It is important but also a lot of fun to establish the provenance of such publications as it is unusual for a parish collection to retain such an old publication. With the brown paper cover removed an inscription ‘Bernard Gapper’ with a note in a different hand ‘Brought to Nelson probably in 1841’, set us searching on the internet. (cheers for the internet) And yes we were able to trace Bernard Gapper through Journal of the Nelson and Marlborough Historical Societies, Volume 2, Issue 5, 1993 “Bernard Gapper: The Life & Times of an Early Settler.”

The story begins with an enquiry by a descendant from the USA making enquiries of the Nelson Provincial Museum.   “The Gapper family was amongst the passengers on board the Clifford on its arrival in Nelson on 11 May 1842. Its members were Bernard Gapper aged 35, a farm labourer, his wife Mary, 39, and their children Francis, 13, Edward, 11, Mary, 7, Anna Eunice, 1 and baby Amelia who was 6 weeks old. The family was from Stoke under Ham, near Yeovil inSomerset. Although Gapper’s occupation was given as farm labourer, he had been running a grocery and drapery store, and a poster advertising his sale of stock before departure is held at the Nelson Provincial Museum.”

The article goes on to describe his activities until his death in 1869.  The one clue which assisted us in the next step of discovery was the mention of his youngest daughter Amelia marriage to Thomas Rodgers and that the farm property then passed down through the Rogers family.

Two further names noted on the inside cover were E.H. Rogers, 1890 and R.M. Rogers 1943.  We presumed that ‘E.H’ was a descendant of Thomas and Amelia Rogers and once again the internet came to the rescue and the family tree of Bernard Gapper revealed that Edward Henry Rogers was the grandson of Bernard Gapper.

The final, well almost final step, related to the second initial R.M. Rogers which we were able to identify through our records as the Rev. Rowlatt Matheson Rogers, known amongst his friends as ‘Ro’. For our journey to be completed is to discover why this large volume was left with the St. Giles people and this avenue is still to be explored; hopefully there will be some older parishioner who will recall the circumstances.

I knew Ro to be an enthusiast for things historical and considerably interested in New Zealand history.  One can now understand why with his family roots linked back into one of New  Zealand’s earliest settlements.

The 731 pages of Josephus’ Works is in surprisingly good condition with detailed copper-plate engravings throughout by John Walker.  Each of these plates is dated,  the majority being 1786 with one dated 1787 which hints that the volume may have been published in parts.  A list of subscribers and a footnote at the end of the volume also confirms this possibility.

‘We have purposely delayed the last number of this publication for near two months, with a view to procure an accurate list of our subscribers names; notwithstanding which, and other means that we have used, we have not succeeded …’.

The final page has instructions to the binder for the inclusions of 60 plates.  It  also contains marginal references, historical critical and explanatory notes written by the Rev. Yorke ofOxford.

The Whole Works of Josephus will be retained in our Rare Books Section of the Archives Library

By Yvonne

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 13,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Donald Cochrane, Curator of Photographs, 1996-2010

The Archives Research Centre staff and friends gathered to farewell Donald Cochrane in early December, who, for almost 16 years, has diligently undertaken the enormous task of preserving the Presbyterian photographic collection.  He in fact left his mark on many other aspects of the Archives work, in particular the extensive Missions collection and the Archives Research Centre web site.  Donald took the challenge of tackling new experiences and developing various preservation strategies that had to be tailored to a very limited budget with utmost seriousness.

An initial assessment of the collection carried out by Alan Bekhuis (a now well known New   Zealand photographic artist) prior to Donald’s appointment set in place the beginnings of the preservation programme that he furthered.

The somewhat cramped environment of the Archives Office of 1996 meant the work with the photographs had to be performed in the Basement Library stack where Donald was surrounded by a great many theological tomes.  The two narrow tables with their uneven tops and the restricted space did not hinder the forward movement of the project.  Not daunted by the overwhelming number of partially sorted and undocumented images – photographs, slides, glass plates, film strips, movies and negatives –he began to slowly put in place a more ordered regime.

