• Museum friends, back row from left: Alastair Fletcher, Baird, Jeremy Robinson, and Body Miller with front row Anna Clarke and Boyd Miller.
  • Devonport Museum is located in Mt Cambria Reserve.

Devonport Museum brings generations together

At Channel Magazine we love highlighting entities doing great work in our community. We also embrace the history of our little slice of paradise with a monthly feature provided by local historian David Verran. David and his wife Susan play a part as committee members of the Devonport Museum, located in the Mt Cambria Reserve in Devonport. Bruce Craig visited the museum during November to discover their great work and priceless treasures. When you visit the Devonport Museum, you get a real sense of the local history and distinctive nature of this special part of Auckland; one of its earliest 19th century settlements and an area with a rich indigenous history prior to the settlers’ arrival.

The museum sits in the picturesque Mt Cambria reserve at 33A Vauxhall Road, Devonport, a short walk from Devonport village. Once a quarry for scoria, from 1883 to 1985, Mt Cambria (or Takaräro) now provides a welcome relief from the city’s busyness with replanted native flora and pretty picnic areas.

Alastair Fletcher, president of the museum, says that throughout its history, the museum has benefited from locals donating “some priceless treasures”. The museum welcomes donations of memorabilia, photographs and any records that relate to the history of Devonport.

He says, “We collect and preserve all manner of artefacts and information about Devonport. This gives us the opportunity to not only mount interesting displays but also to provide a base for research. We provide access to some display material, a research service, and a place to receive and process items and information of local interest.”

The museum’s displays range from natural and geological history featuring local landmarks and early settlement to social developments and the growth of the area. Devonport has a rich maritime history that features among the exhibits and visitors can see the locations where a number of shipbuilders plied their trade.”

Alastair adds, “Many visitors find the family and household exhibits particularly interesting. You can see how people lived a hundred years ago: the properties they lived in, what it looked like inside, even down to the tools they used and the toys their children played with. The school groups that visit the museum absolutely love the old toys – no Play Stations here.”

The museum building itself forms part of Devonport’s history. Alastair says, “The building that houses the museum once formed part of an early Presbyterian church building, which became redundant when they built St Paul’s brick building in nearby Albert Road. Our museum building was carved off and moved here in 1978."

Volunteers make a museum

One of the greatest treasures of the Devonport Museum is the group of volunteers who receive, research and catalogue the artefacts before turning them into displays and exhibits.

Alastair says, “Right now, volunteers are accessioning the storage shelves and checking things and restoring them in a logical way. They come in most days. For example, on Monday and Tuesday, I have a couple of volunteers who tidy up the furniture and make brackets etc. We have other volunteers who tend the gardens, planting native trees to help return the area to how it was. It looks wonderful and they continue to improve the whole area.

“Things have certainly changed since we began this work. We now use high-end computers and fibre. We can go through everything, know where they came from and we can consider new displays.

“I have to emphasise that we don’t own this; the community owns it and we simply support it. We are working out how to build our volunteer numbers to introduce more people so they feel they can take ownership of this process.”

The volunteers share an affinity with the area. Alastair moved here as an infant – “After dad came back from the war, my parents bought a section and built a house in Northboro Road”. He attended pre-school and primary in Belmont, and then at Hauraki when it opened, followed by Belmont Intermediate and Takapuna Grammar. Pursuing a career in teaching, he studied at Auckland University and North Shore Teachers College, and later Massey University. Alastair retired from teaching after forty years but has continued to place his energy into the local community.

He says, “Apart from a couple of years teaching in Wairoa and a stint in Glen Eden, I have loved calling Devonport my home. It was then, and still is, a great place to grow up. I love that our grandchildren are here.”

Visiting the Devonport Museum

Anyone can visit the museum during its opening hours of 10am-12pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, plus 2pm-4pm on weekends. The weekend hours extend from 12pm-4pm during summer. Alastair says, “We don’t just want to open at business hours. We will always listen to requests for opening it.”

The museum has a donation box where visitors can leave a gold coin. Alastair says, “For many visitors, the concept of a koha donation is not understood totally, so it is a good way for them to learn something of our culture. Visitors come from all over the world. Many of the people are parents visiting their children and grandchildren who live in the area. Some of them become volunteers while they stay here in Devonport.

“Given the voluntary nature of the museum helpers, we are quite pleased that we can offer these opening hours, but we will also open the museum to groups such as school trips and retirees. It depends on what your group wants, and we are always happy to talk about your needs. It is simply a matter of contacting us and we can arrange your visit.

“There is something different for everyone who comes here. It gives a pleasant surprise to some of the locals, who have lived here a long time, when they find things they have not seen before. Also, the setting is ideal. Backing on to, and being part of Cambria Park, allows people to enjoy a picnic when they visit.

“One of the things we have worked at is to make the museum user friendly, so people can become involved. We have installed a big screen that shows a mix of videos and still pictures. We have enormous library of pictures that show so many facets of the local history, such as videos of scows sailing and unusual pictures of the terrain and housing.

“What we really enjoy doing is telling people’s stories. Recently, we have had the pleasure of hosting an evening with archaeologist Dave Veart and historian David Verran. They delivered a fascinating presentation that informed everyone who attended about what Devonport as like in the 1800s. We believe we need to do more of those kinds of events, and we are working toward that.”

Coming attractions

The museum has several fresh initiatives underway that locals and out of towners will enjoy. Alastair says, “We have discussed with the local business association about helping it emphasise the heritage and making stories accessible to visitors. We are talking to Victoria Theatre people about having a village fair as a fundraiser for the theatre. We will have stalls and it will be a fun day.

“Devonport Primary School turns 150 years old this year and we are working with them, and Vauxhall School celebrates its centenary next year. We also work with sports clubs. We have a massive old sign that we are restoring with North Shore Rugby Club.

“We create plaques as well to help people share their stories. We encourage residents to contact us if they are interested. In another initiative, we are improving the plaques along King Edward Parade to help share the local stories.”

The Devonport Museum will continue to share the massive amount of information it receives from the community in an entertaining and educational manner. Alastair says, “We look forward to hosting more speaking events to bring more people in and raise the awareness of what we have here. We have partnerships in the community and that leads to initiatives that will resonate with the families that live in the area. For example, we are working with a local bookshop planning for the Americas Cup regatta.”

He points out what a privilege it is to be entrusted with people’s property. He says, “The credibility to be trusted with family treasures as people downsize their lives makes us feel truly humble. What we can do for those treasure is to continue making this a place the people pf all generations want to be. This museum brings the generations together.”

Devonport Historical and Museum Society – 33A Vauxhall Road, Devonport. Opening hours 10-12pm Tuesday-Thursday and weekends, 2pm-4pm. Also available for special events. Contact info@devonportmuseum.co.nz Phone 09 445 2661.

Visit: devonportmuseum.co.nz

 


Issue 105 December 2019