Puhoi Historical Society’s Newsletter – No 6. May 2011

A.G.M.

It’s that time of year again but apart from the usual reports by the Chairman and the Treasurer and the election of the committee, there will be no tedious items of business this year. Instead, we have a mystery speaker who will tell us all about Terrence Kennedy.

If, like me, you have never heard of the man, be informed that he was an Irishman who played a part in Puhoi’s very early history and ended up with two tombstones. Now, whether that was because his descendants couldn’t count or because the wake was a really merry affair or whether it was just because he was Irish and they never do things by halves, I am not going to tell you.

Why don’t you, instead, come along to the

Annual General Meeting
on Wednesday, 18th May at 7.30 p.m.
at the museum

and enjoy some wine and cheese and another of Sue Tisdall’s super suppers and find out all about the man with the two tombstones. By all accounts, it’s quite a story!

PHOTOS AND FAMILY RECORDS

As you will know, we are very proud of our extensive records: the meticulous genealogy of each family and the hundreds of photos we have collected and stored in our Records Room.

When descendants of the original families visit us, we routinely ask them if they have any family stories or old photos. We always get a good response, although sometimes the answer can be: “Oh, Auntie Mary kept all that old stuff and it got thrown out when her house was cleared after she died.” Now, although that is a crying shame, it just happens - and it is not even all that rare.

It is our business to preserve and record, hence our plea to those of you who may have old photos and documents or who know of someone in the family who does. We would like to borrow them, so that they can become part of the village’s recorded history We are looking especially for old family portraits, photos of people at work and views of homesteads and of the village and its surrounds. We would also like documents like birth, marriage and death certificates, passports, deeds etc. as well as any family histories and genealogy details.

The deal is, that any documents or photos will be scanned onto our computer and then handed back to their owners as soon as we can and in the same condition in which they were loaned to us.

Please ask around in the family on our behalf.

And while we are on the subject of records: We would dearly love to copy the old minute books of Puhoi’s sundry clubs and organisations. They are surprisingly hard to trace, so please tell us if you know of the whereabouts of any of them.

ANNUAL ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

This will take place on 26th June and follow the usual format of Mass at 10.30 a.m. and a small commemoration at the landing site. That will be followed by a shared lunch and a get-together in the Hall with the opportunity to tell stories and catch up with gossip.

We will provide the hot soup and ask everyone else to bring a plate. And if you could possibly help us in the kitchen, I personally would be eternally grateful. I don’t mind making a great big pot of soup in the comfort of my own kitchen but after twelve years on the committee I would love a break from having to serve it up as well.

TITFORD MEMORIAL GARDEN

The Titford family was one of the founding families of Puhoi and, once the Puhoi Historical Society had been founded, Jesse and Doug Titford were prominent and very active members for many years. They worked on the committee, raised funds and did everything they possibly could to promote the memory of the early settlers. Finally, health problems prevented them from further participation but Doug remained our patron until the day he died.

The Society will establish a small garden in front of the Records Room with a bench and a stone bearing a plaque with the words “Jessie and Doug Titford, In recognition of their generosity and hard work for the Puhoi Historical Society”. A second plaque will be affixed to the Records Room with the inscription: “This building was erected with funds raised by Jessie and Doug Titford and by the New Zealand Lotteries Board”.

To this day Sheryll & Brian Titford and their children continue to raise money and make considerable and regular contributions to the Society’s funds. Sheryll is also an active member of our committee.

From its establishment decades ago to the present day the Society has much to thank this family for.

OUR NEW LOOK

You may remember from the last newsletter that we had the enormous rose hedge removed which was hiding the museum from the road. A picket fence has been built in its place and our road frontage now looks very smart indeed.

Our visitors are mainly New Zealanders but we also get a good number of Czech and German tourists whose interest has been aroused by our website. To make all our visitors feel especially welcome, we intend to erect three flagpoles and fly the New Zealand, Czech and German flags whenever the museum is open. As mentioned in the previous newsletter we are also working on the signage which advertises who we are and what we do.

AUDIO GUIDES

These have now been ordered via the Internet from a company in Luxembourg and we look forward to opening the parcel. That is when the real work will start, of course: We have to work out which exhibits we want to pick out for visitors, write concise texts, speak them onto the computer and then transfer each text onto each of the guides. Fun times ahead!