Keeping in Touch

Newsletter for New Zealand History Federation Inc Volume 9 Issue 3 July 2015 www.nzhistoricalsocieties.org.nz

Right: Hon Peter Dunne, Minister of Internal Affairs (left), with Neil Curgenven. Photo: R Astridge.

Below: Lunch at KATE, Onslow Historical Society rooms. Photo: L Truttman

Above: National War Memorial Carillon, Wellington. Photo: L Truttman

Images from the 2015 NZ Federation Conference and Annual General Meeting, held in Wellington. More info inside.

Calendar

2015

27 July to 2 August — HMS Buffalo Commemoration and Homecoming Week

5 September 2015 Auckland Regional Heritage Gathering — Torbay Historical Society

September 2015 Wellington Regional Heritage Festival

Late September –early October 2015 Auckland Heritage Festival

Next issue due out October 2015 Contact Lisa Truttman (editor) : 19 Methuen Road, Avondale, Auckland 0600,phone (09) 828-8494 or email [email protected] Views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the New Zealand History Federation Inc. New Zealand History Federation Inc 44th Annual General Meeting and Conference, 8 to 10 May 2015 hosted at K.A.T.E 86 Khandallah Road, Khandallah, Wellington, by Onslow Historical Society and New Zealand History Federation Inc

The attendees were warmly welcomed on Saturday During the formal Annual General Meeting, an obi- 9 May at KATE by Murray Pillar of the Onslow tuary was read out for Penny Ross, past committee Historical Society. The Society was established member of the Federation. Robin Astridge stepped 1968 by Bob Myer, and has produced the Onslow down from the Federation Committee, after over 30 Historical Magazine since 1970. Their archive has years involvement. He had been elected as Presi- been collected over 45 years. They recently em- dent at the Otaki Conference in 1983. ployed someone for sorting and cataloguing. At the Outgong President Neil Algar was presented with time of the conference, their current exhibition an honorary life membership of the Federation. focussed on the North Road.

The following were elected as the incoming com- KATE (the Khandallah Automatic Telephone mittee for 2015-2016. Exchange Building), the site of the AGM, was designed in 1918 and built in 1922. It came under a President: Lisa Truttman (Avondale-Waterview/ demolition order in the 1980s. The OHS lobbied Point Chevalier) Jonathan Hunt who was then Postmaster general. Vice-President: Kenneth Stringer (Waikato) The building was saved, the Society moved in Secretary/Treasurer: Neil Curgenven (Bulls) 1992, tidied and strengthened the building, an held Committee: an opening exhibition in 1994. Neil Algar (Matamata) Jim Black (Avondale-Waterview) Peter Dunne, local MP for Ohariu and Minister of Jim Baker (Patea) Internal Affairs, was the guest speaker. He Wynne HaySmith (Helensville) welcomed the attendees, and acknowledged Neil Garth Houltham (Mt Roskill/NZ Fencibles) Algar and Robin Astridge. He said he was keenly Jack Ingram (Tauranga) aware of the huge level of interest in NZ history, and referred to historical societies, Alexander Turnbull Library, and Archives NZ (his portfolio ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2014 including both Archives NZ and National Library). NEW ZEALAND HISTORY Recently, to aid research into the WWI centenary, FEDERATION INC 141,000 personnel service files were made available online. The digitisation partnership with This is the first annual report of the New Zealand Family Search.com and Archives NZ has allowed History Federation Inc following the name change historical probates to progressively become availa- at the 2014 AGM from the New Zealand ble online as well. He acknowledged the work Federation of Historical Societies Inc. The inten- done by historical society volunteers and the range tion of the new name was to signal that its aims and of material held by these societies. “Look to the interests include more than just those of historical past to create your future” (Maori proverb). He societies and that it welcomes membership by any advised that the Treaty of Waitangi was being individuals and groups who have an interest in his- shifted at the moment from Archives NZ to a space tory. You could say it has a broad brief. Most in National Library to be preserved for the next members are from the ranks of the volunteers or 500 years, and was keen to see libraries and ar- amateurs, and while it aims at helping members to chives around the country have a concerted achieve high standards in everything they do it has approach to their records. Discussions are under- what could be called a more relaxed attitude than way with NZ Fire Service and Dept. of Defence might be apparent in a professional organisation. regarding protection and preservation of their archives and heritage items. It is early days under the new name, and there has not yet been an obvious surge in membership. No July 2015 3

