Robert Mackenzie Fraser (1851-1921) was born in Scotland. In 1881 he was appointed by the Presbyterian Churches of Tasmania as their first missionary to the New Hebrides where he died at the Paton Memorial Hospital, Vila. He married twice and had eight children.

This three-part collection consists of the writings of various members of the Fraser family: Part 1 - letters and diary of Jessie Fraser (nee Mellis) Fraser's first wife; Part II - a diary by Ruth Fraser Davies, Fraser's daughter from his second marriage; Part III - part of an unpublished autobiography by Dr Vernon Davies, DSO, MD, MRACP, PhD (Ruth's husband), the doctor who attended Fraser in Vila.<BR>Part I is a typescript of 127 pages covering the period August 1881 to April 1911. It was compiled by Mary Cambell Pollard, Jessie's eldest daughter and only surviving child. It consists mostly of Jessie's letters and brief journals sent to her family in Scotland but includes letters by Fraser. Jessie's letters describe the journey to Epi where they arrived on 4 August 1882, domestic matters, food, furnishings, livestock, the garden, other missionary families, traders, mariners and government agents whom she met or visited, and daily activities in general. The letters are a revealing insight into her life as a missionary wife - the isolation and lack of 'motherly' support, the frequent illnesses with little or no medical assistance and long periods alone.<BR>Part II is the diary kept by Ruth Fraser when she accompanied her father to Burumba to help him complete some translations of the Scriptures into the local language. The diary is in two exercise books (a total of 93 pages) and covers the period 15 May 1920 to 28 August 1921. For Ruth it was a return to the place of her childhood and she gives detailed descriptions of the people and places familiar to her, the re-establishment of their home, their domestic activities and the work of the church which she shared with her father. She also gives details of the ships which called or passed by and the names of friends and people they met or associated with during the visit, including many of the local people.<BR>Part III is a chapter, 'Two Hospitals', from the unpublished autobiography of Dr Vernon Davies Step-child of the Twentieth Century. Dr Davies took up his appointment to the Paton Memorial Hospital in 1920 under the Presbyterian Church of Victoria. Dr Davies cared for Fraser during his illness and officiated at his funeral service on Fila Island. The typescript (19 pages) is devoted to his time in the New Hebrides and describes the work of the hospital, local politics, characters and events.