The Burkes Pass Heritage Trust Newsletter

May 2006<= /span>

Musterer’s Hut –Have YOU got any materials that could help it along?

Conversion of the old bus shelter f= rom a rubbish dump and eyesore to high country heritage is moving forward. A fund= ing application made before Christmas has taken 4 months to get to an ‘unfortunately’ letter so fresh approaches are being planned. However, if sufficient materials can be gathered or donated we can do it ‘under our own steam’. Max Willetts has put on the Project Manager’s hat and is up and running. He is sourcing suitable material= s at present and would appreciate hearing from anyone who can help. On the wish = list are a couple of matching small paned colonial windows, door and frame, used corrugated iron, concrete piles and sarking. Phone Timaru 03 688 4654.

The Cabbage Trees

Nearly a metre high, the young trees are thriving in their sit= uation on the bank of the Opihi<= /st1:PlaceName> River, becoming more easily visible as their foliage fills out into its characteristic form. Cast your eye to the far side of the Rollesby Rd Bridge when you are next travel= ling through the township. Hopefully winter will not be too hard on them. A big thank you to Ken Batchelor of T= imaru Wholesale Plants for transporting the truckload of cabbage trees from <= st1:City w:st=3D"on">Christchurch to t= he Pass last year giving us a kick start.

Brass Candlesticks – Joyce and Don Binney rec= ently presented a pair of antique candlesticks to us for use in the church. Joyce= is a great-granddaughter of George Foster Jnr, whose half-sister Georgina and her husband John Burgess donated the land for the church. The Foster fa= mily lived in a cottage next to the hotel and George also went on to manage Roll= esby station after Francis Hayter died. The interest of her family in Burkes Pass continues.

Cob Walls Grow at Anniss Cottage

Eleven enthusiastic workers made some significant repairs on t= he cob walls the weekend after Easter. New and old hands experienced the satisfact= ion in mixing and kneading clay, tussock and manure pushing it firmly into the = cracks and holes in the weathered walls and seeing the fragile made firm again. ‘It is something that anyone can do’, ‘good to have your = own little area to fix’, and ‘ I can see why you like doing it̵= 7; were heard. Sections of wall to support the front window frames were rammed between shutters and suddenly the ruins started to look less forlorn. Springtime will see another spurt of action – cob cottages aren’= ;t repaired in a day, but a few days can make a big difference.

Council’s Heritage Protection Fund Available

Did you know that funding is now av= ailable from the Council’s Heritage Protection Fund for any maintenance or preservation work that would enhance the heritage value of a building? An invitation to discuss with the Council, adding your building, or one you are aware of, to the eligible Heritage Items schedule is now open.

To qualify for funding, the buildin= g must be listed on the Heritage Items schedule on the Mackenzie District Council’s District Plan. Work on upgrading this list by Hayley Sheare= r, Senior Council Planner, has started and she is able to provide further information about the process. Many worthy items, including several at Burkes Pass, are not yet on the schedule and the Trust will assist the Council to review= and update information held by them. The Plan lists many items, including build= ings of all sorts, monuments, and remnants of early structures that may be of national, district or local importance. Currently 75 items are listed from churches to cottage remnants, farm huts to a garden fence and gazebo.

Contact Hayley by Phone 03 685 8514= or email hayley@mackenzie.govt.= nz

Heritage Information and Archives

Information held by the Trust is av= ailable to anyone interested. The Trust has material relating to many historic Burkes Pass properties and people who have lived there. This includes letters from fami= ly members, photographs, books, newspaper cuttings and written records of memo= ries shared with us. Original material, such as photographs, are gradually being copied onto disc, ultimately to be deposited with the Mackenzie District Archives as the Burkes Pass Heritage Trust Collection. The Archives have the expertise and storage facility to conserve this material for the future and= make it available for research or display purposes. Contact Jane Batchelor or Liz Angelo- Roxborough (details below).

Trustees

Jane Ba= tchelor (chairperson)

Alma Cotta= ge
Burkes Pass
Postal Address: 41 Kirkwood Avenue, Chris= tchurch 8004
Phone: 03 348 1531 (home), 03 355 8283 (work), Fax 03 348 0163

Email: = jbatch@clear.net.nz

&n= bsp;

Liz Angelo-Roxborough
03 685 8171

Email: = angelo2@ihug.co.nz &nbs= p;

Ruth Wa= ters

03 685 = 8527

coolgardie@xtra.co.nz

D= avid Reynolds

03 329 6625

E= mail: dgreynolds@xtra.co.nz

David T= aylor

03685 8544

Email: = pertay@xtra.co.nz