So called 'social media' do appear to some people to carry as many disad- vantages as advantages, but having email to communicate with others is so much faster than the post, and putting up-to-date information on websites so much more efficient that we must move into those areas and get accustomed to using them. Then we will be more likely to attract those people who we think should be waking up to the importance of history. For those in the museums busi- ness, recent IT developments such as QR and PingX will be bringing large amounts of information to smart phones which will increasingly be expected by younger age groups in shops as well as museums. At the 2015 AGM Neil Curgenven, who Outgoing President Neil Algar (left) receiving the has been delving deeply into these, will update at- honorary membership certificate from Robin tendees, and significant progress is expected in Astridge (right). Eunice Algar seated. Photo: L 2015.

The Federation website is updated regularly, and is other New Zealand-wide group has quite the same the easiest way for members to know what is hap- aims, and it is the voice of this sector which is larg- pening. If any errors are found or improvements er than many people appreciate. The Federation suggested. Wynne HaySmith is the one to whom to encourages requests for assistance, and periodically communicate, and she will also help in getting pro- makes submissions in support of a member. fessional assistance to improve a member's website. As has been said, this is an important way of Membership at the end of the year was a little static having information easily available, and many over last year. The total number of individuals members use Facebook as well. The history of directly or indirectly involved is too numerous to changes in the way information is made available - state with all our volunteers: and accessed would make interesting reading and be immediately out-of-date.

Member societies (82) Member institutes (44) Looking for a rise with Despite the growth of electronic communication, our work in Saving History KIT, the newsletter circulated several times a year Associates (49) by Lisa Truttman, and NZ Legacy, produced and widely distributed to members and subscribers by Activity has been steady if not spectacular, and the the Editorial Board, would usually be our best Federation knows it should be pro-active as well as means of communication. We are grateful for the responding to requests for assistance. Membership work that goes into them, and remind everyone that is generally but not exclusively from what might be items of interest or articles to be published more - called the older age groups. High in their minds is than just accepted they are encouraged and wel- the acknowledgement that if they want to promote comed. interest in history it has to be done in a way which will reach and appeal to generations younger than During 2014 a seminar was held, as part of Auck- themselves. Within the Federation, indeed within land's October Heritage Week, on New Zealand member organisations, quick and easy communica- house design, conducted by Jeremy Salmond, a tion and availability of information is becoming heritage architect and our Patron Anne Salmond's more and more important. husband. It was organised by Kenneth Stringer who has in the past arranged similar seminars, for 4 July 2015 which we are grateful. There was a good attendance Thanks again from the membership and from me and was it very interesting. personally to all the committee members for their efforts. They are all different with a wide range of Of course these events attract people from only a skills, assuming portfolios which they concentrate part New Zealand, which continually reminds us that on, an ideal state for a committee. They have vigor- in our geographically challenged country an organi- ous discussions together and have developed firm sation like the Federation will always have trouble friendships. The emails are frequent. However even getting members together, and that most its events without the loss of committee members over time, are regional, not national. They are well attended and the Federation needs new faces with new ideas to valuable. The Federation gives all the help it can. join the committee. It is not a big commitment.

Neil Curgenven has given advice and sometimes, as Please consider nomination. provided for from the Federation's funds, a short term loan to assist a member wanting help in pub- Neil Algar, lishing a book. This is something that does not get PRESIDENT much publicity but is a very useful service. Thanks to Neil for giving his time so freely.

