Nonetheless, a number of papers were retained as part of private collections belonging to individual members, some given with permission, others preserved by circumstance. These form the surviving fragments of what may be regarded as the Whare Ra corpus.
In time, many of these collections came under custodial care, both in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom. Each holds electronic or photocopy duplicates of much of this material, ensuring their preservation.
In addition to the principal collections listed below, there exist several smaller archives — also in custodianship — which contain advanced or restricted material from the higher grades, originating from Adepts such as Archie Shaw and John von Dadelszen, both ex-Chiefs of the Order. For reasons of propriety and clarity, these smaller collections are not described here. Taken together, however, they complete the broader picture of the Order’s working corpus as it survived after the closure of Whare Ra.
What follows is a brief outline of the scope and provenance of the main collections.
The Salt Collection — These papers were in the possession of Frank Salt, who had been the Order’s last Demonstrator (Praemonstrator). A mixture of handwritten notebooks and official papers from both the Outer and Inner Orders, extending up to the 7=4 grade. An incomplete curriculum, but with a number of different copies of several grade rituals. Includes a set of God-Forms for the grades. Some of these were sent to Salt by Osbourne, after the closure of Whare Ra and on instruction from von Dadelszen. Preserved in the United Kingdom.
The Wilkinson Collection — These papers were held by Percy Wilkinson, an Adeptus Major at Whare Ra. A working set of notes and official papers covering the Outer and Inner Orders up to 6=5. It is a relatively complete collection of the papers in the Order’s syllabus. They were later used by the Horus Temple that operated briefly in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, in the 1990s. Held in custodial care in New Zealand.
The Taylor Collection — This small but significant group of official papers and rituals includes Mrs Felkin’s personal copy of an early Stella Matutina 5=6 ritual. These papers were passed on to Pat and Chris Zalewski by Taylor and are now held in custodial care in the United Kingdom.
The Renn Collection — A large collection comprising original Golden Dawn, Alpha et Omega, Stella Matutina and Sun Order papers. These belonged to Charles and Beryl Renn, who transferred from the Hermes Temple in Bristol to Whare Ra in the early 1960s. While not technically Whare Ra, the collection’s overlap is considerable and its historical importance is high. Preserved in the United Kingdom.
The Osborne Collection — These came from David Osborne, who preserved them from among those he was instructed to destroy. They consist mostly of official Temple-copy rituals, containing comparatively few diagrams (for practical reasons), up to 7=4. Many of these date from the first decade of Whare Ra. Held in custodial care in New Zealand.
