Okains Museum founder dies
Friends and family of Murray Thacker, the ‘‘unofficial mayor of Okains Bay’’, say the community has lost an essential part of its DNA.
The founder and chief collector of artefacts at the Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum, Thacker created a world of memories for people of all backgrounds at his Banks Peninsula property. He died on June 8, aged 83. Thacker was known throughout the country for his collection of Maori and Colonial artefacts, which he gifted to the public by establishing the museum.
It holds one of the world’s foremost collections of Maori art, carvings and taonga. It is the site of the South Island’s largest annual Waitangi Day commemoration, which attracts thousands each year.
At his funeral on Thursday, hundreds went to the Okains Bay schoolhouse, opposite the museum, to pay their respects to the community stalwart.
Thacker was remembered as a conservationist, historian and a man with deep compassion for his family, animals and the community he loved.
‘‘As a family, we already miss him deeply, but we’re so grateful to have been part of his busy and varied life,’’ said daughter, Gillian.
Born on October 7, 1933, Thacker was part of an Okains Bay legacy. All eight of his great-grandparents were early settlers to the area in the mid 1800s.
He grew up in the bay and attended the local school before graduating from Christchurch Boys’ High School.
In 1977 he set up his museum in a former cheese factory, later adding and restoring colonial buildings.
Thacker bought the local shop to ensure it remained open and the postal service kept running. He also established several houses at the museum so families could stay in the community.
He became known nationally for his commitment to historical preservation and interest in Maori culture.
He was given the name ‘‘Te Tuhi,’’ meaning The Writer, and learned to speak Te Reo fluently.
Friend and fellow museum trustee, lawyer Nigel Hampton QC, said Thacker was an ‘‘extraordinary man’’.
His legacy would live on through the museum, which Hampton said would still be there in 100 years. ’’While I have breath I will honour that museum,’’ he said.
Thacker was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal in 1977 for his service to the community. In 2009 he was given the A.C. Rhodes History Medal for non-academic historians who contribute to the collective knowledge of the past.