Anita Wilson | |
---|---|
Born | Anita Smith 1943 England |
Died | 15 August 2006 Surrey, England |
Education | University of Manchester, England University College London, England |
Occupation(s) | Archivist Librarian |
Employer(s) | Government of Tuvalu Government of Hong Kong British royal family |
Spouse | John F Wilson (m. 1967;div. 1997) |
Anita Wilson (1943 - 15 August 2006) was the first archivist/librarian for the Government of Tuvalu, [1] as well as archivist for the Government of Hong Kong and the British royal family.
Born Anita Smith, she married John F Wilson in Sutton Coldfield in 1967. They divorced in 1998. Wilson attended Doncaster Girls’ High School. She read history at University of Manchester graduating with a BA (Hons) in history in the mid-1960s. [1] She subsequently completed a postgraduate secretarial course and a Diploma in Archive Administration. She earned a master's degree in Archive Studies from University College London in 1983. [2] Wilson was a committed Christian Scientist and keen choir member. [3]
In 1966 Wilson was a researcher at the Labour Party headquarters in Westminster. [2] After moving to Sutton Coldfield, she taught until 1971, when she joined the Council for Education in World Citizenship, briefly returning to teaching in 1975. [2] She also worked as a school and university librarian. [4]
In 1976 Wilson's husband was appointed Senior Crown Counsel of the Solomon Islands. The following year they moved to Tuvalu, where the government's records, consisting of nine crates of documents, had been unexpectedly returned prior to the island's independence in 1978. Wilson was appointed as Tuvalu's first archivist/librarian, and worked with the Ministry of Social Services in setting up the Tuvalu National Library and Archives. [5] She corresponded with the Western Pacific High Commission to extract all Tuvalu records from the Western Pacific Archives [6] in order to despatch them to London. In addition to her archival responsibilities, she was asked to establish Tuvalu's first public library, with the support of the British Council's Library Development Scheme. [7]
Wilson moved to Hong Kong in 1983. Between 1986 and 1997 she was employed as an archivist for the Government of Hong Kong, helping to ensure the effective handover of records between governments. She headed a unit responsible for transferring to microfilm the Government's policy records from 1945 to 1997. She also identified records relating to Britain's colonial rule that could be transferred to the UK. She was awarded a Governor's Commendation for her work in 1997 and played a role in the Hong Kong handover ceremony on 30 June 1997. [3]
She assisted author Myron Echenberg in the research of his book Plague Ports: The Global Urban Impact of Bubonic Plague between 1894 and 1901. [8]
Wilson was an active member of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. She was Honorary Secretary between 1986 and 1988, [9] and from 1988 to 1997 she was a Council Member, editor of the Newsletter [10] and tour arranger. [11] After leaving Hong Kong she joined the Friends of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (UK), continuing to arrange UK-based tours. [12]
Wilson returned to England in 1997, working briefly for the Public Records Office (now The National Archives) in a part-time role. In 2001 she was appointed to the Royal Archives, based at Windsor Castle. She assisted in archiving the Queen's papers, and those of other members of the Royal Family (except Prince Charles, who had his own archivist). In this role, she worked with the staff of Holyrood House, Sandringham House, and Balmoral Castle. [3]
Kau Sai Chau is an island located off the coast of Sai Kung Peninsula, Hong Kong, with an area of 6.70 km2, making it the 6th largest island of Hong Kong. It is under the administration of Sai Kung District.
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society, was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the society has been a forum, through lectures, its journal, and other publications, for scholarship relating to Asian culture and society of the highest level. It is the United Kingdom's senior learned society in the field of Asian studies. Fellows of the society are elected regularly and include highly accomplished and notable scholars of Asian studies; they use the post-nominal letters FRAS.
Library and Archives Canada is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. The LAC reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
The third plague pandemic was a major bubonic plague pandemic that began in Yunnan, China, in 1855. This episode of bubonic plague spread to all inhabited continents, and ultimately led to more than 12 million deaths in India and China, and at least 10 million Indians were killed in British Raj India alone, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in history. According to the World Health Organization, the pandemic was considered active until 1960, when worldwide casualties dropped to 200 per year. Plague deaths have continued at a lower level for every year since.
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Devil's Peak is a peak in Sai Kung District, Hong Kong. The communities of Tiu Keng Leng, Lei Yue Mun and Yau Tong surround this peak.
Government Records Service (GRS) is the central records management service agency of the Hong Kong Government. It aims to be the most insightful, resourceful and leading public archives in Hong Kong. The department is subordinate to the Administration Wing of the Office of the Chief Secretary for Administration.
Fan Lau Fort is a former military fortification located on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Named after the eponymous peninsula it is situated on, it was built in 1729 during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor, a hundred and twelve years before the British took possession of Hong Kong. Abandoned in 1898, it became a declared monument of Hong Kong in 1981.
Kau Pui Lung, formerly Kau Pui Loong or Hau Pui Loong, is a valley and area between Ma Tau Wai and To Kwa Wan, and west of Ma Tau Chung in Kowloon of Hong Kong. The area now full of schools near the junction of Kau Pui Lung Road and Tin Kwong Road, as well as along Farm Road, where Heep Yunn School is located.
David Sean Ferriero is an American librarian and library administrator, who served as the 10th Archivist of the United States. He previously served as the director of the New York Public Library and as the University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs at Duke University. Prior to his Duke position, he worked for 31 years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology library. Ferriero was the first librarian to serve as Archivist of the United States.
Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well as swollen and painful lymph nodes occurring in the area closest to where the bacteria entered the skin. Acral necrosis, the dark discoloration of skin, is another symptom. Occasionally, swollen lymph nodes, known as "buboes", may break open.
The Tuvalu National Library and Archives (TNLA) is the national library of Tuvalu. It is located in Funafuti.
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