The 2014 Annual Conference and AGM at Te Awamutu had a good attendance. Robin Astridge Penelope (Penny) Ross has a great interest and understanding of the land passed away 22 April 2015 wars, which of course everyone should have because they are of great historical importance. He organized It is with sadness that I advise of the passing of and conducted bus tours, both before and after the Penny Ross and extend to her family Federation’s conference, of significant sites on General Camer- deepest sympathy. on’s route as he campaigned down to a culmination at Orakau. A number of people joined the tours and Penny was a stalwart of the New Zealand History properly observed the 150th anniversary of its finale, Federation Inc. (then known as NZ Federation of the battle of Orakau Pa. Historical Societies Inc.) in its earlier days. She filled the role of Secretary from 1981 to 1984, then a dual Robin has been more than anyone else the person to role of Secretary/Treasurer 1984 to 1990 and finally thank for the ongoing existence of the Federation. that of Treasurer 1990 to 1992 – an outstanding After being a very important part of it over many length of time filling those demanding offices. years, including being President, he reduced his involvement a number years ago, only to return and When these “jobs” are put down on paper it barely help revive it when the administration was failing. reflects on what other “duties” Penny filled during He served several more years as President, then those ten years. On an individual basis Penny was my 'retired' from that role and was a committee member, “rock” when I became a very raw President in 1983 – being appointed to the informal position of Liaison for which I am eternally grateful. Her dependability, Officer. As such he spent a lot of time and effort vis- accuracy and diligence made my task a lot simpler. - iting member and non member groups in different Add to this the fact that the Executive met for a num- parts of the country to see what they were doing, find ber of years in Penny’s home at Tawa and as mem- their problems and generally stimulate interest. For bers were from throughout the country she also acted this the Federation is most grateful. He has signalled as hostess to us and provided accommodation over- he does not want to hold any office now, but he will night. Federation’s annual AGM and Conference retain his interest not only in the Federation's activi- held at the Police College, Porirua, in 1987 was or- ties but as a keen and enquiring researcher into histo- ganised by Penny and enjoyed by all. ry. Upon her retirement from the Executive Penny be- I have reached the time to hand the position of Presi- came an Associate Member, a membership she con- dent to someone else. I have enjoyed it, but as with tinued until her passing. She and her late husband the committee it needs a different face and an injec- Jim, attended many AGM/Conferences until health tion of new energy. My thanks to all I have worked issues made travel difficult but there was always an with, and I will continue to do what I can to promote apology for not being in attendance! In all her Feder- the Federation. ation activities Jim gave her his full support – I can July 2015 5 still taste the beach driftwood BBQs that we en- Auckland Regional Gathering joyed at their Tawa home! 5 September 2015 hosted by Rest in peace Penny – a rest well deserved. Torbay Historical Society

Robin Astridge

April 2015

Waikato / BOP Regional Gathering 27 June 2015 at Te Aroha & Districts Museum The Torbay Historical Society is planning to hold the Auckland Regional Heritage event on Saturday 5 September 2015. The Waikato/Bay of Plenty Regional Meeting was a very successful occasion. About 20 people attended We will meet at ‘St. Mary by the Sea’ church hall in from nine societies. Te Aroha did a wonderful job as Deep Creek Road, Torbay in the morning for meeting the host society and will forward minutes of the and talks. event in the next few days. Waikato Historical Soci- ety in Hamilton will be the host for the event next After lunch we will travel (private car) to the Vaughan year. Apologies from: Lisa Truttman, Wynne Homestead, Long Bay Regional Park for afternoon tea HaySmith, Garth Houltham and Jim Black were and a look at the exhibits etc. at the Homestead. presented to the meeting.

The cost (includes lunch etc.) will be about $20 each. Neil Curgenven facilitated the highlight of the meeting with his address on Quick Response. (QR) This Details of times, cost etc. will be with the registration session generated many questions with Neil present- forms to be finalised and sent to members’ groups. ing good answers.