Surprise is often expressed that the collection contains, at a conservative estimate, 150,000 photographic images.  Besides the ever growing parish collections, the National Church has made use of photographic images as part of its outreach programme since the 1880s.  Evidence of lantern slide and later photograph and film production is dotted throughout the manuscript collections.

A boost to the use of photographs by the Church during the post World War 2 New Life Movement saw the formation of the Publicity Department and the appointment of Lindsay Crozier as the Church’s Photographer in 1950.  The Photographic Unit operated until the late 1980s when it closed due to financial pressure.  During the 37 years the unit produced a wonderful visual history in a variety of media highlighting the Church’s work throughout New Zealand and overseas.  The records and catalogues they maintained eased the burden of identification in contrast to the earlier photographic record which required Donald to undertake considerable research to place them in context.

Perhaps the lack of provenance, date and documented information is one of the most frustrating aspects of preserving many of the early photographs. So it is with a sense of considerable satisfaction for Donald that he managed to fully describe some 28,000 images of which around 15,000 are now accessible on the web site.  During his years in the Archives Research Centre he completed the preservation of 70% of images which include some description and are accessible through various on-site photographic indices.

Donald’s willingness to experiment led him to designing and maintaining our web site, way before the National Church considered one, which opened up the Manuscript and Photographic Collections to the wider world as never before.  The highly successful Mission Archives section on the site evolved as a result of the demand for these records by academic researchers.  With only a paper listing of the collection and no real means of cross referencing, Donald set about rearranging and describing the collection to enable it to be entered into the electronic catalogue ‘Ark’.  Along with the completion of the preservation of the Mission photos Donald’s knowledge of the ins and outs of mission activity in the Church enabled him to become ‘the authority’ for those inquiring about Presbyterian mission activity.

The on-line second-hand book shop also managed by Donald brings in a small but steady income.

He noted to those present at his farewell he believed he had fulfilled a significant task within the Presbyterian Church’s Archives programme and justifiably leaves feeling well satisfied.   On behalf of the Presbyterian Church we thank Donald for his marvellous contribution and wish him well in his retirement.

by Yvonne

This item will be published in the Methodist paper Touchstone February 2012

Christmas Gifts gathered for Children Caversham Parish 1935

We learn that a very small sum of money in 1929 from our 21^st century perspective went a long way.  One family managed from $3.00 to purchase Christmas crackers, a ham, strawberries, chocolates and preserved fruit, luxuries which they would ‘otherwise not have indulged in’.  There was enough money left over for them to ‘motor to the Nukutawhiti Gorge for a picnic on Boxing Day.

Another family explains a tradition which had fallen to one side in previous years due to lack of funds.  With the arrival of ‘unexpected pocket money the children proceeded to the local store in relay to purchase tooting and squeaking toys which Santa unaccountably omits from his list, after which ensued much mysterious rustling of paper, and many tentative tootings before the triumphal outburst at 5am on Christmas day.’

Joy, wrote describing her Christmas day.  ‘We woke and hurried to the sitting room fire-place we found that we each had two stockings, one of our own and a net one… At eleven o’clock we followed mother out to a young fir tree behind the water shed.  It was covered with lovely presents such beautiful ones! … After a nice lunch we decorated the house with red paper for our Christmas guests and then prepared tea with pretty cups and Christmas cake and fancy crackers.  We had such a nice tea of boiled ham, tinned fruits, jellies and strawberries.  After a jolly time with the crackers we read the story of Baby Jesus together then went out to the veranda and sang some Christmas Carols with Daddy playing the violin.’

Out in the backblocks of Taumaruni  the home Missionary held ‘something like a garden party, as it was one of the hottest days of the year [1935], and every shady tree sheltered a family group.  An ice cream man who came along at the right moment must have wondered what was afoot, as from the obscurity of green hedge, the multitude streamed forth and nearly emptied his containers.  “Shut off the engine,” he said to his assistant, ‘there’s about five thousand in here!” Evidently he used to read about miracles at Sunday School.’

