In 1963 the then Prime Minister, Robert Menzies asked his Art Advisory Panel to select artists to design Australia's new decimal currency. Russell Drysdale, a member of the Panel, suggested it was a task for a designer and put forward the names of Alistair Morrison, Hal Missingham, Douglas Annand, Richard Beck, George Hamori, Max Forbes and Gordon Andrews.

At a meeting at the Reserve Bank of Australia on the 13 August 1963 the Bank's Governor, H.C. Coombs outlined the task. Four notes - $1, $2, $10 and $20 - were to be designed and printed by the release date, 14 February 1966. Drysdale had agreed to be the Bank's Artistic Adviser on the banknote series.

Morrison suggested the three candidates who were not available for the project (himself, Annand and Missingham) act as consultants for the other four, who would each produce a set of designs, one of which would be selected. Andrews was notified of the selection of his designs in April 1964. Annand, Missingham and Morrison continued to act as an advisory committee for Andrews, with Morrison as Chairman. The notes were printed at the Reserve Bank's Note Printing Works, Craigieburn, Victoria.


References

ANDREWS, GORDON (1992). A Designer's Life. (In press)

O'BRIEN, GERALDINE (1992). "Currency lad", The Good Weekend, 18 April 1992

Archive, Australian decimal banknote design, Gordon Andrews, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1963-1973

The Gordon Andrews Decimal Banknote Archive documents the development of the Commonwealth of Australia's $1, $2, $10 and $20 banknotes (issued 1966), the $5 banknote (May 1967), and the $50 banknote (October 1973). Also represented are some experimental designs for a $50 plastic banknote featuring a flight of native birds which was never issued.

The Archive records the design and development of the banknotes from the original concepts, through various printing stages to final production. It includes the Reserve Bank's specifications, preliminary and advanced stage drawings in pencil and ink, reference material, photographs, negatives, transparencies, montages, colour draw-downs, trial printings, and correspondence.

The graphic materials in the Archive demonstrate the technologies used to produce the banknotes and the important design solutions which were arrived at during the various stages of development, particularly those regarding the security requirements of the notes.

The reference material in the Archive includes photographs taken by David Moore of kangaroos and emus at Taronga Zoo which were used as models for the armorial bearers on the coat of arms on the $1 note; the actual ears of wheat used as models for the wheat on the $2 banknote featuring William Farrer; and copy photographs from the Mitchell Library's Holtermann collection of goldfields negatives used as background for the $10 banknote featuring Henry Lawson.

The Archive contains correspondence documenting the negotiations of the Currency Note Design Group with the Reserve Bank; the scheduling of Andrew's work; the fees paid to him; intaglio work done by Organisation Giori, Milan; the forwarding to Andrews of various stages of the notes; letters of congratulations on the 1966 issue, including one from Drysdale; the production of the $5 note; and the Aboriginal artist, Malangi, whose bark painting was incorporated in the $1 note.

The earlier Gordon Andrews Archive acquired by the Museum (89/735) also includes some material re the design of the banknotes, plus other work done for the Reserve Bank of Australia - that is, their logo and designs for murals, graphics and signage for the Bank's Note Printing Works at Craigieburn, Victoria.

The Note Printing Works also has a banknote archive with much original Andrews material including drawings.

The archive is arranged by banknote denomination, as follows:

One Dollar Note (Queen & Aboriginal design) 92/194 - 1:133

Two Dollar Note (Macarthur & Farrer) 92/194 - 134:207

Five Dollar Note (Banks & Chisholm) 92/194 - 208:420

Ten Dollar Note (Greenway & Lawson) 92/194 - 421:679

Twenty Dollar Note (Kingsford Smith & Hargrave) 92/194 - 680:822

Fifty Dollar Note (Florey & Clunies Ross) 92/194 - 823:1191

Miscellaneous 92/194 - 1192:1377

Early Experiments in Plastic Notes 92/194 - 1192:1242

Printed Matter 92/194 - 1243:1246

Miscellaneous Correspondence 92/194 - 1247:1272

Technical Matters 92/194 - 1273:1331

Miscellaneous Items 92/194 - 1332:1377

Miscellaneous Security Patterns 92/194 - 1378:1480

Made: Andrews, Gordon; Sydney; 1963 - 1973

92/194

1963 - 1973