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He Maumaharatanga - Memories, memorials and memorabilia

Editorial Tena koutou INNZ members

Welcome to the winter edition of INNZ Insights – although today as I write this, it’s a balmy 21 degrees in Christchurch! Still, I’m not too complacent as I see the forecast for an 8-degree day tomorrow once the southerly gets here!

As you can see, the theme of our newsletter this issue is memories, memorials and memorabilia. We’ve gathered together a fabulous selection of interesting stories from both around the country and internationally, as a lead in to what promises to be an inspiring Spring conference this September. Located in Nelson this year, we’ve picked the sunniest town in the south as a place to reflect on what it means to make memories, what triggers them and how we remember the past. We have a fantastic line up of inspiring guest speakers, so make sure you check out the INNZ website for further details.

As Sarah mentioned in our latest INNZ e-news, change is in the wind for the INNZ executive, with a few of us leaving key positions in the committee. We know however that the wider INNZ members as a whole are a talented bunch and there will be many of you with ideal skills to fulfill these roles, so please consider standing at the upcoming Spring Conference. If there is a particular role that appeals to you, or you would like more detail about what is involved, please email Sarah at chair@innz.net.nz.

In the meantime, be sure to visit the Conference website at: http://www.innz.net.nz/events/conferences for further details on the programme and speaker profiles.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Wendy

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Our blog: www.interpretationnetwork.wordpress.com

Visit us online www.innz.net.nz

Contact us

President: Sarah Mankelow chair@innz.net.nz

Secretary: Oli du Bern secretary@innz.net.nz

Editor: Wendy Hoddinott wendy.hoddinott@opus.co.nz

INNZ Insights is published bi-annually, in winter and summer.

He Maumaharatanga - Memories, memorials – INNZ Newsletter September 2014

Layout:

Mike Codling

- Snapper Graphics Ltd

SEPTEMBER 2014

Cover photo Naias Mingo

2 A case for memorabilia - Jamie Bell

4 Garden of Tane, Akaroa, Banks Peninsula - Wendy Hoddinott

5 Protective Gardens - Scott Elliffe

6 Memories for a better future - Oli du Bern

8 Representations of heritage on the South Island’s west coast - David Fisher

10 Memories and memorials in Hanoi - Naias Mingo

12 Conservation Dogs - Sandra Jack

13 Events listing - Upcoming events, workshops and conferences

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The NZ Cricket Museum has partnered with New Zealand Cricket to present memorabilia via Facebook through their Flashback Friday programme

A case for memorabiliaJamie Bell – Director, NZ Cricket Museum

On the 8th of October 1956, the New York Yankees pitcher, Don Larsen, threw the only perfect game in World Series baseball history. When he was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions in 1964, Larsen gave his jersey from the perfect game to the Hall, where it went on display as a priceless artefact. Until 2012, that is. At that point, Larsen decided he wanted the jersey back so he could sell it to raise funds for his grandchildren’s college tuition. The Hall of Champions had no documentation to indicate ownership, so they relented and returned the jersey. In a sports’ memorabilia auction, Larsen’s jersey sold to a private-buyer for over US$750,000.

While $750,000 is a staggering amount, it’s not the moral of this story. Nor is the common issue that museums have in proving ownership of objects collected before professional standards were introduced. What is interesting about the reports in this story, from a museological and interpretive perspective, is that Larsen’s jersey was an artefact when the San Diego Hall of Champions were its custodians but it became memorabilia when it left their care.

What’s in a Name?

By its very definition – both anthropologically and lexicographically – an artefact is an object created by people and relating to a specific time period. An object becomes an artefact when its use value has been replaced by its symbolic value, which makes it the perfect term for museum curators to use in defining the objects in their collections. Outside of a collection strategy, artefact has developed into a key term within museums, used in strategies and planning. However, it has its limitations, not the least of which is the fact it offers no link to provenance – that unique relevance to both museum and community that makes something worth keeping. It is here that memorabilia comes to the fore.

