The Lay of the Land

In recent months, one of our trustees, Peter Campbell, has been working on creating a framework with which to help preserve local history. As a farmer, he knows that many of the farming families of the past are no longer in the district. Their farms have been passed onto new hands. With this change of ownership, a certain amount of local history is lost.

Peter was able to get an excellent set of aerial photographs from the Southland District Council. These include the rural Otautau district as well as the township. The various property boundaries are clearly identified, and each property is given a number as a reference. We then created a card catalog. On the cards, we hope to have owners of the property and a list of related museum items, for example, a photograph of the homestead or family, or any written family history.

But to display these rather large maps, we felt we needed a new set of display panels. These were recently acquired thanks to funding from the Community Trust of Southland.

We also now have a file cabinet in which to keep our family history information organised. If you have a family history or family tree that you would to contribute, please contact us. We now have the ability to store such valuable things.

Come by and see what's new. We're open Wednesdays and Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request. Your comments are always welcome!

Podcasts to Ponder

If you are still enjoying a leisurely summer but longing for a little mental stimulation, here are some interesting podcasts related to New Zealand history and the history of the world.

Radio New Zealand's Kim Hill interviewed James Belich last September on his new book Replenishing the Earth: the Settler Revolution and the Rise of the Anglo World, 1783-1939. The interview covers the global issues surrounding British colonisation and why it was so successful from a British standpoint. This is relevant to Otautau because even at the turn of the 20th century, British settlers were still pouring into the region to take up farming. Otautau's connection with Britain was a very strong one, and this interview helps us in part to understand more about early settlement and the effects its had on the world. You can listen to the James Belich interview here or download it on iTunes. The book can be found at the Invercargill library but not the SDC library.

BBC Radio 4 have started a new podcast series called A History of the World in 100 Objects. This is an absolutely riveting exploration of the history of humankind (starting 1.8 million years ago in Africa) through a careful selection of unique objects from the British Museum. Each podcast explores one object in depth and contextualises where it came, how we came to know about it, and its significance to us as a species. Listen and be astounded. The series is also available to download from iTunes.

We're open Wednesdays and Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request. Your comments are always welcome!