The Treasury research centre and archive is in search of Paeroa stories to add to its collection. The organisation will be channelling the Antiques Roadshow with its upcoming event, Fizzing with History: Preserving our Past. But rather than antiques, the group is hoping to find treasures in the form of history.
Archive experts will be at the Paeroa Information Hub on July 21 and 22 armed with cameras, notebooks and recording devices. They’re looking for personal stories about Paeroa, and they will also be assessing people’s documents and offering advice on how best to preserve them.
Pundits are invited to bring along their photos, maps, diaries, letters and other paper records to the event. A limited number of appointments are available to have these records digitised, with those people receiving a complementary digital copy of their whānau’s treasure.
Those with anecdotes, local legends, cherished memories and other stories to share can record their recollections of the past with an audio-visual appointment.
The event is a first for the Treasury, which collects and preserves paper and oral records from people across the Coromandel Peninsula and Hauraki districts.
“It’s not about the dollar value, but rather the historical significance that makes these items invaluable,” Treasury manager Katherine Quinn said.
Selected stories will be featured in the Treasury’s upcoming book True Tales of Paeroa, the latest in the True Tales series of local history books. The books contain short stories of authors’ memories of life in their area, to serve as a record of societal norms and everyday life throughout the generations.
“Everyone’s got a story, everyone’s got a yarn. Us Kiwis love to yarn,” Treasury trustee Lise Cook said.
“It’s keeping those stories alive, that’s what it comes down to.”
Fizzing with History: Preserving our Past is on at the Paeroa Information Hub, 10am-2pm on July 21 and 22. Visit thetreasury.org.nz to book an appointment with the digitising team.
By ALICE PARMINTER, Public Interest Journalism funded by NZ on Air
