The collection comprises approximately 2300 items, of which almost 1000 are personal letters. The majority of these were written by Bertie to Mathilde whilst he was on active service during the Second World War, or whilst she was holidaying in Europe with her parents Max & Lily Sonnenberg.
The papers document the life style and activities of a wealthy and privileged white Jewish family living in the Cape in the 20th century. The certificates,photographs,newspaper cuttings and official awards (listed "A" in the collection) show the public life of the Sterns, and their diverse interests, from religion and community work to music and theatre, and in particular their shared concern for children - from the nursery to adolescence. It is in the personal letters (listed "B" in the collection, and restricted until 2027), that their private lives, feelings and values are revealed. Bertie was an eloquent and prolific letter writer and wrote to his wife every few days when they were apart, telling her of each day's activities - who he had seen, what he had eaten, etc.and how he missed her. After his official retirement, when he and Mathilde travelled abroad extensively together, Bertie's letters to his adult children became fascinating travel diaries. A bound copy of one of these is included in the collection. It would appear that Mathilde also wrote many letters but these have not been included in the collection.. Mathilde was the collector in the family, and this is why the collection contains mostly items addressed to her, and why these have been preserved.
The oldest items in the collection are photocopies of documents of the Sonnenberg family dating back to 1829. The most recent document is a computer print-out copy of the life story of the Sterns by Jill Fletcher, (a friend of the family), which she compiled after the deaths of Bertie and Mathilde (in 1993 & 1994). She called this "Beloved Friends". A copy was received by UCT Libraries in 1996.
The following items in the collection are of particular note:
1. Letters from Lily Sonnenberg's uncle to her mother (brother and sister), reporting that he was safe and had survived a train attack during the South African Boer War.He recounts the ambush and its aftermath in graphic detail. (dated 1901)
2. An informal typed and signed note from Lord Baden-Powell, to a Mr Schreiber requesting him to be the piano accompanyist at a concert at which B-P intended to sing.
3. A considerable quantity of items covering the background and life of Max Sonnenberg, the founder of Woolworths in SA. These include a mounted oversize photograph of his wedding in 1906, to Lily Isaacs.
4. Photographs of Upington, the home of Bertie's parents, at the turn of the century.
5. A list of german books donated to UCT Libraries in 1960.
In addition to the personalised documents of the Stern family, which have been donated to the UCT Libraries, other items were deposited at specialised institutions by Bertie himself. He gave his war memorabilia to the Military and Maritime Museum at the Cape Town Castle; and the records of the Masque Theatre, tracing its history, to the South African Library. (MSB 919)