The Home Mission Children’s Christmas Gift organised by the PWMU was partly influenced by the Busy Bees Christmas project and the post WW1 Save the Children Fund.   Home Missionaries did not receive the standard stipend and the families sacrificed much to go out into isolated areas of New Zealand to establish a church.  The women of the Church supported the Christmas Children’s fund until the Home Missionary scheme was abandoned in the early 1960s.

Not in the backblocks today - Christmas Pageant Upper Clutha 1999

The Editor of the Outlook stressed on numerous occasions in the first decades of the 20^th century that it was not within the paper’s province ‘to dabble in the oft times muddy waters of politics in so far as dealing with moral questions’.

What were these moral questions?  Issues around the availability of alcohol, lack of Bible teaching in the public schools (New Zealand’s Education Act (1877) stressed a secular education system), invasion of the sanctity of the Sabbath, abolition to the Totalisator  Board and gambling.  These issues create the downfall of society and the ‘progress of the Colony’ the various writers to the Outlook noted.  They argued that it is a right and duty of the State to provide an education in moral principles but within a secular education system meant sure failure.  ‘The laws on which the State rests are practically Biblical laws… If the State executes these laws … [it] should teach its own ethics to its future citizens’.   Hence their focus and struggle to have Bible teaching in schools introduced.

Hon. Richard Seddon opening the Tuakina Maori Girls' School 1905

Enter Richard John Seddon in 1893, a Liberal leader whom the Outlook had a love hate relationship with.  The writers were unsure whether Seddon could live up to what they believed were the rights and responsibilities of Government.   By 1899 Election the Outlook articles expressed considerable concern at the lack of progress on the moral front.  To the surprise of the more conservative Presbyterian clergy, the people returned ‘King Dick’ Seddon to Government with a large majority.

Seddon’s ‘liberalism’ did not inspire these writers, they note his autocratic approach and yet raise questions around the emerging ideal that human nature is inherently good which, they wrote, would lead to anarchism.  Why Seddon proved to be so popular left them bewildered.  What happened to the maxim, they queried, ‘that the righteous exalteth the nation’ when the forces of unrighteousness were allowed to shelter beneath Government’s protection.

Focus on sectarianism crept into their arguments when they suggest the Catholic vote was a contribution to Seddon’s huge majority.   But the most criticism went to the media who waged ‘a relentless and unscrupulous’ war portraying Seddon and his Government as evil.  It picked up on issues familiar to us today, such as ‘the exorbitant travelling expenses’ of Members of Parliament, cronyism, and a pragmatism that appealed to special groups.   This onslaught, which the Church father’s believed was uncalled for, caused the ‘ordinary’ voter to support the underdog resulting in the voter not considering the ‘real’ issues at stake.

Leading up to the 1902 Election the Churches in New Zealandwent all out to convince their voting public that they must continue to support the reform of the Education Act to allow religious instruction in schools by calling for a referendum.  Seddon’s denial to support the referendum process infuriated a number of Presbyterians who accused him of dismissing the democratic process. ‘It comes as a rude shock,’ wrote the Editor of Outlook, ‘to find that Seddon is afraid to trust the people…measures dealing with moral questions invariable meet with scant consideration at the hands of the present Government.’

The ‘no license’ issue received far greater support in 1902 probably due to the two religious Revivals that took place that year.  By 1905 this support waned and the Presbyterian fathers felt aggrieved that the ‘no license’ debate had taken a political turn due to the financial support of the ‘trade’ in opposing the Churches view.

Compromise had become the enemy of the people with ‘good and evil so marvellously mingled’, that it seemed impossible to distinguish significant political differences.   They concluded that from the strictly Christian standpoint there was ‘very little to choose between Government and Opposition’.

