A highly-acclaimed facsimile copy of one of Sir Joseph Banks' priceless diaries has been produced at Hyde Park Press for presentation to the people of Canada.
We provided, with other local businesses, the skills necessary to create one of the best facsimile copies of an item in the collection of the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia: Sir Joseph Banks’ A Voyage to Newfoundland from April to November 17th 1766.
The Society has owned the manuscript since 1905 and His Excellency Mr Justin Brown, Australia’s High Commissioner to Canada, approached the Society in 2009 with a proposal for a presentation of this facsimile volume marking 70 years of Australian Canadian diplomatic relations.
The diary is bound in rough calf with gilt clasps and held in the York Gate collection of the Society’s Library housed in the Mortlock Wing under an affiliation agreement with the State Library of South Australia, North Terrace, Adelaide.
The nations of Australia and Canada share geographical history through significant people such as Sir Joseph Banks, Captain James Cook, Sir John Franklin and Edward Gibbon Wakefield, people who helped to shape the geography and potential settlement of these two nations.
This facsimile was produced using, as close as possible, identical paper, leather binding and tooling as that contained in the original manuscript.
A small ceremony, hosted by the Governor of South Australia, His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR, the Society’s Patron, was held at Government house in June 3rd 2010 to send the facsimile volume on its way.
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From Left Rod Shearing, RGSSA, President; Ken Linn, Hyde Park Press; Phil Gibson, Hyde Park Press; Drew Lenman, Orange Lane Studios; Alan Smith, Director and Executive Officer Libraries Board of South Australia; Ms Penny Stratmann, Secretary to the Governor, His Excellency the Governor of South Australia Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce; Keith Gardner, Director Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade SA; and Anthony Zammit, book binder and conservator.