The point of this article is not to argue against museum objects as artefacts, nor is it to get weighed down in definition. However, what is at question here is the attitude taken towards artefacts as high culture, something to be valued according to their anthropological link to people and time. While this approach has been evident in museum collecting practices for generations, it has also seeped into the philosophy of exhibitions and interpretation through collection-driven strategies. In order to create innovative, engaging and visitor-focused interpretive experiences, this article proposes a shift in thinking that embraces exhibited objects as memorabilia.

Memorabilia only becomes memorabilia when it is worth collecting, and what makes anything worth collecting is its value to people and their stories. In the traditional sense, the evidence of this is in the story about Don Larsen’s perfect game jersey which became memorabilia when it was placed into the open market, where it held monetary value. The other perspective on this is that Larsen’s jersey always held value through its relevance to him, baseball and his World Series perfect game. In this sense, it was always memorabilia. Because museums and interpreters work in an area where we are constantly being challenged to prove our value, beyond budgets and revenue, we need to embrace memorabilia and celebrate its intrinsic relevance to personal and collective memories and experiences.

Memorabilia In Action

Like the San Diego Hall of Champions, the New Zealand Cricket Museum is a museum dedicated to sport and the institutional split between artefact and memorabilia has conformed to the Hall of Champions example for much of the Museum’s history. The Cricket Museum has always treated its objects as artefacts and they have been interpreted, almost exactly, according to

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"Each piece of memorabilia has a role to play in connecting with people as each piece, each story, and each perspective is treated as unique."

These traditional displays were commonplace in the NZ Cricket Museum prior to a shift to a memorabilia model.

the traditional view of an artefact as something made by people during a certain period of history. This approach was driven by a strategic plan which focused on the game’s origins and presenting the Museum’s collection alongside the story of the game’s development. The culmination of this approach was a cohesive museum experience which was well-received by people with a strong interest in the traditions and history of cricket. However, this audience is limited and it offered little to those who are not already engaged in the subject.

During a review undertaken in the development of a new strategic plan, Cricket Museum management indicated a desire to expand the museum experience to focus more on what it means to be a fan and to be involved with cricket at all levels. The key to this approach is the intention to draw out individual stories that relate to the players, matches and moments that add to the collective memory of cricket fandom. Under this strategy, the objects on display become much more than just artefacts contributing to the whole, they become memorabilia charged with connections between visitors and fans and between players and the game. Each piece of memorabilia has a role to play in connecting with people as each piece, each story, and each perspective is treated as unique.

While the core example of this shift happens within the Museum’s walls, the Cricket Museum has used this shift to a memorabilia model to break down those walls. The ‘outreach’ approach is not new to museums, and it is a key element in modern museum practice. However, it is vital to the memorabilia model as it takes a museum’s memorabilia out to the people – the very audience whose collective memories and experiences provide, and prove, its value. Through social media, public

programmes and collaboration the Cricket Museum is engaging in conversations about players, moments and matches with fans around the world. The museum’s collection of memorabilia is the key that unlocks these experiences.

The shift from artefacts to memorabilia is about a change in philosophy and it is one that raises interpretation and story-telling, the key aspects of a visitor-focused approach, to the fore. The traditional museum approach often reduces memorabilia to items of ‘low culture’ or uses it to label collectable objects that sit outside museums, on the open market. The discussion in this article proposes memorabilia as the most important term museum can use to describe the objects in their collections. Memorabilia implies objects that are related to people, moments, events and places – objects that are, at their heart, memorable. Because memory is so personal, thinking about what museums’ display as memorabilia provides an impetus to those inside the museum to strive to tell those stories and therefore create the appropriate connections.

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The Garden of Tane, or Akaroa Domain as it was formerly known until 1986, is situated on the eastern shores of Akaroa Harbour, on the south east side of the township. Classified as a Scenic Reserve, the site is not a forest remnant, but evidence of a longstanding relationship between people and nature. The discovery of Maori garden sites within the area, suggests the original bush cover was probably destroyed by early Maori, as early photos from around 1860 show the area covered in scrub, kanuka and the occasional kahikatea.