The remainder of the meeting consisted of: brief accounts from all of the participating societies, slides on the moon landing and the bombing Society News & Views of Pearl Harbor, a presentation on Te Aroha as a thermal bathing resort and viewing the museum as well as the storage facility. Ashburton Museum

Kenneth Stringer (From their July newsletter) “Lately my main focus has been on our new irrigation project – a large touch screen with photos and facts about the history of irrigation in the district and anoth- Do YOU have an important event coming up in er screen with interviews of people involved in devel- the next 12 months (or longer)??? oping irrigation. It has been a big job but the first, and Let us know, so we can include YOUR EVENT I hope hardest, part is over and I can think about a few on the newsletter calendar. other things. One of those things is a recent donation of large size glass negatives, about 80 of them, taken in the 1890s by a photographer, Mr Palmer, who lived and worked in Rakaia. With the way the photographic industry has changed in recent years there are few SHARE THE MESSAGE

If this issue of Keeping in Touch came to your society by email, why not forward it to others in your society Continued on page 8. so they can read it too? 6 July 2015

Howick and Districts Historical Society and their Village is alive and well

(A feature from Judy Wilson, editor of the HDHS newsletter) The years since the Howick Historical Village opened in 1980, have seen this small glimpse at the past mature and develop. The changes have been gradual, with the maturing of the trees and gardens and the addition of a few more historic cottages and features. The Howick and Districts Historical Society which owns and operates the Village, can look back on the 53 years of their existence with pride in the grit and determination of countless members who have achieved so much.

At the beginning of the Village, all of the physical work was done by volunteers, and some of them such as Alan La Roche and Pamela Taylor, are still giving their time to the cause. Initially the staffing and fundraising was also done by volunteers, but there has been a steady evolution and moving on to keep step with contempo- rary practice for small museums. The years have found the governing commit- tees seek ongoing Council funding and consistent applications for project funding from contestable grants, for the Village presents a never-ending persistent demand for repairs and maintenance.

Old to begin with, the cottages have been moved to the site, a traumatic experience Live Day at the forge. Photo supplied. in itself, and the re-siting and restoration was done with great passion, but the moti- vation for complete authenticity has proved costly. Many of the foundations were done using non- tanalised timber and the trees, though now tall and gracious create a damp environment. In addition, the original wooden tiled roofs need constant retiling, corrugated iron roofs often demand new iron, and the repainting of the cottages is ongoing. This is all expensive stuff, and an aging volunteer workforce struggled to keep up.

However, it has been done, and continues to be done. Manukau City Council and now the Howick Local Board, have fund- ed staff positions of general management from 2004 and museum qualified collections management from 2006, and the slow process of upgrading care of the collections and the buildings was been implemented, aided by some sizable grants. A few years ago the governance was moved to a Board, and people with specific skills and knowledge were head-hunted. There is now a schedule of maintenance for the next five years, a dedicated team seeking the necessary grants, and a clear direction towards the future. The long awaited Collections Building remains elusive, but

still has a place in future planning. Collections interns cleaning old books, April 2007. Photo supplied. July 2015 7

Then and Now views of part of the Howick Historic Village. Photos supplied.

Through all these years the Education team, led at present by Sue Popping, has given thousands of children a glimpse of the past, and faithful volunteers have made the Village come alive on Live Days once a month. The textile volunteers have conserved, catalogued and presented displays of the impressive collection, the library and archives building has been extended and upgraded and the contents catalogued, and most of the collection of artefacts have been cleaned and catalogued. While some of this was done by volunteers, a programme of using interns was implemented by collections manager Debra Kane. This has resulted in thousands of hours of specialist work done for love, in order for students to gain work experience for future job applications. The Village is now one of the few museums offering this training and the present collections manager Ian Day continues to use this opportunity for mutual advantage.

Since the inception of the Village 35 years ago our world has changed and the challenge of wooing visitors remains. The Village now employs Charmaine Chapman to run the Live Days and to do publicity and promotion, and it seems that visitor numbers are gradually increasing, as is the number of school children visiting.

