On 1 February George Pain (of Pain and Kershaw fame) turned 180. Naturally, he‘s not here to celebrate but the museum can show you the next best thing; an AI animation of the man himself, talking about his life.
He came from humble beginning but through hard graft and taking calculated risks he made a lot of money that he shared generously with the community. Today we still benefit from his gifts of land, both in town and in the country, and the many contributions he made in other ways.
If you’re a local but haven’t visited your museum in a while (or ever!), why not come and see. You might be pleasantly surprised at the makeover it’s had in recent times. The 4000 plus visitors we had last year tell us they really enjoyed the experience.
At the moment we have a 1950s summer theme using items from our collection. In many ways times haven’t changed that much.
Flies, mozzies, sunburn were just as much on people’s minds as they are now.
All the items in this picture were donated by the community many years ago. They might seem quite ordinary but they help keep the past alive. If you have vintage treasures you no longer want, do contact us in case they would be a useful addition to our collection.
For a wonderful look at one family’s summers on the South Wairarapa coast we are displaying this book donated by Fr. David Moore, who will be known to many of you. It perfectly captures bach life at the beach.
If you have knowledge of, or interest in, local history (or even if you don’t have any background such as this) you might like to become a volunteer at the museum.You could become involved with meeting and greeting our visitors and showing them around or you might prefer a backroom role.
Comments from our current volunteers include; “You meet such interesting people” and” I like being an ambassador for our region and its history”. It’s only for a few hours a month, and our volunteer team comprises a group of about 25 very friendly folk.
Contacts:
Gabrielle Roberts on 021 535 365 if you would like more information or email Martinborough.museum@gmail.com.
Website: martinboroughmuseum.org.nz, Facebook.com/martinborough museum.
The museum is open Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays 10.30 am-2.30 pm.
Admission is free but a donation/koha is much appreciated as this is our main source of funding.
