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The Curiosity Fayre
Do you have a strange object gathering dust on a shelf or in the attic? Do you have a curiosity hanging around that you don’t know much about?
Every object has a story to tell.
I can imagine you looking around your place after reading this, I expect you’ll notice those odd curios that have been there so long that they have blended into the background. What can you find?
Many of our objects in the Masterton Museum: Cabinet of Curiosities exhibition come from people collecting interesting curios from overseas trips or excursions. These souvenirs are a window into a culture geographically and historically different from ours, a reminder of a holiday or adventure.
Unusual objects are often handed down from generation to generation too. These heritage objects usually have an interesting story to tell - why were they kept in the first place and why were they so important to be handed on?
Perhaps, like a few of us here in the offices of Aratoi, you love hunting down treasures in the charity shops where a few interesting objects have been discovered. These
Vintage Pepsi Can. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA, ARATOI
found treasures can be fascinating, one of a kind, unusual and mysterious!
In association with Heritage Week and the Masterton Museum: Cabinet of Curiosities exhibition, we are hosting The Curiosity Fayre here at Aratoi, a special free event where we are inviting the public to bring in their own curiosities for discussion with our panel of experts.
Antique expert Peter Wedde, Wairarapa legend Gareth Winter and our director Sarah McClintock, will be discussing your objects on October 29, from 11am to 2pm.
Dust off those curios and bring them in.
IN A BOX
The Curiosity Fayre Saturday, October 29 Drop-in sessions from 11am to 2pm Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History
INTERNATIONALLY SPEAKING Is a Cold War era emerging once again?
Is the world entering a new Cold War era? This is the fascinating – and worrying – subject of the next meeting of the Wairarapa branch of the Institute of International Affairs in Masterton on October 27.
With relations between Russia and the Western alliance of countries deteriorating almost daily as the war between Putin’s fiefdom and Ukraine escalates, fears of nuclear warfare, not seen for decades, are of real and growing concern, Emeritus Professor Roberto Rabel will discuss ‘The New Cold War - Lessons from the First’.
Rabel is a professorial fellow at the Centre for Strategic Studies
Emeritus Professor Roberto Rabel. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
in Wellington. He has been affiliated to the centre since retiring from his management role as pro-vicechancellor [international engagement] at Victoria University of Wellington in 2016 after 10 years overseeing the university’s internationalisation strategies and activities.
Rabel holds a BA honours degree in history and international politics from Victoria University of Wellington and a PhD in history from Duke University, where he studied as a Fulbright Scholar.
From 1986 to 2006, Rabel taught in the history department and then held management roles at the University of Otago.
His publications include, in 2005, New Zealand and the Vietnam War: Politics and Diplomacy, published to coincide with the 40th anniversary of New Zealand combat troops leaving for Vietnam. Rabel holds a Gold Cross of Merit and a ‘Bene Merito’ award for services to Poland abroad from the Polish Government as well as an award “For the Advancement of Vietnam’s Education Cause” from the Vietnamese Government.
Earlier this year he was visiting professor at the University in Warsaw.
The meeting will be at Rosewood, 417 Queen St, Masterton, at 8pm on Thursday, October 27. Tea and coffee from 7.30pm. All are welcome. Nonmembers: $5 door charge. For more information contact secretary Aileen Weston, phone: [06] 372-5741, email: aileen. weston@orcon.net.nz
A NEW BIG BANG THEORY
It’s fireworks season and that can be stressful for both pets and owners. If your four-legged pal does a runner because of the noise, the quickest way to get them returned to you is by ensuring they are registered and micro-chipped. In the run-up to Guy Fawkes night, we will be holding a microchipping event for dogs at a discounted price of $10, including the cost of the chip. We can also check existing chips in dogs and whether or not they have been chipped.
Tomorrow - Thursday 20 October, 5-6pm
Henley Lake - southern end of the lake near the Colombo Road carpark. All dogs on a leash and under active control please.
