Canterbury History Foundation Annual Report, 2010-11

A busy but disrupted year ends with our membership numbers steady and, happily, with a small increase in income from subscriptions and donations.  The Charities Commission registration secures encouraging tax relief on these.

The biggest contributor to our activities was the Canterbury Community Trust, which gave $11,000 towards the $13,000 Community Historian award.  The 2011 Historian, Ian Dougherty, is already well on the way with research for his history of the Canterbury WEA.  After considering the likely demands on the Trust after Canterbury's earthquakes, the Executive decided to defer the next application.  So we will not make a 2012 award.

Our financial statements show generous donations from Dr Marie Peters to the post-graduate travel fund and from Mr Paul and Mrs Sally Rhodes for the Rhodes medal fund.   The year's travel grant went to Anna Milne for attendance at a European  conference.  The Rhodes Medal was awarded to Mrs Topsy Rule, curator of the Sumner Museum.  Once again, the award effectively drew public attention to distinguished work in history and heritage.

Dr Jean Garner, the 2010 Community Historian, finished her task with Mrs Kate Foster on a book of letters to an English relative from four women in the Hall family living in 19^th century Canterbury.   An earlier Community Historian's book, on alpine photography, was launched after we gave additional help to the South Canterbury Museum as publishers.   Other grants were for a book on community halls and for a history of Trade Aid.  Such small, but essential grants continue to be critical in getting work finished and published.

Income from subs and general donations broadly matches the amount applied to history projects.  Earnings from reserves and the life members' fund met other costs.  A fundraising concert was postponed after the 22 February earthquake; and our Battle of Britain commemoration was called off after the 4 September earthquake. The University of Canterbury history awards ceremony was a popular and colourful event, and our interest in business history led to the archiving of Bridgestone tyre company records. 

The Jim Gardner Lecture by Professor Geoffrey Rice was very successful; the large audience was well rewarded by his illustrated account of Victoria Square.  The Executive made preliminary submissions on the Government proposal to amend the Historic Places Trust law to abolish local branches and members' representation on the NZHPT board.  An exploration of the advantages of merging the Foundation and the Canterbury Historical Association was abandoned when the Association's committee decided not to proceed.

That decision inspired work instead on a plan to set and clarify immediate goals, particularly because of policy and structural changes in the University.  The plan will go to members for further thoughts. One feature of it is to encourage business history and to engage the support of people in business.  Another is to co-operate - as our Rules prescribe - in the promotion of History in the University and to assist academic staff to reach out to the wider community.   

I commend the work by members of the Executive, and I remain concerned about the difficulties which the History teaching and administrative staff face in the damaged University.  I pay special thanks to Simon Dorset, who recently resigned from the Executive and as vice-president because of demands on his time.  Happily, we retain his support.

We need new members on the Executive and, as always, will welcome any proposals for enlarging our general membership and income.

Alan Hayward                                                

Chair of Executive Committee. 

 April 2011