Southland is ‘rich in history’
Fraser Pearce likes the thought of Southland setting up an official heritage trail for all museums.
Pearce is president of the Thornbury Vintage Tractor and Implement Club, which is believed to be the oldest of its kind in New Zealand as it was formed in 1956.
‘‘There’s a lot of history in Southland that lends itself well to a heritage trail,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s very rich in history ... we’re doing farming, Mandeville has the [vintage] planes and Tuatapere’s got the bushman’s museum.’’
Other tourist spots steeped in history include the Richardson family’s Transport World and Classic Motorcycle Mecca in Invercargill, Switzers Museum (history of goldmining and high country farming) at Waikaia and the Templeton Family Flax Mill Heritage Museum at Otaitai Bush.
Switzers’s office administrator, Shirley Walker, said Pearce’s heritage trail idea had merit. ‘‘I think it’s a great idea, get it co-ordinated right and it’ll be good.’’
Templeton Family Flax Mill Heritage Museum co-owner Vaughan Templeton would also support an official trail.
‘‘It would be great for the little towns,’’ he said.
In 2018, 1300 tourists visited the flax mill museum which was double the number of any other year. The museum opened 15 years ago.
Pearce and other members of the Thornbury Vintage Tractor and Implement Club are building a Southland farming section at the facility.
It will tell the history of farming in Southland by way of static and working displays and a video narrated by John Gordon. He is best known for his work on television programmes Country Calendar and A Dog’s Show.
Club members, led by museum convener Tony Strang, work away at the project when time and funds permit. Pearce hopes it will be open to the public in two or three years.
‘‘We’re all volunteers doing it in our spare time ... work is done as we can afford.’’
Fundraising and community funders provide money for projects.
The club’s buildings were on the grounds of the first farm set up in Southland in the 1850s, by Captain John Howell, Pearce said.
The Thornbury club is bringing its 1910 Garrick stationary steam engine up to operating standard for public demonstrations next year.