Cromwell Museum Volunteers preserve the “threads of the past” through research

The Cromwell Museum has for the last ten years enjoyed the volunteer service of a dedicated group of archive assistants who document and upload our collection items to e-hive, an online collection database, making it available for both the museum and the public to research.

Two particular volunteers have been with the museum since 2014 and routinely come each week to work on their given projects. In the course of researching individual items in the collection, many gems have come to light that would remain a mystery if not for their meticulous research and care.

Threads of the past will continue to be relevant through robust research and care of archives and items relating to this region. Both Irene and Joyce recognise this and celebrate it. They have chosen an item each and an aspect of the collection that highlights this for them, as they have made unique discoveries of how the items have resonated through time.

For Irene, the chosen object is a Singer Sewing Machine. Once owned and used by Christina Flora Sanders (nee Polson), it symbolises a powerful moment in New Zealand history and in the life of a pioneer woman. She left her family to pursue a career as a dressmaker in Dunedin which not only enabled her to make her own living, but to also vote in the 1893 suffrage petition. Irene says, “as a dressmaker Christina could register on the electoral roll and be among those women in New Zealand who could vote for the first time. This historical moment is somehow encapsulated in this humble machine that Christina used for most of her adult life”.

For Joyce it is the photographic collection that provides a fascinating insight into the history of Cromwell. She says, “working with the photographic collection in the museum is a job that I really enjoy. I find each image reveals an aspect of the heritage of this region and conveys a story about a time long past that if we didn’t care for, this knowledge would be lost to future generations”.

Cromwell Museum Chairperson, Martin Anderson says, "The operation of the Museum continues to be reliant on the skills and knowledge of its volunteers. I wish to acknowledge the dedication that they bring to this role and to thank them for the part they play in the Museum’s success".

Volunteering at the museum, as either a researcher or a front of house host, can be very rewarding and we acknowledge the many long hours that each person contributes. The museum is very fortunate to have people who are sensitive to the importance of preserving our heritage and making it relevant to people today so we are able to care for the collection and to stay open for the public to visit and to learn about the heritage of the past.

Written by Jennifer Hay, Cromwell Museum

Keen to get involved with the museum? Read about their roles here.