There are a wide variety of exotic trees located within the reserve, many of which are over 100 years old and considered of national significance. In the early days a great deal of the caretaker’s time was spent clearing the native undergrowth so that the exotics could be enjoyed, and also to allow people to wander off the track and continue to picnic. An extract from a letter written to the Akaroa Mail in 1877, describes the value of the park to locals and visitors in the development of the Domain during this period.

“The winding walks with comfortable seats here and there, at well chosen intervals, the varied hues of different shrubs, some native and some planted, the ever-changing views of the town and harbour together combine to render these grounds a constant source of pleasure to the inhabitants of Akaroa and an additional attraction to visitors.”

The post-war period saw the Domain fall into a state of decline until the involvement of Arthur Erikson in the 1960s who instigated clearing the rampant weed growth and establishing significant numbers of native plants from around New Zealand. At the suggestion of Erikson, the Council changed the name Akaroa Domain to The Garden of Tane, persuaded by Erikson that a name from Maori Folk Lore was more in keeping with the large number of native trees that had by then overtaken the garden. Although it is likely that the garden would have remained a wilderness if not for Erikson’s efforts, there

Garden of Tane, Akaroa, Banks PeninsulaWendy Hoddinott, Landscape Architect, Lincoln University

is now little evidence of the english garden the site once was and concern that such an important part of Akaroa’s history has been let go.

Little evidence now remains of items once an important part of the early Akaroa Domain. These structures included a summerhouse, which was built soon after 1876 and located in a prominent position to enjoy the view from a grassed lookout over the harbour. Used as a venue for band concerts, the building was burned down by vandals during the 1920s and the site has now been reclaimed by regenerating native bush. Walking the pathways however, can offer clues if you look hard enough. A recent stroll beneath the trees revealed a scattering of sea shells, seemingly out of place, high above and some distance from the sea shore. Further investigation talking to knowledgeable locals revealed that these remnants were part of a shell pathway that once led to the old summerhouse. The shell originally sourced from local beaches, had over a century ago been transported to the site and now lay contrasted

within the soil throughout decades of regenerating native bush. Many such clues to features that once gave the Domain its English character can still be seen if you know where to look. The question asked in a local newspaper article a few years back still remains though, “Should the 4.9ha Garden of Tane…be allowed to return to natives, or should it be restored, in part at least, to what many regard as its glory days in the last few decades of Queen Victoria’s reign?”

"the ever-changing views of the town and harbour together combine to render these grounds a constant source of pleasure."

Akaroa Domain Summerhouse, Akaroa Museum postcard collection

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Any theme on Memorials should make mention of this country’s largest war memorial, that of the Memorial Oaks in North Otago.

In 1919 the Oamaru Beautifying Society planted more than 400 oaks in nearly every small town across the district and beside each, erected a wooden cross in recognition of a fallen son.

"For me this is one of the finest memorials I’ve ever seen. Not only is it alive and far reaching but also very individual and intimate."

The oak groves can be found lining roads extending from Moeraki in the south to Kurow in the west, covering more than 100kms. They stand as living memorials to the men from those settlements and serve as reminders of how deeply the Great War impacted on small rural communities.

As part of the WW1 Centenary commemorations, a grant has been received from the NZ Lotteries Board to repair damaged and weathered crosses, to replace brass name plates and to erect seven new information panels at strategic sites along the memorial drive.

For me this is one of the finest memorials I’ve ever seen. Not only is it alive and far reaching but also very individual and intimate. As I go about daily life in Oamaru I’m often reminded of the courage and sacrifice made so that we can enjoy the lives we lead today. I’m sure these men would be pleased to be remembered in such a way under the towering arms of their protective guardians.