It’s a hard task, but no-one is giving up. There is something about this Historical Society and its Village that draws you in and once the magic has captured you, it’s hard to walk away. 8 July 2015 places left where we can have these scanned – they process of naming and indexing our collection of bi- are certainly too large for our scanners – so we are ographies.” going to send them to our friends at NZ Micrographics at Wigram. Margaret Cardiff

“We deliberately haven’t handled them but have read Otahuhu a few of the notes in them. Some relate to families and homes around Rakaia, others to a train crash at (From their July newsletter) Rakaia in 1899. It appears Mr Palmer lived near the “The Otahuhu Town Hall celebrated its 24th birthday crash site. In a letter enclosed with the negatives he on Saturday 27 June and members of the Otahuhu says he had just gone to bed when he heard the crash Historical Society enjoyed the festivities along with so he pulled on his clothes and raced out with his other regular users of the hall such as After School camera. The amazing thing about these images is programmes, Chen style Tai chi and the Nuiean that we got them at all. The elderly lady who had Handcraft group who have been weaving baskets in them was thinking of dumping them. Her daughter the Hall every Thursday for 22 years. The Otahuhu brought them to us but said if we didn’t want them Historical Society has been holding monthly meetings she was going to give them to her daughter to make a in the conference centre room since the hall opened. room divider! Maryann has put a little work into this subject and we now have some of Mr Palmer’s ad- “The Society had a display of photographs, some vertising and his World War One record to go with scrapbooks compiled by Beryl Oliver and a series of the photos.” photographs taken around Otahuhu where people had Matamata to guess the location. Not many people could guess them right probably due to the fact that people rarely Has anyone got a film editing machine? Richard walk anywhere these days. The community police Prevett has loads of film of Matamata in the 1950s were interested in the photos of old Otahuhu and had and would like to edit and splice them. If anyone has a good grasp of the local topography. There was not a one or knows someone who has, please contact lot of interest in our display but it was a good oppor- Neil: [email protected] tunity to raise our profile within the community. It was very nice to meet other town hall users and their families and there was birthday cake to be had.” Okato & Districts

And Otahuhu HS are now on Facebook: From letter received April 2015 https://www.facebook.com/otahuhuhistory “It is with sadness that I tell you of the death of Iris Putt, our stalwart member an immediate past presi- Papakura & Districts dent of the Okato and District Historical Society Inc. Iris was one of our ‘mainstays’ and her loss is felt keenly. She had bee a member since the 2nd meeting (An interesting piece from their June/July newsletter) back in 1995 and held office for much of that time. Takanini’s Wonder Dirt “Once upon a time dirt dug out of the ground in Taka- “Having been a participant in both the centenary and nini was highly prized and shipped far and wide. It the 125th, she was so looking forward to the com- was not common and ordinary garden variety dirt, or memorative gathering for the district sesquicentenni- even the nutriment rich scrapings from around al and had done a great deal of work assembling rec- Takanini’s racing stables. This was a special deposit ords and photos and had just completed another al- of diatomaceous white earth. Diatomaceous White bum when she developed an inoperable brain tumour Earth (DE) was formed over millions of years in the and was gone in a month, on 3rd January 2015. bottom of the sea from the remains of many billions of diatoms, which are minute single cell algae with a - “It was a scramble for our small team to assemble a largely silica exo skeletal structure. It becomes a very very credible display for ‘our’ part of the weekend of fine and pure white earth, left behind when oceans events, a parade, memories and fun. We now have retreat, lakes dry out, or land is uplifted by nature’s 1,000s of photos scanned so can now supply copies, forces. DE can be comprised of up to 90% silica, as well as having traces of many other minerals. for a small charge, of school, many sports teams and personnel photos and documents. We are in the July 2015 9

DE has a surprising number of uses. You quite likely tadpoles from the pits. As a large bare vegetation-free have unknowingly eaten some in the last day or two. area, it was a popular meeting place for local families It is found in toothpastes and a number of food pow- each 5th November when community Guy Fawkes der type products, where it helps prevent caking as bonfires were lit and fireworks let off.” well as acting as a natural insecticide. DE is very ef- TJC fective in killing hard-backed nasty insects, such as Papatoetoe fleas, lice, bed bugs, weevils and cockroaches. Large amounts of the DE are regularly added to bulk stock (From the Society’s June newsletter) food.

