Australian Mutuals History, Sydney

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Australian Mutuals History, Sydney

• Formerly Australian Credit Union Archives

• Business

The Australian Credit Union Historical Co-Operative Limited was established in 1985 in order to collect the records of the credit union movement and to preserve its history.

In 1996 the Australian Credit Union Archives Trust was established. The Trustees were responsible for the control and management, collection, storage and access to the archives. The Trustees employed archivists to carry out the various collections management tasks and to manage access to the archives.

In 2004 the Australian Credit Union Historical Co-Operative Ltd was dissolved and its assets and responsibilities were transferred to the Australian Credit Union Archives Trust.

In 2017 the Australian Credit Union Archives changed its name to Australian Mutuals History. This was to better reflect the broader collecting remit of the entire financial mutuals sector.

Australian Mutuals History is supported and funded by individual credit unions, building societies and customer owned banks and also the Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA).

Australian Credit Union Archives Trust:
Senior Archivist - Ben Woods

The Australian Mutuals History appraises, collects, documents, and preserves records and other heritage material created by, or relating to, the Australian credit union and building society movements and the customer owned banking sector.

The collection contains the business records of organisations within the financial mutuals sector. It includes:

• archival records of individual credit unions, building societies and customer owned banks
• archival records of relevant industry bodies and
• personal papers of some prominent individuals in the credit union movement.

Any or all of the following records may be held for any credit union, building society, customer owned bank or other associated organisation:

• Board and Committee minutes and papers
• correspondence and reports
• newsletters, annual reports and publications
• histories
• photographs of events and personalities.

Collection database available in-house. Register of Mutuals available online (as a finding aid and a resource).

Open Tuesday and Wednesday 10am-4pm.

Readers are requested to make an appointment.

The office/research area is located on the ground floor (up two steps). Wheelchair access is available through a roller door side entrance.

Archives staff are able to do basic research, but are not able to undertake detailed research on behalf of clients. Service fees apply for research services.

Photocopying, scanning, researcher photography available for appropriate records. Fees apply for copying/scanning services.

No dedicated research/public area. Researcher space is available in the office area and there are facilities for using laptop computers.

Revised 8 September 2022

• Industry, Manufacturing and Commerce (Thematic area)