Protective guardiansScott Elliffe,Property Manager Heratage New Zealand

Memorial Oaks in Oamaru,

Photo: Scott Elliffe

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When thinking about memories, memorials and memorabilia, the environmental sector is probably not the first place the mind drifts. However, we do have a vested interest in them as interpreters working in the area of nature-based attractions – memories, in particular. Here at Wellington Zoo we talk about memory on a relatively regular basis and we are lucky enough to have some of our visitors and community share their

memories with us from time to time.

Memories for a better futureOli du Bern, Visitor Experience Manager, Wellington Zoo Trust

“ The Zoo’s Close Encounters programme allows visitors an opportunity to get up close to some rare and wonderful animals. ”

But why do we care about memories? Well, as Sam Ham puts it, meaning-making is memory-making. Our ability to design programmes that encourage people to make memories is like a ‘foot in the door’ into someone’s mind, and we believe it is a starting point for great meanings to be made.

The Zoo’s Close Encounters programme allows visitors an opportunity to get up close to some rare and wonderful animals.

The mix of Red Pandas, Meerkats, Giraffes, Lions, Cheetah, as well as some one-on-one time with the staff that care for the

animals, is the perfect reciepe for memory making.

The Wellington Zoo animal contact programme removes the barries between people and

animals. Our team of rangers (read: face-to-face interpreters) guide unforgettable

experiences using lizards, giant stick insects, dingoes, hedgehogs and cockatoos, to name a few. The key is giving all visitors the ability to get up close, to touch, to see, to hear and to smell. The words we love to hear

coming from a visitor’s mouth are “I remember when I came to the

Zoo and got to meet a …”.

Memories can, every now

Memorable experiences at Wellington Zoo. Photo: Oli du Bern

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Memorable experiences at Wellington Zoo. Photo: Oli du Bern

and then, work against us. The rapidly evolving nature of zoos mean we have changed a lot over the past ten years. At Wellington Zoo we are trying to overcome memories of a zoo that doesn’t reflect who we are today (i.e. places associated with the captivity of animals, purely for the entertainment of visitors). We are now very active in the conservation of species, and we help our visitors make their own conservation connections. We hope that we can change the memory banks for the new generation, and they remember that the zoo is a place that celebrates animals, nature and our part in its conservation. We hope that our community will have fond memories of a place that has evolved, developed, adapted and changed into a valuable social enterprise.

There are two things that people care about the most – themselves and their experiences. We want to create

memorable experiences they will recall fondly but that will also reveal greater truths about nature and the environment. We hope that our interpretive programmes will be one memory making tool which will result in a better future for nature.

“ We hope that we can change the memory banks for the new generation, and they remember that the zoo is a place that celebrates animals.”

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Heritage is displayed in a number of ways and for a wide range of audiences. On a recent tour of the West Coast of the South Island I was intrigued by the variety of heritage objects that were on view, which got me thinking about why these things were being provided. This article is a result of my musings about what I saw.

Some heritage sites appear to be primarily for income. Shantytown in Greymouth is clearly the most commercial place I visited. It was originally conceived as a West Coast version of Knott’s Berry Farm in California and designed to keep visitors in Greymouth for an extra day. Visitors can pan for gold, travel on

a train or in a horse-drawn buggy, and view exhibits. While gold mining took place in the environs of the attraction, what has been created is totally artificial. Most of the buildings have been specifically built for the attraction, though some buildings such as the

church, which came from Notown (17 miles inland from Greymouth in the Grey Valley, have been moved there from ghost towns. Even though many visitors believe Shantytown to be a ‘real’ mining town it is still fundamentally a place of entertainment. In recent years there has been a move to increase the educational aspects of Shantytown but it is still a family oriented open air museum which emphasises social interaction and active participation.

Museums in the area primarily have an educational function, such as Coaltown in Westport. Smaller museums, such as Black’s Point in Reefton, are more likely to be repositories for heritage items with less emphasis on education purely because they do not have the funding for interpretation. Nevertheless, they act as a link to local history in the area for both locals and visitors. When I visited Black’s Point I was intrigued to see a Cornish flag flying, anachronistically representing Cornish settlement in the area.

