Hunter Living Histories

Collections often begin with family memory: photographs, documents, letters, business papers and the everyday traces of lives lived in particular times and places. In the University of Newcastle’s collections, the Glass and Morrison Family Collection offers a valuable window into Singleton and the Hunter Valley in the early twentieth century.

The life and work of Alexander Morrison (1871–1955)

A central figure in this story is Alexander  Morrison (1871–1955), a well-known Singleton resident, newspaper owner, collector and local public figure. Morrison acquired The Budget, a Singleton newspaper, in 1894. The paper served Singleton and the wider Hunter Valley.  Located close to the banks of the Hunter River, the paper was closed in February 1955 after severe flood damage.

Morrison’s public life extended beyond the newspaper. Local history accounts describe him as a long-serving coroner for the Singleton district, reportedly holding the role for around thirty years, with none of his findings challenged.

The Collection

Morrison actively collected Aboriginal cultural objects from the Hunter Valley and beyond in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Accordingly, the collection reflects the changes experienced by Indigenous cultures in the Hunter Valley during the second half of the nineteenth century. This is evident in some of the objects, such as small or undersized clubs and boomerangs that would have served no practical function, as well as objects that show changes in manufacturing techniques.in the collection.

The Aboriginal cultural objects associated with Morrison are held by institutions including the Australian Museum and the National Museum of Australia. The university of Newcastle’s special collections and archives holds photographs and documents from the Morriosns adding another layer of context. They help illuminate the social world of Singleton in the early twentieth century: its families, businesses, local press, community networks and public events.

References

Australian Museum. (2019, October 3). The Morrison Collection. Australian Museum.

Australian Museum. (2020, September 2). Alexander Morrison. Australian Museum.

Coal and Community. Alexander Morrison. Coalfields Local History Association. Retrieved July 3, 2026.

Mulvaney, R. (1983). From curio to curation: The Morrison collection of Aboriginal wooden artefacts [Bachelor of Letters thesis, Australian National University]. ANU Open Research. https://doi.org/10.25911/7Q1T-HK87