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HUMBLE BEGINNINGS:
A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME...
Geraldine explains that archiving of historical
materials began with a small group of ladies
interested in genealogy, who realized the
importance of keeping records. They started
by ‘indexing’ (extracting dates/places/people
data) from materials at the School of Mines.
“We continually were asked where in Thames
people could go to find out about their early
family”, she says. “We also had boxes of
material handed in by people who didn’t know
what to do with it when they cleaned out their
parents’ house. So we were getting quite a
nice collection, but in our own homes.”
They began to search for a space to store these
boxes and make the records available, but no
luck. A steering committee was formed, and
they raised interest in the town’s history by
appearing in colonial costumes at the Farmer’s
Market, and by writing ‘Treasury Tales’ for
Coromandel FM, all, according to Geraldine “to
raise community awareness of what we were
planning, and to encourage them to think about
the importance of the history of this region.”
In 2003, then-Mayor Chris Lux took an interest
in the project and helped them set up The
Coromandel Heritage Trust. So now there was
an official volunteer board, a learning curve for
some, but territory well known by others. Now
they were more official in their quest to find a
real building for their collection of materials. Yet
crucial funding was still elusive. Funders were
reluctant to get on board because, (in catch-22
style) “we had no building yet to show them.”
So they upped their efforts a few notches.
They attended a museums workshop put on by
Museum Of New Zealand: Te Papa Tongarewa.
Here they found the crucial support for planning
and ideas for future growth. And how to do it all
the right way. Te Papa continues to support the
Trust with liaison visits and guidance.
FINDING THE ARCHIVES A HOME
With the Trust in place, their museum training,
and then a generous donation made by Muir
and Ailsa Lamb, the impetus was provided to
continue.
Consultant architect John Sinclair of
Architectus of Auckland was approached to
Interning at The Treasury
I first started to volunteer for The Treasury
when I was 18, and I returned several times
over summer breaks while I studied for my
BA in History. Last year, I left my job to pursue
a career as an archivist, and returning to The
Treasury and its new archive building was a
natural step to take while I studied. Since
the archive is new, it was a great opportunity
to apply what I was learning as I learnt it. For
me, it’s also special to be able to preserve
the history of my home town.
The work I do at The Treasury is quite varied,
as the Trust is keen to giveme a taste of all the
activities that go on here. At the moment I’m
working on accessioning our reading room
collection using collection management
software. This means that in future, people
will be able to search our collection digitally
and find all of our resources on the topic
advise on a building as he had experience of
archival storage. John had built the pristine
archival climate-controlled facility for the
Anglican Diocese of Auckland Archives, holding
some of NZ’s oldest colonial treasures. No
more settling for dusty shelves. They were
serious. And committed.
T
he
breakthrough came in 2007, when Council
made the decision to restore the old 1905
Carnegie Library. With just days to prepare, the
Trust and Architectus put together a proposal
to lease the building. They did it! They were
granted a 30 year extendable lease, and the
doors to the now handsome-and-renovated
facility were opened in August 2009. Finally,
a home for their vast collection of data. More
grants were secured, and more documents
donated. Volunteers were kept very busy.
Geraldine was intent on fundraising, now for
that next building project: the long desired
archive wing to sit alongside the Carnegie
building. Rather than compete with the
classic look of the historic library, Architectus
submitted an ultra-modern design, with dark
metal clad exterior, its vertical posts mirroring
the columns of the library.
And everyone is especially pleased with the
front fence. “There hadn’t been a fence there
for many years”, Geraldine explains, “and we
were keen to recreate the exact design that had
been there in 1905. It was the finishing touch
and has linked an elegant old building with a
very modern one.” The result is that the old
Carnegie stands out, proud and handsome.
The new wing, opened in 2014, is climate
controlled for safe storage of all the documents
and photographs. There are now real work
and meeting areas, and tables for pouring over
documents. And no touching paper with oily
bare fingers! Dust, be gone!
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE...REAL
The reading room and the archive are now
established, so what’s ahead? A strategic
planning workshop was held to make plans
for the next five years. High on their list: make
more use of social media and the internet,
obtain appropriate equipment to photograph
photos and artwork, and hire both a full time
curator and a receptionist. These would be The
Treasury’s first official employees.
Thus far, volunteers have carried the full load,
some going back over 13 years. And of course,
grantwriting and fundraising continue, to secure
all things needed for ongoing operation.
“This project has been an interesting journey for
us all, and not without stress at times,” admits
Geraldine. “I personally have learnt to write a
business plan, make funding applications, learn
all sorts of new tricks on the computer, speak
to groups (I’m shy), write publicity articles,
speak on the radio, write policies – the list is
never-ending.
“We knew this was an ambitious project to
undertake, but our advice is to get a good
group of people together and dream. If you
don’t dream the dream, nothing will happen.”
they’re looking for. It’s also
really interesting for me, as it’s
like taking a crash-course on
everything in our collection.
I also spend a lot of time in
the archive, where I help to
fumigate, sort, clean and store
important documents relating
to the history of the Coromandel
and Hauraki region. I’ve also
joined the Executive Committee, helped
with publicity, recorded an oral history
interview and helped out with indexing our
collection.
Volunteering at The Treasury has opened
opportunities to further my career. I was
interested in using social media to promote
The Treasury and share our stories with a
wider audience, so I was asked to set up
The Treasury buildings
with the Carnegie Library
and the new metal clad
annex. The white fence,
with black wrought iron
posts between was
re-created to unify both
buildings.
and maintain a Facebook page. The page
is now really popular, attracting visitors from
all over the world. I’ve also been able to
meet other heritage professionals and learn
more about the heritage sector.
–
Nicole Thorburn
WWW.COROMANDELLIFE.CO.NZ33
Intern Nicole Thorburn retrieves an old
family scrapbook, from the archive’s
new climate controlled storage shelves.
HOW YOU CAN HELP THE TREASURY
• Financial stability is the most important
item at this time. Become a member,
purchase a book, shop at their gift store, or
make a donation.
• Recognise important historical photos
or papers you may have in your home and
inquire about donating them...