Representations of heritage on the South Island’s west coastDavid Fisher, Senior Lecturer in Tourism, Lincoln University

Shantytown stocks Photo: David Fisher

Mining tunnels in the bush

“ Other forms of heritage include interpretation signs acting as signposts or monuments, usually commemorating disasters, which have quite possibly now been forgotten by all but local people.”

10Other forms of heritage include interpretation signs acting as signposts or monuments, usually commemorating disasters, which have quite possibly now been forgotten by all but local people, and relics which can be found throughout the bush. There are many examples of old mine diggings, some of which have been abandoned, with others that have been ‘tidied up’ and provided with interpretation signs. Of these, the sites near roads are much more likely to have been restored, or at least made accessible for visitors, whilst those much deeper into the bush can very often be the remnants of buildings or industrial machinery. These come with no interpretation. It is left to the visitor to make up their own stories about what the relics were used for.

The last form of heritage that is clearly observable is personal heritage. People have taken the detritus of local industry and the past to use as decoration in gardens and houses. These clearly provide a strong sense of place even when used for completely different purposes. It would be hard to imagine the use of a coal skip as an flower container in other parts of the country, for example.

What my tour of the Coast revealed was that heritage is used in numerous ways to engage a wide variety of viewers including the owner of the object.

A fence created by the owner

Shantytown entrance

“ People have taken the detritus of local industry and the past to use as decoration in gardens and houses. These clearly provide a strong sense of place even when used for completely different purposes”

11Memories and memorials in HanoiNaias Mingo

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Vietnam is a place that feels steeped in memory. On a recent visit, I was astounded by the incredibly rich history of the place. We were staying in the Old Quarter, which was just what it sounds like; a labyrinth of old streets, each with its own speciality trade ranging from fans to silk, at the centre of a city that celebrated its 1000th birthday in 2010. The city blended tradition and modernity in a frenzied combination that was both dizzying and entrancing.Some of both the best (Hoa Lo Prison Museum) and most questionable museums/memorials (Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex) I’ve visited were in

The view towards the memorial at the Hoa Lo Prison Museumt Route, Norway. Photo: Naias Mingo

Hanoi. Visiting the city’s many museums gave an insight into the dramatic history of the place; its many peoples, invasions and wars. The National Museum of Vietnamese History held incredible collections including human remains of the first peoples to inhabit what became Hanoi while visits to the many museums dedicated to the country’s more recent history revealed collections dedicated to the chilling, sad, story of The Vietnam War, or the War of Independence, as it’s called in Hanoi.Some of the simplest, most effective and most memorable interpretation I saw was at the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi where a combination of extraordinary objects and minimal words had a big impact. They had a display on the aerial attacks (i.e. bombing) of Vietnam during the Vietnam

“Visiting the city’s many museums gave an insight into the dramatic history of the place; its many peoples, invasions and wars. ”

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Viewing platform at Askevågen.. Photos: Wendy Hoddinott.

War. One of the cases contained a few objects of clothing, including a baby’s bonnet, toys and birth certificates. Beside the clothing there was the simplest of labels: ‘A toy of Tran Van Ly. A two year old boy in Quarter 4, Phu Do Village, Me Tri Commune, Tu Liem who was killed together with his family by a B52 bomb in the afternoon on 19 December 1972’ . It was so simple, and so moving. The next time I’m trying to communicate something just as it is, in all its terrifying enormity and overwhelming sadness, I will keep this in mind.Alongside exhibitions focusing on the human cost of war for the people of Vietnam there were many, many cases holding the spoils of war; boots, flight suits and helmets belonging to American pilots who were shot down throughout Vietnam. The labels on these cases included information on who the uniform items belonged to and where they were shot down but the information posed more questions than it answered.For answers to what happened to those American soldiers who ended up in enemy hands we visited the Hao Lo Prison Museum. What became known as the Hanoi Hilton had started out life as a French built prison for housing political prisoners during the time of French colonialism. This was one of the most memorable museums I have visited. The combination of the context (as in, the museum is in the

