History of the Anglican Church Sydney Diocesan Archives

The Sydney Diocesan Archives provides information storage and retrieval services to the offices and officers of the Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney.

The Diocesan Archives began with the work of Canon Boyce Horsley in 1977. The Archives now works with organisations and departments all across the diocese.

Collection of church and parish records into the Sydney Diocesan Archives commenced in 1977 when Canon Boyce Horsley, former Rector of Christ Church Lavender Bay and recently appointed (in 1976) as the first Sydney Diocesan Archivist, deposited the non-current records of Lavender Bay Parish into the newly created Sydney Diocesan Archives. The Parish of Sutton Forest followed suit that year. In 1978, with the support of the Archbishop of Sydney, Canon Horsley advertised to parishes the possibility of deposit of their non-current records into the care of the Sydney Diocesan Archives.

The response from the parishes to this appeal was enthusiastic, and demonstrated that a significant need was now being met, as the collection figures from the first five years demonstrate:

In 1977, 2 parishes deposited 71 items (i.e. volumes or files).
In 1978, 14 parishes deposited 556 items.
In 1979, 3 parishes deposited 52 items.
In 1980, 15 parishes deposited 397 items.
In 1981, 5 parishes deposited 112 items.

A renewed appeal to parishes in late 1981 ensured a continued steady rate of deposit over the next five years:

In 1982, 10 parishes deposited 264 items.
In 1983, 7 parishes deposited 321 items.
In 1984, 5 parishes deposited 83 items.
In 1985, 7 parishes deposited 131 items.
In 1986, 8 parishes deposited 108 items.

Between November 1999 and February 2000, the Sydney Diocesan Archives was moved from St Andrews House to a new, and larger, purpose-built repository and office in the Phillip Street, St James area.

Previous Archivists

Ms Ruth O'Hea / Mrs Ruth White: 1990-1995

Mrs Georgina Hart: 1987-1990

Canon Boyce Horsley: 1977-1987

Previous Assistant Archivists

Ms Jane McGee

Part-time Assistant Archivist: May 1988 - January 1989

Jane left the Sydney Diocesan Archives to take up a full-time position at the Archives Office of NSW (now State Records NSW). Jane McGee now works as the Archivist for the Sisters of Charity of Australia (Potts Point), and Archivist for the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy, National Office (Lewisham).

Ms Catherine Hobbs-Faulkner

Part-time Assistant Archivist: 1989 (March to December)

Cathy Hobbs-Faulkner is now the College Archivist at St Ignatius' College, Riverview.

Ms Sarah O'Neill

Part-time Project Archivist: 1993 (October to December) & 1994 (July to October)

Sarah O'Neill was the College Archivist at Barker College, Hornsby from 1994 to 2017. Sarah served as a Councillor on the Australian Society of Archivists Council for three terms, 2002-2005. She has been previously the Convenor of the NSW School Archives Special Interest Group of the ASA.