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Daphne Mayo Papers Rees, Lloyd Frederic, 1895-1988
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Correspondence, Lloyd Rees

There are 96 letters and 10 postcards dating from 3 Aug 1919 to 22 Oct 1977, but also including many undated letters and some fragments.

Lloyd Rees and Daphne Mayo knew each other from their studies at the Brisbane Technical College. Rees and Mayo corresponded before Mayo left for London. When Mayo left on the ship, the Ormonde in Sydney in 1920, Rees was there to farewell her. They continued to correspond while Mayo was overseas and became engaged, by mail, in 1922. At this time Rees was living in Paramatta at a guest house called 'Bondo'. This address appears in several of his letters to Mayo. After their engagement, Mayo asked Rees to join her in England. Rees wrote several letters to Mayo while onboard the Esperance Bay. During their time in London and later in Italy they would spend their days pursuing their own studies and interests. Mayo gave Rees the nickname "Georgie". Many of his letters are addressed to "Mary" (his nickname for her) and signed "Georgie". In 1923 Daphne Mayo won the Rome Prize, a travelling scholarship to Rome, and the Royal Academy School of Art gold medal for sculpture. Despite Mayo offering to pay for Rees to stay on and travel with her, at her expense, Rees returned home to Australia, arriving in March 1925. Not long after his return, Mayo's brother Richard Mayo died. Before she returned to Australia, Mayo broke off her engagement to Rees via mail. After a short time in Sydney, she returned to live in Brisbane. They continued to write to each other for years to come. There is also some correspondence from Marjorie Rees, nee Pollard, who married Lloyd Rees in 1931.

There are some small drawings by Rees: Folder 1 - One letter from 6 May 1923 has a hand drawn stamp by Rees; Letter from 27 Jul 1923 has two b&w photographs and a sprig of wattle (or some other plant) -- Folder 2 - Undated letter with hand drawn colour picture of his "garret" at 'Bondo'.

Rees, Lloyd Frederic, 1895-1988