Heritage aspects drove festival creator
OAMARU
HERITAGE inspires ideas, fun, controversy and action, Helen Stead says.
It was these aspects that drove the Oamaru historian to organise and run the first Victorian Heritage
Celebrations in 1987.
At the time, Mrs Stead was secretary of the recently established North Otago branch of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
‘‘[I] promoted the idea, and [was] thought crazy by some that we should have a threeday celebration with a street parade, bands and events,’’ she said.
But Mrs Stead, George Berry and Ken Scott pushed on, promoting the idea to the public, many of whom were keen to see inside some of the closed and empty historic buildings in the North Otago town.
‘‘We collected nearly $2000 with gold coin entry to previously locked buildings . . . It was an eyeopener for us all,’’ she said.
Over the past 33 years, the Victorian Heritage Celebrations have grown into a big annual event, attracting people from around New Zealand and the world to Oamaru, and bringing in money to keep the built and cultural life of the town alive.
Mrs Stead remains involved. This year, she has been hosting walking tours and is giving a free public lecture at the Oamaru Opera House tonight.
‘‘I feel privileged to be able to do what I do, not least because it reminds me that deep down there is a part of all of us who want to ensure we protect the past, for our future, by working in the present,’’ she said.
This year’s celebrations started on Wednesday and are Victorian literaturethemed.
Tomorrow’s events include the Grand Parade, the 26th Heritage Bicycle
Championship and a Zoom talk by Charles Dickens’ greatgreatgreatgranddaughter, Lucinda Hawksley, at the Grainstore Gallery.
Festivities wrap up on Sunday with the Victorian Fete.