Abbot Placid Memorial Scholarship
In the Archives resides a collection of material that holds the story of New Norcia. Comprising diaries, chronicles, photographs, maps, letters and reports, the story told in the Archives reflects the themes of the whole nation. And what is unique, is its perspective. It speaks not with the voice of colonial England, but from a European point of view. However, the riches of the New Norcia Archives remain largely unexplored. Many of the records are locked up in foreign languages, predominantly Spanish and it is the purpose of the Scholarship to assist in the unlocking of this unique heritage.
In 2009, in memory of New Norcia’s late Abbot, Fr Placid Spearritt, the Community founded a scholarship that will bring a scholar to New Norcia each year to work in the Archives on a specific project. The research would then be made available to everyone interested in Australian history.
Research to date has seen the translation of the letters of Théophile Bérengier, Abbot of Solesmes in France and his hitherto untranslated history of New Norcia. This history was intended to be a follow-up to the memoirs of Bishop Rosendo Salvado, the founder of New Norcia. Current research seeks to translate and interpret the letters of Léandre Fonteinne, a French novice who came to New Norcia with Salvado.
The 2012 Scholarship has been awarded jointly to Dr Stefano Girola, lecturer in the School of Theology (McAuley Campus) at the Australian Catholic University and to Dr Joshua Brown, Assistant Professor in Italian Studies at the University of Western Australia. Dr Girola will be translating Salvado’s 1883 Report to Propaganda Fide, whilst Dr Brown will be translating the letters of Canon Raffaele Martelli. Both applications were of such a high calibre that the Scholarship Committee took the radical step of awarding the scholarship to both applicants. This does mean, however, that the Scholarship is not expected to be available again until the commencement of 2014.
If you have any queries or require further information, please contact the Archivist on 08 9654 8018 or archives@newnorcia.wa.edu.au