Seddon died in June 1906 while visiting Australia.  He believed his liberal reforms had made New Zealandthe Social Laboratory of the world.   Presbyterians could not agree on moral grounds and they continued to argued well into the mid 20^th century that the moral well-being of the Nation lay with a non-secular Education Act and State controlled prohibition.

by Yvonne

Front entrance of St. Paul's Trinity Pacific, Christchurch (2010). Note the Burning Bush above the door. Photo taken by Dr. Jennie Coleman

The records for St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church and St. Paul’s Trinity Pacific, Christchurch are now processed (P15006/2011/202). They reflect the faith journeys of a group of people with a proud tradition who like their church stood tall.

Consisting around 200 items the collection is a fair representation of the life of the congregation including records of the Church courts – Session and Board of Managers, marriage registers (59), baptism  and communion rolls, financial records, Women’s and Mission Group records, Cradle Roll and Young Worshippers League, annual reports and newsletters.  Many of the photographs that hung proudly on the walls of the Church building and have been fully conserved from the recent fire,  are still held by the Parish, others are part of this collection.

Unfortunately, there are no records that cover the extensive youth work St. Paul’s undertook such as Band of Hope Temperance Group, Christian Endeavour, Young Men and Women’s Bible Class, and Sunday School and Teachers’ Association .  Judging from the annual reports and Session
Minute Books these groups played a significant role in the life of the Congregation.  Also missing is the first Management Minute Book/s from 1863 to 1907, which more than likely covers the
building of the Church in 1875-1876.  There is however, the Building Fund Income and Expenditure Book (1875-1884) that lists the donors and amounts donated as well as the costs of the building project.  Also  missing is the first Baptism register 1863 to 1876.

Rev. Dr. John Elmslie with the St. Paul's Sunday School Teachers. c1895. Rev. Elmslie standing centre behind the third row of women.

Throughout the parish’s long 147 year history 14 ministers presided.  Rev. John Elmslie’s  ministry of 27 years (1876-1903) includes the opening of the church, building of a manse, extension of the parish into the suburbs, the formation of the Ladies Association 1878, and the development of various youth organisations.  He was described as ‘a man of wide vision and broad sympathies…In him intellect and character matched his stature and he stands high in the ranks of the statesmen of the Presbyterian Church.’

Reported widely in the media is a pastoral address he delivered to the congregation in 1895 where he disputed the ‘reckless’ assertion the Presbyterian Church congregations consisted mainly of women.  He notes: [I] am bound to testify that [at St. Paul’s] the majority are men – shrewd looking, hard headed men –  who, in respect of up-to-date intelligence, need have no fear of being placed alongside of those dandies and would-be philosopher who reckon themselves in advance of the Church of Christ… [Do we want] discussions on questions of science, literature and social economics?  Never.  These things are stones and not bread …’

The last record I processed is most poignant.  It highlights the crossroads that St. Paul’s Trinity Pacific congregation are now confronting.

It included documents relating to the 2009 fire, the Heritage Covenant signed with the Christchurch City Council in 2010, then the photographs of the devastating February 2011 earthquake followed by the demolition of the Church.

The final document in the file is the official announcement of the resignation of their much loved minister the Rev. Lapana Faletolu on 4 September 2011 due to ill health.  Sadly, Lapana died 6 October 2011.

the Rev. Lapana Faletolu and family taken when he exited his Theological training in 1986

Presbyterian Symbol the Burning Bush used in 1876. 'nor will it be consumed'. Photo taken by Dr. Jennie Coleman

Rymall Stuart Roxburgh

The papers of Rymall Roxburgh (1915-2006) are a significant addition to collections in the Archives Research Centre.  Its significance lies in his lifelong commitment to the Evangelical tradition within the Presbyterian Church and beyond.

Rymall was invited by Robert Miller, the son of Thomas Miller then minister of St. Stephen’s North, Dunedin to attend the Bible Class and here began his long association with the Presbyterian Church and the Miller family.  He corresponded with them for 40 odd years and the letters give a wonderful insight into their journeys of faith.

