The New Guinea Society was set up at a meeting in Canberra on 31 July 1957, following a call for expressions of interest from Ralph Bulmer, Margaret McArthur, Murray Groves, and others. The Society was based in Canberra and drew most of its membership from the Australian National University, the Commonwealth Department of Territories, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Professor J. W. Davidson, then-dean of the Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, required all PhD students in the Research School of Pacific Studies to belong to the Society, which shaped, and was shaped in turn, by this generation of academics.
The meetings were held under Chatham House rules, meaning members were allowed to freely use the information from the meeting discussions without revealing the identity of the speakers. This was very important, as many government officials involved in the governance of the Australian-controlled territory of Papua New Guinea were members. These rules allowed Sir Paul Hasluck, then Minister for Territories, to discuss policies affecting Papua New Guinea among a broad group of academics with a wide range of first-hand knowledge of the country during their fieldwork experiences, before the policies were announced by the government. Papers and findings were presented at regular meetings. The society gradually ended activity and disbanded in 1965.
