June 2024 Newsletter

THE Quarterly NEWS from June 2024

Parnell, the port

Dear Members Our Open Day at our new base in the Bloodworth Pavilion was a delightful event and it was great to see so many of you attending. Details of the presentation from Margot and Robyn of Hapua Thrive follow.

Then we have just enjoyed another evening at the Parnell Library, when Chris Orr of Blind Low Vision New Zealand gave an excellent presentation.

This year, the Auckland Heritage Festival takes place from 28 th September to 13th October, and we give details in this newsletter of our event that helps to celebrate Auckland’s distinctive heritage.

Remember, if you would like to take a more active role in Parnell Heritage and join our friendly Executive team, or to help in any way, please contact Sue (who looks after our administration) on andreassensue@gmail.com / 022 647 5155.

With best wishes, Executive Members of Parnell Heritage Inc.

THE Quarterly NEWS from Open Day at Bloodworth Pavilion In mid-April we held our first event at the Bloodworth Pavilion and welcomed around 40 of our members.

Our Co-Chair, Beth O’Loughlin, introduced Margot Nicholson and Robyn Simcock from Hapua Thrive. This group works collectively to support the reduction of untreated sewage being discharged into Waitaramoa/Hobson Bay, with the mission statement: A healthy valley and foreshore appreciated and nurtured by the community. AS Margot said, “There are a lot of local groups doing good work. Magic happens when groups get together.” Hapua Thrive was started 16 years ago at a street party in Hapua Street. A group of people came together who cared for the environment and wanted to restore and nurture it, and Hapua Thrive was born.

Dr Robyn Simcock spoke about Auckland’s underground sewers that had been in place for over 100 years. Inevitably, many sewage overflows take place into local streams flowing out at Hobson Bay. In the past many shellfish thrived in the Bay but no longer, and needless to say swimming in these waters is dangerous. There is a problem with stormwater not being separated from sewage, and Hapua Thrive is trying to get a storage tank in Newmarket that will store rainwater. The disaster with the sump in St George’s Bay Road was caused by lack of maintenance – on the basis that it would be upgraded, Watercare was allowing sewage to go into stormwater, but the upgrade never happened.

Another issue are noxious weeds that are introduced by nurseries, such as the genko family and the Bolivian fuchsia.

Nicholas Eacott, from the Kaipatiki Project, spoke next about the work being done to preserve and improve the Waipapa Stream.

Our visitors included Ross Rattray of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists, who attended specifically to view our scrapbook articles on Melmerly College.

An Evening at the Parnell Library We all enjoyed a very convivial event at the Library on 20th June, and special thanks go to librarians, Sally and Dani, (see photo left) who made us so welcome and helped to make the event a success. Thanks, too, go to the guest speaker, Chris Orr, and his guide-dog Noble.

They made the trip to Parnell by train from Manurewa, and Chris’ engaging presentation gave us an insight into the lives of people without sight, which was very inspiring.

Recently retired as the Director of Blind Low Vision New Zealand, Chris described the early days of the Jubilee building and life in The Foundation for the Blind, later to become The Royal Foundation of the Blind, that preposition saying so much about how the attitude to blind people has changed.

THE Quarterly NEWS from “Life has never been better for blind people now, in the history of the world”. This was Chris’ opening sentence. When the Jubilee Institute for the Blind was formed back in the 1890’s, people were brought to the Blind Institute as inmates – they had no say in their destiny, it was all decided by the Institute, ie ‘for the blind’ not ‘of the blind’. The Jubilee Building, designed by Edward Bartley, was completed in 1909. It was Chris Orr on right perceived that blind people were helpless and could not look after themselves. There were men and women hostels around the Jubilee building and workhouses where they made beautiful cane-work and crafts which were then sold. Blind people were even given a side entrance to the Jubilee building as they were considered too disabled to be seen.

The Institute was renamed The NZ Foundation for the Blind in the 1950’s and it began to be accepted that blind people could lead their own lives and follow their destinies. In 1973 it became The Royal NZ Foundation for the Blind, and finally in 1980 it became The Royal NZ Foundation OF the Blind. Today the organisation is known as Blind Low Vision NZ. Chris had a traumatic injury leaving him blind as a young man. He was one of the first residents at Homai School for the Blind where, at last, blind people were helped to become self-sufficient. He described arriving at the school and being told he would be shown once where things were and how to make a cup of tea, for instance, and from then on it would be up to him – a pretty terrifying approach for someone who cannot see but one that led to his self-sufficiency and development.

Later, he operated the telephone system at the Jubilee Building, and he has gone on to live a full and active life. He says, "Yes, tragedy robbed me of my eyesight but in so many other ways it has opened my eyes and allowed me to contribute much more to society."

He described how all one’s senses become very developed, especially hearing and touch.

Unbelievably, he won the Silver Medal for downhill skiing at the 1984 Innsbruck Para-Olympics, and described how his sighted partner would ski ahead and tell him when to turn, but the sound of that partner’s skis as they gripped the snow as they turned told him so much more. Also, he described the moment when he was on the stadium receiving the silver medal for New Zealand as his fifth proudest moment, after marrying his wife and the birth of his three children.

As well as today’s complete change in attitude to blind people, Chris emphasised the enormous benefits given by both braille and guide dogs. Of the former, he said 2024 is the 200 th anniversary of Louis Braille who developed the system. However, back in 1824, the Paris Institute for the Blind would not allow it to be taught, so he conducted night classes…! This magnificent gift of literacy to blind people is life changing. Guide dogs, too, have made an enormous difference. Noble, a shiny black labrador, is Chris’ fifth guide dog who was obviously devoted to looking after his master.

(Thanks to John Waterson for photography at our events)

THE Quarterly NEWS from Future Events Come and see us on Saturday 24 th August when we will have a stall at the Parnell Farmers’ Market.

Auckland Heritage Festival This year the Festival runs from Saturday 28 th September to Sunday 13th October 2024. In conjunction with John Kinder House Society on Saturday 28th September at 2.00pm we will hold an event to launch an exhibition of 1970’s Parnell photographs by Louise Lonsdale-Cooper. More details will be sent out nearer to the event.

2024 AGM This will be held at 7.30pm on Thursday 17 th October at the Bloodworth Pavilion – so keep the date free!

Archiving Carolyn Cameron has done an excellent job cataloguing many of the Society’s artefacts and we have these on display at various events. Also, she has catalogued our historic postcards of Parnell and Auckland – these range from the early 1900’s to the 1980’s. They give delightful insights into our region’s past and will be on sale at future events. If you would like to see a list of these postcards, please email us and we can send it to you.

Nancy Steen Garden If you would like to help look after this area of the Parnell Rose Gardens, please contact Jenni Spence, thespences@xtra.co.nz .

Their working bees are usually every fortnight, alternating between Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also, they have pruning sessions scheduled in late July/early August. __________________________________________________________________________________ Remember, if you would like to take a more active role in Parnell Heritage or to help in any way, or if you have any suggestions for future events, or local places/history/people in which you are interested, please contact Sue (who looks after our administration) at andreassensue@gmail.com / 022 647 5155.

www.parnellheritage.org.nz

THE Quarterly NEWS from contact: enquiries@parnellheritage.org.nz / PO Box 37100, Parnell 1151