Bettina Boss, President of the Swiss Historical Society, has published this article hereunder regarding the new and permanent location of Historical Swiss-Australian documents, images and artifacts.
Readers of our book "The Swiss in New South Wales: A History" frequently admire the wonderful historic photos, documents and artefacts featured in it. Indeed, the Swiss community is fortunate in owning a veritable treasure trove of historic materials, faithfully collected and stored over many years by Armin Roth and other senior community members. It is no exaggeration to say that without some of these sources, such as the authentic records of the Swiss Club and its forerunner, the Swiss Society, the history of our community organisations could not have been written.
While our book was being written, the documents and photos in this collection were archived and stored in the offices of Schweizer Kobras solicitors. We are grateful to Sonja and Norbert Schweizer and their colleagues for their generosity in making this space available for the better part of five years.
Following the book's publication in 2012, the Swiss Historical Society had to find a permanent home for these treasures, a place where they would be professionally stored and maintained, as well as being accessible to the general public. Now we are delighted to announce that the State Library of New South Wales has taken all the documents and photos previously held by Schweizer Kobras. In due course these materials will be catalogued and made available to interested readers.
Copies of "The Swiss in New South Wales: A History" are still available here.
Bettina Boss
President, Swiss Historical Society
Photo caption: The oldest photo in our collection, probably dating from around 1920, showing members of the Swiss Society of New South Wales with their flag.