Isla Bank Tablecloth

We're trying to find answers about this tablecloth. It has the signatures of Isla Bank people embroidered on it. There are two years - 1953 and 1962 - also embroidered on it in separate places. Men and women have signed it. But what was the occasion - a reunion? A jubilee? A Church gathering? We don't know.

Originally, we were told it was from the Isla Bank PWMU. But with Irish names and men's names, we started to wonder if it was for some other group or occasion.

If you know, please enlighten us.

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

Students Visit

Today, twenty-three students from Isla Bank School made a special visit to the museum to view the Isla Bank display. They came in three groups of 7 or 8 accompanied by "Mrs T".

Peter Campbell, our display manager, welcomed them to the museum and gave an introduction to what they were about to see. There are four different display rooms in the courthouse, covering the Church, Anzac Memorial and the Cemetery; the School; Contractors and Farmers; and People in the News.

Working in pairs, they hunted for answers to questions about the display. Different sets of questions were geared toward different age groups. These were created by the Isla Bank principal, Clare Robinson.

I think the students were surprised to hear that the Isla Bank School started long before the Otautau School and that there was even a world's record made at Isla Bank.

For those who finished early, I talked a little about the courthouse, how old it is, where the judge would sit, and what the witness stand was for. They seemed to soak it up, enacting their own little dramas and sending each other to jail. It made me think the courtroom is a prime venue to hold a children's courtroom play.

We really enjoyed having the Isla Bank students and hope that they will visit again soon.

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

AGM Follow-up

We held our AGM last Tuesday and welcomed three new trustees: Diane Baird, Cindy Bragg-Dooley, and Peter Gutsell. Diane is a member of the Otautau Lions. Peter is the Chair of the Otautau Community Action Group. And Cindy is currently overseas but has been our Secretary/Treasurer for a couple of years now. We feel fortunate to be getting three individuals who are so committed to our corner of the world.

Trustees for 2011-12 are: John Low (Chair), Cindy Bragg-Dooley (Secretary/Treasurer), Peter Campbell (Exhibition Manager), Pam Booth (Publicity Manager), Muriel Brown (Roster Manager), Mervyn Officer, Diane Baird and Peter Gutsell.

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

New Acquisitions

Our most recent acquisitions are these two post cards of early Main Street, c. 1908. The one above shows part of the original town hall, and new post office (built in 1906) on the right, but no courthouse next to it as it wasn't finished until 1909. On the left are the Glen and Glen shops. Note the hitching post with horse or donkey tied up to it.

This picture was probably taken from the standpoint of the original town hall on the right. Midway on the left is the building where the Central Garage stands today.

These post cards were mailed over 100 years ago and now have a place in our musuem. Thank you to the donor.

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

Email List

Would you like to be notified directly of new displays and events at the Museum? Send us an email and put 'Email List' in the subject box.

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

Taonga of Otautau

I've been looking into the issue of Protected Objects lately - namely taonga in Otautau that originated from Ngai Tahu, Ngati Mamoe or Waitaha, the early people of this area.

There have been some adzes found in the Otautau area - mostly by farmers as they dug up their paddocks. Some of these have stayed quietly in the families for many years. I was curious as to the cut-off date regarding taonga and found this bit of information on the Ministry of Culture and Heritage website.

Taonga tūturu found after 1976 are, in the first instance, the property of the Crown. The Ministry decides who should have custody of such objects, and ownership by any interested party can be claimed through the Māori Land Court.

So it seems, discovery of taonga, if it happened more than 35 years ago, means that the finders get to keep what they found. However, I would encourage discussions with the local runaka, Oraka Aparima Runaka (Riverton) as they are well-placed to care for such items and have their own whare taonga - a place where their taonga are on display for all interested. We, at the Otautau Museum, are not Registered Collectors of Taonga Tūturu so cannot hold such items in our collection.

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

Returned Email

Kia ora all,

Would the person who wrote to us via our website requesting photos of the north end of Main Street, please email us? I wrote back to you but the email bounced back 'address unknown'. So unless you contact us again from your correct address, we can't reply. Thanks!

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

Isla Bank Open

Isla Bank: People. Passion. Pedigree is open. We are still re-doing little things, but come and have a look.

There is so much to cover about the district but we didn't touch the geological side of it - the limestone for which it is named. So I found some science-oriented links to the limestone plains and New Zealand in general here:

This animation shows the break-up of Gondwana and how major parts of the South Island were under water, forming the limestone through layers and layers of crustacean life.
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/evolution-of-plants-and-animals/1/1 (click the play icon)

This link discusses the geology of New Zealand and shows also the extent of Zealandia, the continent we are part of.
http://data.gns.cri.nz/geoatlas/text.jsp

And this link gives a social history of Isla Bank.
http://www.track.co.nz/islabank.html

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