“Erina Runciman, one of our inaugural members “Diatomaceous earth and its uses were discovered in turned 100 years on 25 May. She moved to the nineteenth century. It was first found in Germany Papatoetoe with her parents Marion & George in c1837 by a waggoneer sinking a well. It is still of- Runciman and her sister Lorna in 1920. Her parents ten known by its original German name of kieselguhr. were retired farmers. They settled on an 8 acre block A German engineer named Wilhelm Berkefeld real- of land in St George Street next to what is now the ised its filtration properties and his water filters were Papatoetoe Central School. The house was named used in 1892 to help stop a cholera epidemic in Rapamare. Erina attended the school next door and Hamburg. Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, Epsom Girls Grammar School. She would leave home discovered that adding DE to his explosive mixture for grammar school at 7.40 am and walk to the train made it more stable. These days DE is used for filter- and arrive home again at 5 pm and would then usually ing a huge range of food products, including beer, do her homework. wine, sugar, honey and many types of syrup. It is used in everything from high tech processes in chemi- “In the early days the centre of Erina’s life was what cal laboratories to helping clean your home swim- is now named St Johns Presbyterian Church. Some of ming pool. Because it is also absorbent it is used for the highlights included being taken to the Sunday cleaning up toxic spills and even as cat litter. Some School picnic on a hay wagon and wearing a new people believe that eating straight DE is good for white dress for the Sunday School anniversary ser- them and there is some evidence that it might kill in- vices. Erina began playing tennis on the church ternal parasites, although not many medical experts courts, and in due course graduated to the "big advise eating too much of the raw product. Not all DE club" (Papatoetoe Lawn Tennis Club). Erina became is created equal, some are more pure than others, Ladies Champion and a Life Member for her service some are rated food-safe and others not. It is reported to the club over many years. She also became a Life that the Takanini ‘wonder dirt’ was often used in the Member of the Papatoetoe Badminton Club. In 1927 manufacture of Taniwha soap, and also the once Erina joined the Girl Guides soon after it started in popular cleaning product Clever Mary. Papatoetoe, and later took on the position of Lieuten- ant for some years, before leaving to go on a trip to “The Takanini deposit was a very small one by world England in 1937. In 1962 Erina was on the organising standards. According to memories published in the committee for the Papatoetoe Central School Takanini School 50th Jubilee Booklet in 1998, “It centenary celebrations. was originally worked in the 1920s with very primi- tive equipment by a genial Maori named George “Today Erina continues to take an interest in what is Topia. Later a Mr Bateman took it over and, after a happening in Papatoetoe and regularly attends church number of others had operated the plant the accessible and Probus. The Runciman family has a number of bed was worked out and the factory was closed.” It connections to South Auckland. Erina’s grandfather was not long after the end of World War II that the Robert owned a block of land in Carruth Road which closure occurred .Some older Takanini identities still was previously & originally named Runciman Lane. remember as school children being taken to see the The settlement of Runciman near Drury is named af- White Earth Mill in the 1940s. It was well known in ter the Thomas (Tom) Runciman branch of the fami- Takanini. Situated at the end of Graham’s Road, lo- ly. Tom’s daughter Jane married William John Young cals walked past it when they went to swim at who later bought the Grange Farm where the golf Takanini Beach, a nice sandy harbour beach in the course is today. Jane’s niece Elizabeth Linton Macky days before the motorway. Later, when it was an in- Runciman, the daughter of James & Margaret teresting ruin of water filled pits and old disintegrat- Runciman, was the first person to be christened in the ing drying rooms; children played there and collected Papatoetoe Presbyterian Church.” 10 July 2015

Patea “Piper Alan Murgatroyd led the congregation to near the grave, and later in the service, whilst poppies Gordon Hughson, a foundation member of the histor- were being laid on the grave, played his composition ical society, died on 18 February 2015. Born in 1927 entitled, Mist of the Mountains. in Opunake, he was educated there, studied farming at Massey University, an then spent time farming in “The service included addresses from representatives the Tirau district. He returned to manage the family of the NZ Fire Service, the Grant family and the bookshop in Opunake in 1948. They were engaged Hawera Volunteer Fire Brigade, together with recita- in 1954, and Gordon worked in the Patea branch of tions, prayers and the Last Post and Reveille (Bugler: the Taranaki-wide Hughson shops. AMUS Nick Hall, RNZN Band).

