Community invited tohelptell stories

Keeping history alive and relevant requires the active involvement of the community, says Cambridge Museum manager Elizabeth Harvey.

Located in the early-20thcentury courthouse on the main street’s eastern end, the museum holds extensive collections of artefacts, taonga, archives and photographs that provide insights into people’s lives in this area of Waipā since the 1300s.

Harvey has a background in museums and heritage. Her aim is to make the whole visitor experience at the museum livelier and more relatable.

‘‘We have displays in the museum exploring the earliest histories here as well as looking at the people and places that make our town unique. And there’s so many more stories we’d like to tell,’’ she says. ‘‘Among the initiatives has been a collaboration with Waikato University to create a free mobile app which can be downloaded. It provides selfguided tours on walking routes around the centre of town and around the Domain.’’

The museum is operated by community group Cambridge Historical Society, a lively likeminded bunch of volunteers who care for local heritage.

Lyndall Hermitage became a Friend of the Museum when she ‘retired’ to Cambridge after 17 years as an independent exhibitions consultant to museums around New Zealand. ‘‘Small community museums have been my life. I didn’t feel I had retired from anything. It was a new start. I found Cambridge a very active place with a community with so much heart.’’

Hermitage is now a committee member and working closely with

Harvey to re-develop the museum’s offering. ‘‘While a proposal to add an annex to the museum has been shelved, the strategy is to raise community interest to a new level. Because we are very constrained for space we need to think outside of the square. We are planning to have a revolving exhibition programme to tell stories and it would be absolutely fabulous to get the community involved,’’ she says.

Harvey and Hermitage have been working around town creating panels that tell the stories. ‘‘Like working with mana whenua and Lakewood Body Corporate to tell the histories of Maori agriculture and later passenger railways at Lakewood Retail Park,’’ Harvey says. ‘‘We also have an art exhibition on November 19-20 at the Arnold Cottage in Lifecare Te Awa.’’

Harvey is also working to develop a programme attractive to children including quizzes, games and hands-on experiences.

Meanwhile, Cambridge is a popular, rapidly expanding town, so ‘‘constant attention is required to make sure significant buildings and homes are recorded before they are removed to make way for new developments’’, Harvey says.

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