of unpublished official records. Much of the collection has been digitised and these items are available on the Curtin catalogue but not Collections WA at this stage.

The McCallum collection reflects the political career of Alexander McCallum (1877-1937), state Labor member for Fremantle and minister and deputy premier. The collection includes photographs and a diary from a tour of the North West and Kimberley in 1927, as well as many other photographs of his travels between 1913 and 1934.

The Summerhayes Family Collection represents the work of three generations of the Summerhayes family, Edwin, Reginald and Geoffrey, whose combined practice of architecture in Western Australia extended through the 20th century. The library has approximately 500 drawings and more than 1,500 photographs relating to the design work of the Summerhayes architects, some of which have been made available in Collections WA.

Other collections of potential interest include our rare Western Australian monographs, the oral histories in the Foothills Connection Community Heritage Project, records from the WA branch of the Australian Workers Union, and the collections of political figures John Dawkins, Geoff Gallop, Hazel Hawke, and Carmen Lawrence.