original building) and the layers of use was so powerful. Life sized mannequins were used to great effect to demonstrate the conditions the Vietnamese prisoners were kept in; half-starved and chained to platforms in cells, while a stood as an opposing reminder of the preferred method of execution for the French at the time.The museum that left with me the most unsettling, yet memorable, experience was a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex. The Complex features an imposing Mausoleum which houses the mortal remains of Ho Chi Minh along with a museum dedicated to his life and work. The security to enter the Mausoleum was intense; a lot of queuing followed by a metal detectors and bag scanning. After having my bananas and water confiscated we took our place in line to follow the queue into the Mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh has been dead since 1969 but is kept in a state of suspended animation by yearly trips to Russia for treatment of his embalmed remains. He was much as you would expect, a strange, waxy, colour with his hands crossed over his chest. There was nothing very peaceful about it and this feeling was reinforced by the fact that Ho Chi Minh had asked for a simple cremation on his death. Visitors acted with great reverence and guards posted every couple of metres strictly enforced the rules; no hands in pockets, no talking, no hats and absolutely no photos.The last few months have taken me from Wellington to Oslo, Paris, Warsaw, Hanoi, Bangkok and lastly, Melbourne, which I now call home. Keep an eye out for INNZ blogs in the coming months for more articles and photos from museums and galleries around the world.

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Conservation dogsSandra Jack, Partnership Ranger, Department of Conservation Auckland

Near the top of Auckland’s iconic North Head visitors are surprised to find a row of dog kennels nestled amongst the old Navy buildings.  These days the buildings are the Department of Conservation’s operational base and the kennels house important members of the DOC team – of the four legged variety. Rodent detection dogs are a key tool helping to protect nearby pest-free islands from re-invasion. Biosecurity ranger Carol Nanning works alongside her dog to inspect barge loads of materials, machinery and the vessels themselves, destined for islands like Rangitoto, Motutapu or Motuihe. While a well trained nose is busy sniffing out rats or mice, Carol keeps an eye out for other stowaway pests like Argentine ants and rainbow skinks, as well as soil and seeds.

 The kennels were a great opportunity to interpret the important work of these ‘Conservation Dogs’. The sign was designed to fit with the recent, largely historic interpretation installed on North Head and was created by Snapper Graphics.

DOC Auckland’s Biosecurity ranger Carol Nanning with rodent detection dogs L-R Piri (in training), Jak (retired) and Pai (current).”

The new sign and kennels

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INNZ needs your feedback! Keep an eye out for our membership survey, coming your way soon. When the survey web link arrives in your mailbox, please take a few minutes to tell us how INNZ can work better for you.INNZ 2014 Annual Spring

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

INNZ 2014 Annual Spring Workshop and AGM

Reserve the date!

Sat 20- Sun 21 September 2014

Nelson

Theme: He Maumaharatanga - Memories, memorials and memorabilia

Nelson, New Zealand is the sunniest town in the south! Famous for golden sands and spectacular scenery, its the place to forget about the busy pace of life for a while… to pause and re-focus on what’s really important – interpretation of course! Our popular annual conference will have us reflecting on making memories, what triggers them, and how we remember the past. It’s a timely theme, as the anniversary of WWI approaches.

We have some exciting guest speakers lined up including our keynote speaker Craig Wilson who has 19 years experience in the tourism sector, Peter Millward, CE of the Nelson Provincial Museum covering the museum’s WWI exhibition and Debbie Daniell-Smith, Arts & Heritage Adviser for Nelson City Council getting us out into the sunshine on the ‘Italian Memorial Walk’.

Joining us again this year will be David Veart who will have just launched his new book on the history of toys in New Zealand – on food, toys and personalities as a way of engaging an audience.

Plus the highlight of the weekend, curating our own ‘pop-up museum/exhibition’. Bring along your own personal piece of memorabilia to include.

Be sure to visit the Conference website at http://www.innz.net.nz/events/conferences for the programme and speaker profiles.

Look forward to seeing you there!