Along with many of the young people who attended St. Stephen’s,  Rymall joined the popular Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavour.  During his time at the University of Otago he played a significant role in the Evangelical Union where his interest in missions began.  On completing his Master of Commerce with Honours, he went on to study for the Presbyterian ministry at the Theological Hall, Knox College 1941-1943.

St. Stephen's Dunedin Christian Endeavour

He retained the course notes of the theology courses he undertook and these provide an insight into the teaching practices of the time. During his years of training at the Hall he kept up an active preaching ministry around Dunedin and Otago. His sermon collection has survived, which also includes sermons from India (in Punjabi) as well as those preached on his return toNew Zealand.

After his ordination and a short time at the Dargaville Parish in Northland, Rymall and Betty Roxburgh served as missionaries in the Church’s  Punjab Mission in India.  The Roxburghs went from being based at Jagadhri to the Hill Villages Mission at Dehra Dun, Punjab.  The administration of the Mission altered over this long time with the formation of the Uniting Church of North India and then further union with other denominations to become the Church of North India.  The twenty years of activity is well reflected in the collection highlighting the activities in which the family were involved.

Ill health brought Rymall Roxburgh back to New Zealand and out of missionary work.   He served in two parishes in New Zealand; first an eight year ministry at St Albans Palmerston North with involvement on the Chaplaincy Committee of Massey University nearby,  then at St. Paul’s Trinity Pacific, Christchurch, a multi-cultural inner-city church.  He worked alongside the Rev. Kenape Faletoese and was involved with the Inner City Ministers’ Fraternal, an inter-denominational group committed to services of worship witnessing to the central city.

While in Christchurch he took study leave out of New Zealand, to explore church renewal in Canada and Britain, and was an observer for the New Zealand Church to the General Assemblies of the Church of Scotland and the United Reformed Church.

Rymall’s evangelical links were already ecumenical.  It may well be from this experience that he developed an interest in Church Union serving on Joint Regional Committees on his return to New Zealand; he held a high opinion of Anglican Episcopacy.  After their retirement the Roxburgh’s moved to Geraldine in South Canterbury.  Rymall did not remain inactive.  He preached in the local church, a Co-operating Venture and served on visitations and vacancies in the mid and South Canterbury Joint Regional Committee.

He joined the Temuka Rotary which was instrumental in importing a foetal monitor to the Christian Hospital in Jagadhri.  This gift reflects Rymall and Betty Roxburgh’s continuing and generous interest in Missions, supporting the Bible Society, Scripture Union and the Bible and Medical Missionary Fellowship, later renamed Interserve.  He maintained his correspondence with people who shared his interests in ministry, mission and evangelism. Their opportunity to travel and visit the United Kingdom and the USA meant they gathered together a collection of tour guides and ephemera.

Rymall and Betty Roxburgh kept a substantial collection of records beginning in the 1930s until after the end of the twentieth century. Over that time they remained connected to the Evangelical movement in the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand and its challenges; to the mission field undergoing a generation of change; and to Ecumenical relations and Church Union. The collection gives an insight into the character and calibre of the Evangelical movement and its members over a life-time. It reveals their inspiration and their challenges. It is a legacy of witness waiting to be investigated. This makes their records a significant collection.

By Andrew Smith

‘Sermons’ are intriguing documents and we have many hundreds if not thousands tucked away in our collections.  Dating back to 1835 they come in many and varied formats and states of preservation. There are those eaten by silverfish, rust has left its mark on many from pins, paperclips and staples.  The majority however, reflect the significance placed on them by the preacher and their families where they have been carefully sorted and stored until such time it was believed they could be safely passed on for posterity and to offer edification to a new set of ‘hearers’.  The donors of sermons generally pass them over with much reverence.  They reflect the essence of their preachers’ ministry which is not surprising in a reformed tradition where the sermon is central to worship.

Sermons and their preaching thereof is a unique performance. Generally speaking the preacher aimed to unite and edify his congregation through his sermons, but occasionally the sermon created division and conflict.

