Our Museum:

*is housed in the restored 1918 BNZ building on Main Street

*researches the history of Otaki and the surrounding district

*collects objects, stories, and images of interest

* has an extensive photographic collection and many early copies of the town's newspaper, the Otaki Mail

* holds archival material relating to the town, including records from Otaki School and the Otaki Borough Council

* records and collects oral history interviews

* tells Otaki's stories through a changing exhibition programme

* is digitising its collections.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Born in Otaki - Part 2

Sir Guy Richardson Powles, ONZ, KBE, CMG (b. Otaki 1905, died 24 October 1994). New Zealand diplomat, last Governor of Western Samoa and architect of Samoan independence, and New Zealand's first Ombudsman.

Tungia Baker, (b. Otaki 1941; died 2005). Well-known actress, artist,and teacher of karanga. She was best known for her role as Hira in the 1993 internationally acclaimed film The Piano.

Sir William Gaston Walkley , CBE (b. Otaki 1896; died 12 April 1976). Oil company exec, founder of AMPOL, and president of the Australian Soccer Federation (1963-1970). In 1956 he founded the Walkley Awards, the premier award for excellence in Australian journalism.

Mystery Photos

With several thousand photographs in our collection, we're bound to have a few we can't identify. We have been displaying some of these photos in the museum foyer and have and a great response with many names now being put to previously unidentified faces. We are also printing a "mystery photo" each month as part of our regular column for the Otaki Mail.

Can you help us identify some of the people, places and events in these photographs?

We believe the roller skaters (left) are at the Otaki Beach skating rink c.1960. There is a suggestion that the tall man is Bunny Honiss. Do you know who his skating partner is? The couple to the right are Pat Lendorf and Earl Hazlewood.

The kids on the jungle gym (right) are at a lamb and calf day at Te Horo School sometime in the 1970s. Do you know their names?

The happy bride and groom (below)are unidentified. These photos are part of a set and were not taken in Otaki.










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