“Afternoon tea followed at the Glen Eden RSA He was a JP, an elder of the Presbyterian/Methodist clubrooms. His great-niece donated his medal to the church, foundation member of the local Lions Club, Auckland Fire Brigade museum. This gesture was and as member of the historical society helped to es- received with great accolade at the function.” tablish the freezing works display in Egmont Street, after buying a disused bank for the purpose. When the Patea freezing works closed, he helped setup the local Public Relations Committee to attract other in- dustries to Patea. He was mayor of Patea for 12 years from 1968. It was only towards the end of his life, with increasing ill-health, that he later moved to Wanganui, where he passed away.

(Info from Patea & Waverley Press, April 2015, p. 1)

Remuera

Remuera Heritage and the Remuera Railway Station Preservation Trust have commissioned Burgess & Treep, architects, to update the conservation plan for the Remuera railway station, with a focus on the interior. The original plan was done in 1992 and pri- marily focused on the exterior. The exterior was ex- tensively restored by the trust in the 1990s but the interior still needs conservation work to make it usea- ble for community use. Graeme Burgess and Lilli Knight will have the plan ready by the beginning of August 2015.

West Auckland

(From their July newsletter)

“Trevor Pollard QSM (past President of the Society, and past firechief of Titirangi Volunteeer Fire Brigade) attended the memorial service honouring firefighters at Waikumete Cemetery to honour firefighters who served in the First World War and all conflicts before and after. It was held on 21 June 2015 at the grave of former firefighter, 2nd Lieutenant John Gildroy Grant, VC. Originally from Hawera, John Grant was awarded the Victoria Cross J G Grant is on the right beside fellow VC winners for his acts of valour on Bancourt Ridge, France, on Harry Laurent and Leslie Andrew. Image via Ceno- 1st September 1918., and he was the only firefighter taph. in New Zealand to have received the VC. July 2015 11

Society webpages on the Come to the Rangiriri Heritage Café & Rangiriri Heritage Centre! Federation website

Interested in having a web page on the We offer a warm friendly welcome to customers for Federation’s site? Contact Wynne HaySmith morning tea and lunch in our village atmosphere, ([email protected]) or the Editor for more and cater for tourists, school groups, clubs and trav- details. elling New Zealanders. Enjoy a variety of home cooking with our tea and coffee, with a range of sa- vouries, sandwiches, cakes & biscuits & hot meals. We can also provide pre ordered lunches of your choice.

The Rangiriri Heritage Café & Rangiriri Heritage Centre is situated south of Auckland between Mer- cer and Huntly and 5 minutes from the Hampton Downs Motor Sport Park.

* Display memorabilia is of the Waikato Land War and pioneering times.

An online archive of newsletters for the Wellington * A 10 minute DVD that tells the story of the 1863

Region going back to 2010. including newsletters Battle of Rangiriri. from Heritage New Zealand and Keeping in Touch * Conference room available.

can be found here: * Information * Quiet sunny courtyard

http://www.wrhpc.org.nz/library/ Toilets on site. Easy parking for buses. Easy walk to Historic Cemetery & Te Whero Redoubt. Eastern Hutt School Centenary October 2015 Open 6 days. Closed Monday during winter.

We are holding centenary celebrations for Eastern Rangiriri Heritage Café & Rangiriri Heritage Centre

Hutt School in Lower Hutt, New Zealand over La- 12 Rangiriri Road bour Weekend this year (23 and 24 October, 2015). Rangiriri

Eastern Hutt School has been an important institu- Email: [email protected] Phone: 07 826 3667 tion in central Lower Hutt for many years.

