Azaria Chamberlain Case (Australia)

Content Description

The user of this collection must bear in mind how the Center for Adventist Research acquired it. The Heritage Room at Avondale College brought together the duplicate copies of the holdings regarding the Chamberlain case and sent them to Andrews University. We do not know where the Avondale center got the records, though it is clear the source was friendly to the Chamberlain cause. With the exception of the Royal Commission transcripts the collection is by no means comprehensive or complete. It will help to give a sense of the media coverage and some of the efforts to counter the evidence given at the initial trial. The bulk of the papers in this collection are the transcripts of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Chamberlain Convictions, 1986 to 1987, over 9,000 pages of court transcripts. These transcripts are complete. There are transcripts from two other legal proceedings in 1981 and 1982. These are not complete. Also included are some letters associated with the movement to overturn the convictions, including several circular letters from Michael and Lindy Chamberlain. As the movement to free Lindy got underway many documents and “new” evidence came out. The collection has some of that, but surely not everything. The same is true for the media coverage included in the collection. There are a sampling of newspaper articles mostly from the free Lindy perspective.

Acquisition Type

Transfer

Provenance

This collection came from the Adventist Heritage Centre at Avondale College in New South Wales, Australia, in 2011. It was part of a large shipment from Avondale to Andrews of various publications, media, and these records.

Restrictions Apply

Yes

Use Restrictions

All users of this collection will be required to complete the “Application to Use Unpublished Records,” and to observe the regulations specified in the "Patron Agreement" and "Researcher’s Code of Conduct." All records in this collection are open and available for research. Citation for this collection: Box ___, Fld ___, Azaria Chamberlain Case (Collection 138), Center for Adventist Research, James White Library, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI.