Canterbury History Foundation

Report of the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Canterbury History Foundation for the Year Ended 31 March 2010

The last annual meeting amended our Rules to enable corporate membership and to encourage businesses to take an interest in history.  A sub-committee convened by Simon Dorset has been working through many promising ideas to advance this cause and to advise enterprises on archiving material and preparing histories. 

Apart from opening a path for corporate memberships we really must try to increase ordinary membership.  Members have generally been very good about paying subscriptions and some have added generous donations; but we have lost quite a few members in recent years and income has declined.  Having more and regular subscribers is the surest way to maintain funding.

We were grateful once again to the Canterbury Community Trust for its $11,000 donation to pay the greater part of the Canterbury Community Historian grant; and I am pleased to report that Dr Jean Garner has been making excellent progress with the 2010 project. Mr Paul and Mrs Sally Rhodes have supported the Rhodes Medal presentation and replenished the medal supply so that the capital and earnings of the medal fund they established remain untapped.

Happily, our investments with the University of Canterbury have largely recovered from the 2008-09 financial crisis.  We hold useful reserves in bank deposits and, although interest rates have moderated, the income is valuable.  Applying some accumulated funds to current history projects was judged proper.  For example, our commitment to supporting the South Canterbury Museum's forthcoming publication of the Jack Adamson book by our 2007 Community Historian will draw on reserves.

The dispensing of a post-graduate travel grant, the award of a Gerald Hunt Prize, the celebration of Murray Thacker's work at Okains Bay through the Rhodes Medal award and grant, and assistance for the printing of Kaiapoi Rivertown Trust's book on the MV Tuhoe were features of the year.

A highlight was Peter Hempenstall's well attended and elegantly presented lecture in the Jim Gardner series. On that occasion we also benefited financially from the sale of books provided by the Federation of Graduate Women and Ursula Ryan.  Colin Amodeo has kindly donated copies of his recent books, and we were able to display at the lecture most of the works that have been supported by the Foundation.

Since the 2009 restructuring within the University we have received a welcome assurance from the School of Humanities, now embracing the Department of History, that it endorses our work.  We are very grateful for continued copying facilities.

Your Executive has studied Government proposals to amend the Historic Place Act.                         

The year ended with a successful and full coach tour to Gunyah Lodge and Terrace Station, led by Frieda Looser. It was an enjoyable, instructive event, producing a small financial surplus - an agreeable conclusion to a busy year.

 

Alan Hayward                                                                                           

April 2010