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Issue 156 Ngahuru • Autumn 2020
PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
NZ $9.95 incl.GST
THROUGH THE MILL A visit with the volunteers at Clarks Mill
WRITTEN IN STONE
Retrieving the lost art of stonecraft
PRESERVED IN AMBER
Behind the myths of Kiwi beer brewing
BEAUTY SPOT
A remarkable little goldmining cottage
Heritage Issue 156 Ngahuru • Autumn 2020 ISSN 1175-9615 (Print) ISSN 2253-5330 (Online) Cover image: Through the mill by Amanda Trayes
Editor Caitlin Sykes, Sugar Bag Publishing Sub-editor Trish Heketa, Sugar Bag Publishing Art director Amanda Trayes, Sugar Bag Publishing Publisher Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Heritage New Zealand magazine is published quarterly by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. The magazine has an audited circulation of 11,512 as at 30 September 2018. The views expressed in the articles are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Advertising For advertising enquiries, please contact the Manager Publications. Phone: (04) 470 8054 Email: advertising@heritage.org.nz Subscriptions/Membership Heritage New Zealand magazine is sent to all members of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Call 0800 802 010 to find out more.
Tell us your views At Heritage New Zealand magazine we enjoy feedback about any of the articles in this issue or heritage-related matters. Email: The Editor at heritagenz@gmail.com Post: The Editor, c/- Heritage New Zealand National Office, PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140 Feature articles: Note that articles are usually commissioned, so please contact the Editor for guidance regarding a story proposal before proceeding. All manuscripts accepted for publication in Heritage New Zealand magazine are subject to editing at the discretion of the Editor and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Online: Subscription and advertising details can be found under the Resources section on the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga website www.heritage.org.nz.
Heritage New Zealand
Back to the future Late last year Heritage New Zealand magazine art director Amanda Trayes and I had the opportunity to meet some of the wonderful volunteers who have, over the course of many years, helped bring the Clarks Mill complex at Maheno in North Otago back to life. It was the first visit to this site for both of us, and it was an eye opener on many fronts. The sheer scale of what the group has achieved is staggering. The milling machinery, which they have painstakingly got up and running again, is spread over four storeys and made up of a mind-boggling conglomeration of parts – none of which you’d find an easy replacement for at your local hardware store today. Then there are the myriad projects the group has undertaken across the complex to show the public the intricacy and diversity of the Clarks’ business; currently, for example, one of their projects involves restoring a crane to help tell the story of the quarrying business the Clarks also ran. The volunteers’ enthusiasm for and connection to the Category 1 property, which is managed by Heritage New Zealand, is still going strong after more than 15 years. While ours was a fleeting visit, we could appreciate the volunteers’ deep knowledge of the place immediately – and their willingness to share it with visitors. The visit got me thinking more widely about ideas of innovation and progress. In particular, a comment from volunteer Roger Blackburn really resonated. As we drank coffee in the volunteers’ ‘office’ at the complex, he told us: “People
think we’re only really clever and innovative today, but when you’re involved with something like this you understand that’s not the case at all. You gain a real appreciation of the quality of the engineering.” In this digital age, the pace of innovation only appears to be accelerating and advances in science and technology are playing a major part in combatting some of the huge challenges that society is now facing. But it’s clear that re-examining the past also has a role in taking us forward. Grow your own produce, eat seasonally, buy less (but invest in quality when you do), jump on a bike for short trips – these are all messages we’re hearing as ways to meet modern challenges, such as swelling waste streams and, of course, climate change. Yet these were everyday habits that my grandparents embraced, and were part of a way of life that was in many ways much more resourceful and less wasteful than how we live today. In my own family, we’re always trying to do better, but with many of the little ways in which we’re pushing forward – composting our food scraps, carrying our own shopping bags, buying in bulk to reduce packaging – we seem to be going back to old habits. Individually they’re small steps, but together we hope they add up. And I’m sure Nana and Grandad would be chuffed to have provided the examples. Ngā mihi nui Caitlin Sykes Editor
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