Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

History at your fingertips

February 15, 2019

History at your fingertips

Searching ‘fire’ on the Knowledge Bank’s new website brings up snippets of history not publicly available before Hawke’s Bay Digital Archives Trust was set up, near nine years ago. There are images of the 1962 Watties’ fire that many will still remember and a fire in Ahuriri started by the 1931 earthquake; a grainy image of a fire from way back in 1893 about which there is little detail; beautiful pictures of olden-day fire engines; and the story of the loss of Hastings’ Sacred Heart Church to fire in 1992.

The organisation’s new website was launched at Knowledge Bank’s home in historic Stoneycroft Homestead on Friday (February 15).

A capacity crowd of about 40 squeezed into the homestead’s function room for a run- through of the new website and to hear from Hawke’s Bay Digital Archives Trust chairman Peter Dunkerley, board member David Shand, and founder James Morgan.

The trust started the project in 2011, realising the importance of keeping the local history alive for future generations.

All the material had been donated by members of the public; uploaded to the website by a dedicated team of volunteers – some 90 of them.

“It is about preserving the pieces of history that make up the culture and landscape of the Bay we have today,” said Mr Dunkerley.

“These records would probably not feature in a traditional museum but they are very important; the photos people took at all sorts of events, from family shots at Marineland and the A&P Show to those taken by locals during major disasters such as the 1931 earthquake.” After the material is digitised the originals are dealt with according to the owner’s wishes, either returned to them or destroyed.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

The records are open for the public to see and use under a Creative Commons License that allows them to be reproduced at no cost for non-commercial use.

“We would love to see school children access these photos for school projects; it would help keep these memories alive and instill in the next generation an understanding of how our region was shaped and what life was like in times past,” said Mr Dunkerley.

All of the material from the old website plus some recently processed collections are up on the new site, viewable from today (Feb 15). There are some 18,000 records on-line so far, a mix of photos, local magazines and newspapers, articles and oral histories.

“There is an indeterminate amount that we can add – there are another 900,000-plus records in the Spiller collection alone. And as we make new memories over the next generations they can be added so really, it’s a project with no end,” said Mr Dunkerley.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.