WEDNESDAY,JULY 13, 2022
Wairarapa’s locally owned community newspaper
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History space needs new home Erin Kavanagh-Hall
erin.kavanagh-hall@age.co.nz
An earthquake-prone building, unaffordable rental costs, and the covid pandemic could spell the end for Wairarapa’s family history research centre. The Wairarapa Branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists [NZSG] has been based in the old WBS building on Masterton’s Queen St since 2000 – open to anyone looking to “complete the jigsaw” of their family history. Since its inception almost 40 years ago, the branch has built up a treasure trove of resources — from birth certificates dating back to the early days of Pakeha settlement, to shipping records, to decades-old cemetery plans and headstone inscriptions – many of which cannot be found online. However, while it may have the past at its fingertips, the branch’s future is looking uncertain. Last year, the WBS building was deemed an earthquake risk and is now on the market, with major strengthening work anticipated to take place. The branch will shortly be vacating the building – and has been so far unsuccessful in its hunt for new premises.
? � W � D G � I � C�O The branch’s family history resource centre, in its current space on Queen St. Inset: Convenor Diane Edwards says the branch may have to close if new premises cannot be found. PHOTOS/ERIN KAVANAGH˜HALL
With membership numbers dwindling thanks to covid, the branch’s budget has been stretched thin over the last two years – leaving its committee struggling to find an affordable space to rent. If new premises cannot be found “within the next couple of months”, the committee will be placing its resources in storage and will hire venues for monthly meetings, branch convenor Diane Edwards said.
However, the extra overheads will not be sustainable long-term – and the committee may have to close the branch if it cannot find a permanent home. For Edwards, a member since its early days, this is a “scary” prospect. “We knew it was coming, but it’s still very sad,” she said. “We will have to reassess where we can go from here. Without a new building, I’m not sure if
we’ll be able to continue into the next financial year. “It will be a real shame if we have to close – a lot of people have put so much effort into compiling all our records and building up the branch to what it is today. “It’s important we keep our history alive, and that people have the chance to learn about their family –
to learn about themselves and where they come from. “If we closed, it would leave a hole in the community.”
The Wairarapa branch of the NZSG was first established in 1982, with members meeting in one another’s homes, before moving around various Masterton venues – such as St James Church on High Street, the old Red Cross rooms, Wairarapa College, and REAP House. Before setting up at the WBS building, members would bring “boxes and boxes” of resources and information to monthly meetings, mostly sourced from their own home libraries. Members continued to collate and collect information, eventually forming an expansive conclave of birth, death and marriage certificates, cemetery records, electoral rolls, shipping manifests, post office directories, and military records. The branch also has a “reference library” of Wairarapa and New Zealand histories, “who’s-who” reference books, and maps. Edwards said the branch is particularly proud of its vast collection of records on microfiche, dating from Continued on page 3
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