Objects moving in, and on!

A look at how new objects join the collection at Canterbury Museum
Erna Tidy, Canterbury Museum Associate Registrar.

Over the last year, there have been many exciting changes to our work lives at Canterbury Museum.

We’ve moved the Museum and staff to temporary new premises in Hornby and in the process some of us have moved desks multiple times. But some things haven’t changed completely.

New objects still join the collection, going through all the rigorous checks that transform them into a Museum treasure.

So, how does an object become part of the collection?

Take object 2023.10.1. It is a postcard showing George Fairbairn, who was born in Kirwee, Canterbury and served on the Western Front in World War One. It was generously donated to the Museum by his son, who is also called George Fairbairn.

A postcard featuring Lance Corporal George Fairbairn. Wrigglesworth & Binns photograph, Canterbury Museum 2023.10.1

This postcard was brought into the Museum in September 2022 and promptly placed into the Documentation and New Arrivals records system with the Object Receipt (OR) number 5003. At this stage – with the Mammoth Museum Move well underway – the OR was a vital way for us to keep track of the object.

In December, the object was moved with others from Level 2 to Level 5 to make way for the SHIFT: Urban Art Takeover exhibition. Three months later, we created a record for the postcard on our collections database, Vernon, as part of the process for bringing the object into the collection. The postcard was on the move again in early March 2023, heading to our temporary storage space in Hornby with the rest of the Documentation and New Arrivals store.

The postcard officially became part of the collection at a meeting of the Museum’s Collections Development and Management Team on 16 March 2023. At the meeting, the postcard received its unique accession number – 2023.10.1 –  allowing us to track it more precisely.

Canterbury Museum Associate Registrar Erna Tidy with postcards and photographs from World War One donated by a Christchurch family.

But the postcard’s journey was not over yet! At the end of June, the postcard, along with other new arrivals, was moved to brand new storage shelving.

Here, we prepared the postcard for cataloguing. Our hero was measured, photographed and packed on 24 July. The finalised record was checked shortly after.

Finally, the postcard was put away in the Documentary History store in a lovely acid free box amongst its peers. It was confirmed, or verified, as being labelled, locatable, and safe and sound on 2 August 2023.

Since the mammoth move began in earnest in September 2022, around 600 objects have travelled the same journey, transforming from an everyday object in our Documentation and New Arrival store, to a Museum collection item with a number and its background story.

This rigorous process not only makes sure that the object is kept safe, but also that its story is never lost.

This object and its record is the first of many to be fully checked and verified in our new home, and shows how we’ve all worked together to ensure that even the most unobtrusive new entrant never fell through the cracks during the Mammoth Museum Move.

Reposted with permission from https://www.canterburymuseum.com/explore/our-stories/an-object-becomes-part-of-the-collection. This is part two of a two-part series. To read more about George Fairbairn’s World War One experiences, read part one.

Highlight on Cheviot Museum

by Kate Nichol

Cheviot Museum is a small community owned Museum, operated with volunteers, and located in the Hurunui District. The Museum holds a substantial amount of local memorabilia and has comprehensive displays including a diorama of the discovery of a large number of moa bones in a swamp East of Cheviot. Much family and local history has been documented and there is a large collection of photographs available for viewing, some dating back to early settlement days.

Cheviot was first put on the map by William ‘Ready Money’ Robinson who established the “The Cheviot Hills Estate” in the mid-1800’s. The estate was bought by the Minister of Lands John McKenzie between 1892 and 1893 and then broken into 54 farms and the township of ‘McKenzie’ which a short time later changed to the name ‘Cheviot’. The Cheviot County Council was formed in 1895.

Our area of interest covers from the Conway to the Hurunui Bridge, from the Gore Bay coastline to the Kaiwara Hills to the west.

We began as a Historical Records Society and in 1978 we opened a purpose-built museum with funds donated by the Community.

Our museum comprises of 4 display rooms, an archives room, an office, and a work room.

Some of the history of our district revolves around Maori history as our bays were used as a feeding ground for when Maori travelled between Akaroa to Kaikoura or to the West Coast.

