Item 1 - Commonwealth Committee: general correspondence

Includes correspondence and notes about a proposed Indian art museum at South Kensington, the Rabindranath Tagore centenary and blue plaque erection, the Thomas Holland memorial lecture and the R B Bennett Memorial Prize. This was endowed by Lord Bennett in 1944 on the understanding that it should be given by the President of the Society every third year for the most outstanding contribution from the Dominion, India and the Colonies to the promotion of the arts, agriculture, industries and commerce of the Overseas Empire during each intervening period.

Prize awarded:
1945 Dr C Camsell, Deputy Minister for Mines, Canadian Government, in recognition of the work of exploration and mineral survey which he carried out in the North-West Province of Canada

1948 Sir Frank Stockdale, Development Planning Adviser to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the promotion of agriculture and social welfare in the Colonial Empire.

1951 Sir Bruce Levy, Director of the Grasslands Research Division, New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, for his important work on grassland farming, which had great influence not only on New Zealand, but also in Great Britain and the Empire generally.

1954 Dr C J Mackenzie CMG, MC, FRS for his important work in the field of engineering and atomic research . Dr Mackenzie's work as President of the Atomic Energy Control Board from 1948-52 and, subsequently, until his retirement last year, as President of the Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd, a Crown Company, has had great influence, not only in Canada, but throughout the whole Commonwealth.

1957 Benedict Enwonwu MBE, for his achievements as a sculptor and his work in encouraging the development of African Art.

1960 Dr E W R Steacie OBE, FRS, President of the National Research Council of Canada, for his contributions to the development of pure and applied science in Canada and in the Commonwealth

1963 Dr H C Coombs, MA, PhD, HonLLD for his contributions to the
development of banking, economics and the arts in Australia

1966 Ian Hunter, MBE for his work in organising the first Commonwealth Arts Festival in London in 1965

1969 Michael Harrison, MBE for his work on developing new techniques
of maize breeding and in introducing an improved system of
integrated husbandry in East Africa.

1972 Professor Walter Plowright for his work in the field of virology and
the improvement of animal health in Africa

1975 Arnold Smith, CH, Secretary General of the Commonwealth
Secretariat, in recognition of his work in the encouragement of Commonwealth co-operation in science and education

1978 Dr Vassos Karageorghis, Director of Dept of Antiquities, Cyprus for his very important contributions to the advancement of archaeology in Cyprus, and his leading role in international collaboration in the field of archaeology.
AND Dr R Lindsay Wallace, Director of Agricultural Research for the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for his outstanding contribution to agricultural science.
[First time since the institution of the prize that two awards have been made in the same year. Both recipients nominated by their respective governments]

1981 Sir Josua Rabukawaqa KBE, MVO. First Fiji High Commissioner
to London, later served as roving Ambassador for the Pacific Forum Countries. Established the Fijian Composers and Performers Association; formed a Choir Masters Association. In 1980 appointed Head of the Fijian Culture Project.

1984 Dr M S Swaminathan FRS, Director General of the International
Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Philippines for his contributions to agricultural and human nutrition. Twenty universities in India and abroad have conferred on him Doctor of Science degrees.

1987 Dr David Franklyn Allen, Chairmain, National Drug Council of the
Bahamas, for his outstanding contributions to both the Bahamian and international communities in the field of drug addiction, with particular reference to the misuse of cocaine.

Open to researchers at discretion of the archivist, or subject to preservation checks and requirements

B/7/3

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Creator DenvirC 09/08/2002