Author: Jaime Ridge

David Warnock Medical Museum Display

// Heritage
Image depicts two glass display cabinets with historical medical equipment on display within. Two anatomical charts hang behind them showing human muscle structure, including optical nerve structure.

Has this display on the first floor of the City Library caught your eye?  The vintage medical equipment is on loan from the David Warnock Medical Museum.  Its collection features medical and dental equipment spanning more than 100 years, including items dating back to the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s.  To modern viewers, some items appear like bizarre torture devices, but when first produced this medical technology was cutting edge – quite literally, in the case of amputations and surgery.

The museum was established by ophthalmologist and dedicated collector, Dr. David Warnock, and is administered by a charitable Trust.  From June 2023, the collection will have to vacate its building at the Palmerston North Hospital.  You can read more about the efforts to save the museum and its nationally significant collection here – https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/131394602/palmerston-north-hospital-tells-medical-museum-to-pack-up-and-find-new-home

As part of Palmerston North’s Heritage month, the David Warnock Medical Museum will be holding an open day on Friday 17 March.  Seize the opportunity to view this fascinating and important medical history collection in its Palmerston North Hospital venue.

David Warnock Medical Museum Open Day
Palmerston North Hospital, Heretaunga Street, Gate 5
Friday 17 March, 1-4.30pm, entry by gold coin donation.

New Heritage Display in Time for Waitangi Day

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Image depicts manual labourer with apron tied around waist, arms raised as they lift a tied bundle of long flax leaves.

To commemorate Waitangi Day, the library’s Kaitaurima Māori intern, Harmony Governor, has put together an exhibition exploring early forms of partnership between Māori and Pākehā.  On view on the First Floor of the City Library, this display focuses on trade, exchange and natural resources.

Memorial Park

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Image depicts 'Now and then' feature with old and new depictions of the CM Ross building in Palmerston North.

Summer is a great time to explore parks and pools in Palmy! Families have enjoyed relaxing at Memorial Park from the 1950s to present day.

Although not quite taken from the same angle, these images show just how much Memorial park has changed over the years.

Image depicts historical view of Memorial park changing rooms on hill. Adults and children in school uniform walk on grassed areas past trees and metal seats.Image depicts childrens play equipment. A spiral wooden ramp twists up to a central two-story tower with slide. Surrounding area shows recycled rubber safety flooring in bright colours.
1963 to 2021

Check out this link for more Memorial Park history on Manawatū Heritage.

Digitise your images at the library

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Image depicts computer set-up with photograph scanning machine. A series of negatives and photograph slides rests on a table.

We have scanners available to digitise your hard copy photographs, slides and negatives. Staff are available to train you on the machines so you can preserve your images for the future and share them easily with family and friends.

It’s easy as! Call into the 2nd floor of the Central Library and take a trip down memory lane.

Zoom in to Local History Week talks

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Image depicts logo for Local History Week 2021 with image of the Women's Rest Art Deco building painted white, red and green.

This year Palmerston North celebrates 150 years and Local History Week is one of many celebrations and times of reflection taking place across the city in 2021. This year the Local History Week programme has been modified due to COVID-19 Alert level restrictions, and our very popular lunchtime talks will be delivered via Zoom.

MONDAY 1 NOVEMBER, 12.30-1.30pm:

Our Party of the Century Presented by Margaret Tennant, Historian An illustrated talk on the city’s centennial celebrations of 1971.

TUESDAY 2 NOVEMBER, 12.30-1.30pm:

Himatangi Beach – From the Car Shed to the Water’s Edge Presented by Tony Rasmussen, Historian Discover why Himatangi Beach did not develop to the extent expected by its earliest promoters.

WEDNESDAY 3 NOVEMBER, 12.30-1.30pm:

The Hawke’s Bay Earthquake, and the ‘canvas towns’ of Palmerston North Showgrounds and Awapuni Racecourse Presented by Leanne Croon Hickman, Historian

You must register in advance for the talks by contacting the Heritage team heritage@pncc.govt.nz. A link to each Zoom session will be sent to you.

The Front Line WWII photo exhibition

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image depicts historical scene of world war two soldiers at ease, crouched in grass while eating tinned food for Christmas dinner.

Visit the second floor of the central library to view a selection of images from New Zealand military historian Glyn Harper’s latest book, which features unpublished images of New Zealander’s in World War II.

Piers and Bowstring Arches: The Second Fitzherbert Bridge

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Image depicts concrete bridge surrounded by wooden scaffolding.

Do you remember the old Fitzherbert Bridge? Completed in 1935, this was actually the second of three vehicle bridges built to cross the Manawatu River. You can learn more about this once iconic Palmerston North structure from the display in Second Floor Heritage Area of the City Library. This features photographs, engineers’ plans, historic documents and even the menu from the civic luncheon to celebrate its opening by the Governor General. The display will be on view until 24 October. More images can be viewed here, on Manawatū Heritage.

The Old RSA Soldier’s club

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Image depicts 'Now and then' feature with old and new depictions of the CM Ross building in Palmerston North.

You probably know this majestic old Palmerston North Building better as Cafe Cuba, but it was originally built for the Manawatu Patriotic Society as the Soldier’s Club. It was completed in 1917 to a design from the firm of L G West & Son and was used by the RSA until 1966.

This slider compares 1979 and 2021.

Manawatū Heritage image 2009N_Bc162_BUI_2408 (Manawatū Evening Standard – Stuff Limited) compared with image 2021BD_IMCA-DigitalArchive_034735

The second image was taken in 2021 by Caleb, Sam and Natalie of the Manawatū Home Educator’s network as part of a session with the Heritage team at Palmerston North City Library. They went out to Cuba Street with an iPad specifically to take this photo so we could use it in this image compare slider. Well done team!