Heritage Images database Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-RIC261

Showing the graves and tombstones of Joseph Bennet Goold, Isaac Gwynne and Sarah Gwynne in St Mark's Cemetery, Remuera.

The inscriptions read:

'Jesus Christ tasted death for every man'.

In loving memory of Joseph Isaac Goold of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, who died November 25th 1890 aged 27 years.

Sacred to the memory of Isaac Gwynne, who departed this life 7th July 1880 aged 35 years. Requiescat in peace.

Also his beloved wife, Sarah Gwynne, who departed this life December 6th 1893 aged 45 years.

The grave and tombstone of James Sutton is also partly visible to the left.

While we’re all quite obsessed with the past, it’s worth remembering that one day we will be the past, and while our lives may not seem terribly fascinating to us, the great grand kids may find it quite interesting one day. A family newsletter could be a terrific way to get some of that information preserved in a fun way, both digitally and in print; the beauty of it is that it could involve different family members in its production – from the research, to designing the newsletter, to using software to play around with images.

On the shelves in the Central Auckland Research Centre is Creating Family Newsletters -  123 ideas for sharing memorable moments with family and friends by Elaine Floyd (1 GEN DOC - reference only) – “.” It is packed with ideas for starting your own family newsletter including creative ways to use photographs, how to put together a hand made newsletter (fab for the crafty types), and ideas on themes, such as weddings, school news and birthdays. Some aspects of the book are dated in terms of software and websites (the blog hadn’t even been invented) but ideas will translate both digitally and in to the written word. It even has an “Idea Tools” chapter which even includes an A to Z of dozens of possible ideas to name the newsletter.


Another book that could be useful is To Our Children’s Children: Preserving family histories for generations to come, by Bob Green (1 GEN DOC on our shelves). A very useful tool when it comes to interviewing the rellies, as it includes hundreds of questions to ask when putting together a family history – some terrific ways to jog the memory.

There is also a borrowable copy in the Auckland Library system but a browse through will get the ideas flowing.



Happy newsletter planning!

Joanne Graves

In the Central Auckland Research Centre, we have a collection of microfilm collectively called “Miscellaneous Films”. These are a series of films covering a variety of resources and have been grouped together in the Research Centre, just for the convenience of storage.

So, what sort of material can be found amongst this collection?

There is The diary of William Bambridge containing an account of his journey from England to New Zealand in 1841 which runs to two films.

William Bambridge was a school teacher who accompanied William Charles Cotton and Bishop Selwyn to the Te Waimate Mission. They arrived at the Bay of Islands on 20 June 1842 and he remained until December 1847.

Other items include:-

• Returns of blockhouses, redoubts and stockades in the North Island, 1869
• Index of microfilm of the source material of the "Story of early Dunedin"
• Annual reports, minute books and club photographs, 1946-1972 Eastern Suburbs Rugby Football Club
• Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey : papers, 1905-1923
• The joy remains : autobiography of Sister Margaret of the Cross
• St. Joseph's Foreign Missionary Society : records 1882-1972
• Development and education in the Cook Islands : a study of community and education in an emergent Pacific Islands Territory by W.G. Coppell

 The collection includes other diaries, papers of several people, including Joseph Banks. It is definitely something for those particularly interested in the early history of New Zealand to have a look at.

No doubt there are some gold nuggets hidden amongst the material that we are unaware of and you may be just the person to find it.

Marie Hickey