We have had a number of interesting people in our district including:

• Prime Ministers (George Forbes and Sir Sidney Holland)
• Prominent politician and landowner Andrew Rutherford  
• John Sinclair (1843-1928) – a very gifted man of his time, an artist, photographer, engineer, cartographer and carpenter.
• The group of Cheviot women who won sections in the Land Ballot of 1893 (an amazing feat for those days).

Then we have our military woman and men:

• Captain Charles Upham, VC & Bar.
• Commander David Bush, D.S.C. R.N.
• Squadron Leader Desmond J. Scott, D.S.O. O.B.E. D.F.C. & Bar.
• Lieutenant (A) C.T. White D.S.C. R.N.Z.V.R.
• Captain Ethel Keys – Wells, Junior Commander A.T.S. O.B.E.

We have many treasures and over 5000 photos, history on our first settlers here in Cheviot, school histories (we once had 8 schools in our district), and the history of many shops and boarding houses.

Copies of photographs and family histories are available at a nominal charge.

Our opening hours are:

Sunday 12:00pm – 3:00pm

Tuesday 12:00pm – 3:00pm

Wednesday 10:00am – 3:00pm

Friday 10:00pm – 3:00pm

Contact details: Kate 021 440 614 or cheviotmuseum@amuri.net

Nurses’ Memorial Chapel

By Wendy Maddocks

The museum is located inside the Nurses’ Memorial Chapel on Riccarton Avenue Christchurch.

The chapel was constructed in 1927 to commemorate the Christchurch Hospital nurses who lost their lives in WW1 and the subsequent influenza epidemic of 1918 (https://www.cnmc.org.nz/). It is believed to be the only chapel built solely to commemorate nurses who have lost their lives in war. The chapel was built using publicly raised money and it was initially integrated into the main hospital building. The building is architecturally significant with a late Gothic Revival structure and Arts & Crafts Movement-inspired interior that incorporates significant works of art, including stained glass windows by Veronica Whall, with the inside made from beautiful timber and a parquet flooring. The stained-glass windows feature different aspects of nursing history and are especially beautiful when the light comes through. My favourite window is of Hester Maclean who was the Matron in Chief of the NZ Army Nursing Service (NZANS)in WW1, and she was an absolutely powerhouse advocating for NZ nurses to be there and supporting them.

The chapel is also the home of the standard of the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps. The building is extra special as it was nearly lost forever in the Canterbury earthquakes in 2011, which destroyed hundreds of buildings in Christchurch. Structurally the chapel was damaged but miraculously the stained windows were not. The Christchurch City Council funded a $2 million restoration and strengthening project. This included repair of the parquet flooring, which was removed and reinstalled piece by piece. As you walk into the chapel now the aroma of the wood and the special floor polish used to keep the precious parquet flooring in top condition greets you.

Stretching up the chapel aisle is a custom-made carpet which represents the blue of Aegean sea, and the nurses who lost their lives when their transport ship (Marquette) was torpedoed off Salonika on 23 October 1915. As a volunteer I have hand swept this carpet and it truly is a privilege to take time to do this. Every part of the chapel has historical significance as each stained-glass window tells a story and around the walls are plaques commemorating nurses and others associated with Christchurch hospital.

The chapel can be visited on a Wednesday and at weekends from 1-3pm, where volunteers are happy to point out things of interest. It is also possible to just sit quietly in a pew for personal reflection. It can also be used by arrangement for services and functions.

Held within the chapel, in a vestry room at the back is the small museum, which predominantly contains documents and artefacts relating to the WW1 nurses. The main catalogue is online: https://ehive.com/collections/200188/nurses-memorial-chapel-museum-christchurch-nz

Only a portion of the collection is on display at any time due to space constraints, and every item is carefully catalogued and stored and is accessible to researchers by appointment. Some favourite items are the nurses’ instruments given to Sister Vousden by Florence Nightingale in 1890, a wooden handle of a rescue flare carried by a NZ medical orderly on the Marquette as it sunk, and the watch of one of medical orderlies which is stopped at the exact time the Marquette was struck. A particular favourite item of mine is the burial register from the Influenza epidemic which has been digitised and is available to view online. The book makes for sombre reading as whole families are recorded, along with sides notes like “no one present at burial”. It is a poignant and timely reminder of the impact of a pandemic.