All past and present pupils, staff, Committee mem- UNESCO Memory of the World bers and parents of Eastern Hutt School are invited to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Eastern Hutt NZ register School. On Labour Weekend, 23-24 October 2015, we will have a fun, interactive and colourful week- Submissions for inscriptions onto the UNESCO end that will honour the past and present school, its Memory of the World New Zealand documentary students and staff. We plan to celebrate and remem- heritage register for 2015 close on 31 August. Suc- ber Eastern Hutt School through the years. This will cessful inscriptions will be announced later this year. be a great opportunity to renew old friendships and make new friends. Visit the Memory of the World New Zealand website www.unescomow.org.nz to learn more about the Information is available about the event on our Memory of the World Programme and find out if school website at http://www.easternhutt.school.nz/ your heritage documents meet the criteria for the ehs-centenary-celebrations.html, our Eastern Hutt documentary heritage register, and how to make a School Centenary Facebook site, or via email submission. For help with completing the nomina- at [email protected]. tion form email [email protected]. Other Organisations While Steele is thought of as a New Zealand painter, he lived over half of his life in the Northern Hemisphere, arriving here aged 44. He first trained at the Royal Acade- Death of Tim Beaglehole my, London, then the École des Beaux Arts, Paris, before returning to London. Much is yet to be discovered about Tim Beaglehole, former Chancellor of Victoria Uni- Steele’s career in England. Steele’s painting style was versity, passed away from pneumonia in late July highly academic. As such paintings came to be seen as - aged 82. The following comes via an email from Ren- old fashioned he has faded from view. However, his dell McIntosh of Alberton, from Heritage New Zea- works are well represented in the collections of Auckland Art Gallery and Te Papa. land. I am doing my PhD at the University of Auckland looking “Tim Beaglehole was Chairperson of the New at the influence Steele had on New Zealand art in the pe- Zealand Historic Places Trust from 1990-1996. The riod from his arrival in 1886 to his death in 1918. I be- Minister of Conservation, writing to him at the end of lieve he was quite a significant figure and the extent of his tenure as Chairperson, acknowledged that “your his influence is yet to be fully acknowledged. As New tenure has covered a difficult period for the organisa- Zealand’s first art histories are revised and questioned it tion and a time of rapid change in public administra- is my view that his place needs to be reassessed. Prior to tion generally, and that this has placed a heavy burden starting my PhD I was a curator at Auckland Art Gallery on you as Chairperson. You have contributed the dis- for nine years (finishing in 2012). I worked largely with tinctive and highly relevant expertise and logic of a the historic New Zealand collection and became interested in Steele’s work while working there. historian. This has been combined with a very marked personal commitment to the Trust and a deep under- I am interested to know about any works by Steele, or standing of its strictures and objectives.” materials relating to him such as correspondence, in public or private collections. There are a number of major “During his tenure as Chairperson he oversaw major works by him that are currently ‘missing’, possibly lost, changes in legislation (Historic Places Act 1993 and that I am particularly interested in finding. These include Resource Management Act 1991), Crown funding of a drawing for The Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi NZHPT, and a review of New Zealand’s historic and (once at Sacred Heart College, Auckland), and the paint- cultural heritage management by the Parliamentary ings The Last Stand of Captain Starlight, The Story of a Commissioner for the Environment. He was very in- Saddle and The Crucifixion (previously at St Benedict’s, Newton). terested in the conservation of Pompallier, a huge conservation project that was completed during his If you own any works by Steele or have information tenure.” about him I would be delighted to hear from you.

Jane Davidson-Ladd 09 623 7001 / [email protected] Looking for Louis J Steele (1842–1918)

From the time of his arrival in 1886, Louis J.Steele was one of Auckland’s leading painters. Today his name is known to just a few, but during his own lifetime he was a highly influential figure with his paintings often named “the picture of the exhibition” at the annual Auckland Society of Art shows. He sought to professionalise art in Auckland, and many artists benefitted from his tuition, including Charles Goldie.

Steele was highly ambitious. While most artists in Auck- land were painting small landscapes, he created large- scale paintings taking Maori and New Zealand history as his subject. He was also interested in portraiture, portray- ing Sir John Logan Campbell and Sir George Grey amongst many others. Additionally he depicted horses and other animals, dabbled in sculpture, illustrated maga- zines, designed stamps and even a flag.