I have always been fascinated with how the congregation heard the sermon.  Did women hear a different message to men?  For that matter, I have wondered whether the preacher thought much about the make up of the congregation as he (and the preacher was generally a he until the early1970s in NZ Presbyterianism) prepared the sermon.  How much of the ‘failure’ of ministry was due to not recognising the uniqueness of those who faithfully sat in front of them Sunday after Sunday?

But what is the significance and the purpose of retaining sermons in an Archives today?  What do they convey about who we were and are?  Is there anything in them that throws light on the way we lived, how we interacted with one another, our values?  How did the sermons transmit ideas and practices within the listening community?  Do sermons convey anything about the relationship between preacher and parishioner?  Are sermons really that useful to researchers?  How can they best be used?

These questions would require considerable hours of research and probably numerous books to come up with some of the answers.  But I can say that over the years a trickle of researchers have requested sermons on various topics.  One I recall was anything to do with ‘dirt’.  We found a couple that related to the attempts to clean up the slums of Dunedin. Requests for social issues and ‘the greater good’ such as the affects of alcohol, divisions caused through war, and preachers responses to politics and elections have been popular.  Attitudes to birth and death and how they have changed over time created a fascinating search of our collections, as did a request on the rights of women and their changing place in society.  The earliest sermon we could locate  on women is one preached by the Rev. George Brown of Onehunga in 1867.

Sermons are an untapped resource and patient research will reveal vast and rich treasures.  How are they best used? In another blog I will offer a few suggestions that may open some new avenues for research.

by Yvonne

NZ PRESBYTERIAN

RESEARCH NETWORK

LECTURE

How Patterns of Congregational Life are Changing

        Speakers:   Rev. Dr Kevin Ward

and

                Rev. Dr. Sarah Mitchell 

        Join us at the:

Knox Centre Seminar Room, Hewitson Wing, Knox College

Arden Street, (off Opoho Road)

Thursday 8 September, 2011

    5.30pm -7.00pm

        Refreshments at 5pm

          Gold coin Donation

By September 1919 the amount of money being sent over for missionaries salaries to India and China had halved in value so that the Committee funds had become ‘exhausted’.

An appeal through the Outlook informed the readers that humanly speaking to maintain the Church’s Missions in China and Inda was impossible but, it stressed, so was the idea of withdrawing their work. Everyone was encouraged “to pray, pray, pray, that under inspiration of the spirit of God a way out may be found”.

Inspirational suggestions came thick and fast from selling items of old silver and donating the money, purchasing items through Australia, asking travellers to India and China to carry gold, buy up gold and ship to China, and raising loans in China on the Church’s properties.

The General Treasurer looked into all the sensible suggestions offered. The potential of using gold came unstuck very quickly. Firstly, the Banks in NZ had no gold as the mines were sending it to America and Britain. Then they learned that the Government had restrictions on individuals sending gold out of the country and even if it could be sent there was no market in Hong Kong or India for bar gold and no Government Institution to handle gold shipments. The National Bank of New |Zealand suggested that sovereigns in amounts £5000 could be shipped to London which could equal the value of imported gold in London but this proved not to be the case. So the idea of using gold as a rate of exchange failed.

Other suggestions included selling old silver and sending over the funds; that proved to achieve nothing as the fluctuating exchange rate was the root cause of the problem. A further possibility was raising money in China and India against the properties held by the Mission, this had no appeal to either the Committee or associated Missionaries partly due to the instability in both of these countries and the corruption that existed in financial institutions.

Finally the prayer was answered as the Committee realised that the burden could be carried by them all and called on the members at large to find means to raise the shortfall. Every group within the Church came to the party and in all raised £20 000, far more than required. The Committee were delighted and as the recession subsided not only was the debt repaid but new work could be undertaken.

NB I was curious as to what this amount would equal today and to my amazement the conversion was something around NZ$1 000 000. It says a lot about the commitment of people to raise funds when they believe in the project.

By Yvonne