The museum is run by a small committee of volunteers and there is a clear collection policy at https://www.cnmc.org.nz/the-chapel/museum/

A lot of work has gone into ensuring moisture control, light protection and pest control measures are implemented to protect the precious taonga (treasures held within). The museum also contains a record of all nurses who completed their training at Christchurch hospital, and a very recent addition is a detailed file with information of all Christchurch trained nurses who served in WW1.

The museum is open at the same time the chapel is. If a visitor or researcher is looking for something in particular, we recommend contacting us in advance so someone can be there to help you with what you need. Go online to https://www.cnmc.org.nz/contact/ and mark your query “For attention – Museum committee”. Documents can be photographed and there are gloves for handling. No items can be removed from the museum.

Outside the chapel is a lovely memorial garden with many plants donated in memory of past nurses. There is also a memorial in memory of the hundreds of animals (mainly mules and horses) who drowned when the Marquette was sunk. The garden is just delightful in spring, full of daffodils and blossom, however summer is also wonderful where either air is full of roses. There are nice places to sit in the garden.

Practical Information

The museum and chapel is free to visit however donations are always welcome to help with the preservation of the building and its treasures. There is also a small stand where blank gift cards and a book about the chapel are for sale. Payment is via cash or eftpos. Stiletto and high heeled shoes are not permitted on the parquet flooring.

The chapel is situated next to the hospital however parking is difficult. It is on main bus routes and buses do stop nearby frequently. There is parking nearby in the hospital grounds (costs money), or you may be lucky to find a park along the busy avenue. The chapel is opposite the North Hagley park which is popular in summer and parking there is also limited. The chapel is a short walk from the Avon river, the heart of Christchurch. Please check the website for details on accessibility considerations.

Facebook: Nurses’ Memorial Chapel

Instagram: nurses.memorial.chapel.museum

Contact: friendsofthechapelnz@gmail.com

Wendy Maddocks is a Nurse Academic/Amateur Historian and museum committee volunteer.

She lives in Christchurch NZ and works at the University of Canterbury (Faculty of Health). Nursing history is a passion. She is currently researching the health of NZ nurses who served in WW1 and has travelled to the battle fields of Western Front & visited UK sites of WW1 NZ hospitals. She is planning at trip to Egypt in the near future to visit other sites of interest to the WW1 Nurse where they cared for thousands of soldiers.

X (formerly twitter)@dr_wendym_RN
Email: wendy.maddocks@canterbury.ac.nz

Highlights of the Rangiora Museum Tour

Thank you to everyone who came out to Rangiora Museum on the 15th August for the first Cantage event since our 2023 reset! It was great to see so many people – and from such a range of organisations so thank you for the support and enthusiasm for the group starting again. We did discuss ideas for of what would be useful for future workshops, events and tours – and announced our next event on 2^nd November at the MacMillan Brown Library at University of Canterbury, details to follow closer to the time.

We had a wonderful presentation from some members of the Rangiora Museum Committee – and a big thank you to John, David and Angela for presenting. It was a really interesting overview of the collection, their family and local history resources (including photos and archives), how they deal with potential accessions and donations, and the research materials specific to their area, such as the Horrell land ownership resource.

David and John gave us an insight into their photo collection which totals around 30,000 images. The collection now includes a new accession – the actual camera local photographer John Miles Verrall used, which has now been donated by his family along with further glass plates. John Miles Verrall farmed at Swannanoa from 1893-1913. He was also an MP and a photographer who was very active in the district, specialising in rural photography. His large glass plate slide collection was already part of the Musuem collection so the camera was an absolute bonus. The Museum now holds more than 5,000 glass plate negatives from Verrall, Charles Jennings and others.

We also had a view into the highlights of their textile collection from Angela – which was fascinating and dates back to the early 1800’s. Angela talked about the challenges of storage and preservation as well as a few highlights including the wedding dress that was featured on TVNZ last year! Also the fabulous knitted outfits from the 1940’s, currently on display, that had been passed to the Museum after being donated to a local second shop.

We then moved on to a tour of the museum and a big thank you to the kind members who provided the lovely morning tea.

To all our members who couldn’t make it the Rangiora Museum is well worth a visit if you are in the area. Opening hours are on their website and they also have an active Facebook page. Any enquiries or questions can be sent to: rangioraearlyrecords@xtra.co.nz.

Thanks once again to Cantage Committee member Sally O’Connell for organising the event, and to the Rangiora Museum for hosting.

Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House

Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House is based at number 83 Clyde Rd which was the family home of Kate Sheppard between 1888 and 1902. It is where the pioneering suffragist and her fellow campaigners organised their movement to secure the vote for women, and it is now open for the public to visit, enjoy and to seek inspiration from. A Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga property, it was bought by the New Zealand Government to be converted into a museum and event and exhibition venue to showcase Kate Sheppard and other New Zealand women responsible for significant social change.  The house underwent a major repurposing and was officially opened by the Prime Minister in December 2020.

The property has been interpreted in a way that celebrates the life and work of Sheppard without attempting to exactly replicate her milieu. Where period furniture and treatments have been used, they’re given a contemporary twist. The house has many personal touches and treasures with the families of her extended network both donating and lending items.

But the story of her life and influence also allows for a broader story to be told. Sheppard’s former study has been recast as a ‘Legacy Room’, with pivotal social, economic and political developments affecting Aotearoa New Zealand women cited on the walls, from getting the vote to the advent of the Domestic Purposes Benefit to the election of female Prime Ministers. The story here recognises the important role played by Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia and other Māori women in the struggle for the right to vote.

In time, Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House is a heritage destination of national and international significance  – as a domestic setting where the suffrage campaign brought world change for women.  The house museum provides a source of inspiration, a place for discussion on historical and progressive action. 

The surrounding acre of garden, is still graced by established heritage trees planted by the Sheppards and rose gardens, camellia and rhododendron stands, perennial beds and a riverside pathway.

The property is open from 10am – 4pm from  Wed – Sunday. Entry prices apply, school pupils are free.

The event venue and the gardens are available to hire – details are on the website.

Upcoming Cantage Event: Tour of the Rangiora Museum

We are very pleased to announce the first Cantage Event since our 2023 reboot! Rangiora Museum are opening their doors especially for us – we will have a talk, a cup of tea and a chance to look around the collections of the Museum.

The Rangiora Museum (the Rangiora & Districts Early Records Society Incorporated) was formed in 1960. Since its formation the Society it has benefited from donations of some 5,000 objects & more than 11,000 photographs, and glass slides. The Museum has become a repository for family histories, documents & photographs relating to those who settled in the area.

We are really looking forward to both visiting the Museum and engaging with as many of you as can attend!

Date: Tuesday 15th August

Time: 10am

Place: Rangiora Museum, 29 Good St

RSVP: by 10th August – email cantage@gmail.com

Selwyn Museums and Heritage Collections Now Online

Most of the approximately 14 small museums and archives in the Selwyn District are starting to cooperate to digitally catalogue their collections and promulgate historical information about the history of the Selwyn District.

The Selwyn District Council (SDC) has provided money for 10 museums/archives to buy 5-year Bronze licenses in eHive and the group has now formed a Community along the same lines as Project Ark in Southland.

https://ehive.com/communities/1215/selwyn-museums-heritage-collections

Selwyn Library has a subscription to Recollect and history groups in Selwyn are starting to add information to the site under the supervision of the recently appointed Local History Librarian, Sarah Davy.    

https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/

The groups gather periodically in an informal group “Selwyn Heritage and History Network” which has allowed members as widely spaced apart as Arthurs Pass to Prebbleton to get to know each other and provide a united voice to the SDC.

For further information please contact Mike Noonan from the Dunsandel Historic Society at popmike66@gmail.com or Sarah Davy at sarah.davy@selwyn.govt.nz

Mike Noonan,  Dunsandel Historic Society

South Canterbury Museum – New Museum Development Update

The South Canterbury Museum’s development of a new museum for Timaru, combined with the historic Theatre Royal, is gaining pace. The planned opening date is planned to be mid-2025.

You can hear all about it on the latest Timaru District Council podcast (or read the transcript) where Museum Director Philip Howe is interviewed about what is happening at the Museum end of this exciting project. It’s a major development which will see a new public facing museum on Stafford Street, for exhibitions, education and public programmes, while the current building on Perth Street will be retained for research, collection storage, work and exhibition preparation spaces.

Developments can be followed via our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SCMuseum or Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/p/CtfJcACJzV7/

Tony Rippin, Curator of Documentary History, South Canterbury Museum