Newsletter for June & July 2009…Vol5 #3

 

 

From the President; the winter chill is really with us and as I sit composing this note to you I can feel the icy draft coming under the ‘drawing room door.  Indeed I wonder how our ancestors ever managed to put up with the cold, perhaps they wore more suitable clothing, perhaps they had thicker curtains, perhaps they just put up with it and sat closer to the fire!  Winters at Ferrymead can be much fun – although tales of breaking the layer of ice on the washstand ewers in the morning doesn’t really thrill me to want to go back in time.  We have become a society used to essentials such as the heated towel rail (warming the towels on the rack over the kitchen range), electric blankets (stone hot water bottles or bricks), air conditioning (one warm room in the whole house and every draft plugged).  The quaintness of a chamber pot under the bed suddenly becomes a necessity at 3 am when the southerly is blowing!  Indeed our ancestors must have been a very hardy lot. Work and entertainment continue to feature even when the weather is against us and we have had some very cosy times at Ferrymead of recent.  The movie evening was well supported and supper was almost a grand affair – hot and steaming from the range towards the end of the evening.  The ‘drawing room fire and candles were almost magical and it was hard to leave at the end.  Members and guests stayed late and soaked up the atmosphere – very relaxing.  We do try to plan our events to entice you our members to keep coming and feed back is extremely helpful.  This next round of social items shows a variety of day and evening functions.  Phillip has well in hand our Dunedin visit to Larnach’s Castle – this is fully booked and we are looking forward to our journey south.  Its now time to register your interest in Oamaru!  How time flies and this trip is always worthwhile.  Phillip will have further information in this news sheet.  Our weekly life of having “Curragh” open is always rewarding.  It only takes one guest to make your day and people do appreciate having a live person to help with interpretation.  We do extremely well to have the house every weekend and for special groups during the week.  My plea this month is for a fire grate and ash pan for the ‘drawing room.  I have forgotten the measurements but suffice to say it’s just the usual standard size (and I’m pretty handy with the hacksaw).
Looking forward to your continued support. Martin James

 

 

CURRAGH COTTAGE FUTURE HAPPENINGS;
Saturday 29th August, ***NOTE*** This is now supper not a dinner! Supper will be served following the evenings fun, games and social chit-chat in Curragh Cottage. The cost of $10.00 to be paid to Edna before the 24th August, Edna will then let Martin know how many suppers to prepare and Deborah know how many to expect for —- Salmagundi Games Night There used to be fierce competition between Victorian and Edwardian hostesses to see who could throw the most inventive parties. Because the drawing room in Curragh can’t hold all the guests that usually attend our evening socials, as hostess, I have had to prepare a Salmagundi night where guests are split up into small teams (2 to 4 people) and go around various fun activities, round robin style. Teams earn points and prizes for various categories will be awarded at the end of the evening. Extra points will be appointed if you give a recitation (humorous ones preferred), bring along a photo of yourself as a baby or as a child for the ‘Guess Who I Am’ board and you supply me with one or two little known facts about yourself (by the end of July). These facts will be used in a game where you will be getting to know your fellow Friends throughout the night. Please be prompt so I can start straight away, forming teams and giving instructions on what to do. Deborah Westlake
September, on a Friday nigh (date TBA) we will be having a visit through the Park Post Office. Supper will be served there and a donation to the Post and Telegraph Society will be expected from those who attend.
October Labour weekend-MondayDinner 5pm. This will be in Curragh to say “thankyou” to all who have been busy working over the weekend. The price will be $10.00 a head.
November-as a number of our members travel to Oamaru for the Oamaru Heritage Celebrations there is no organized activities in Curragh.
Wednesday 16th December, this will be our usual First Four Ships evening and Christmas party. This year we are hopping to join forces with the Early Settlers group. There will be more details to follow but in the mean time put this date in your dairy.
AROUND THE PARK from Maureen
June– The first Sunday of June is adjacent to Queen’s Birthday Monday so we can promote those two days together as Steam days.
July-The first Sunday of July is the Fire Engines Special.
The first Sundays of August, September, October, November, March, May and June will be Steam Sundays. 
October-Labour weekend we will do the usual two-day event on the Sunday and Monday with a military and war-time history theme, to be developed once we see what external resources we can tap into.  Brian Joyce is making some enquiries and will get back to me with an update in a few days and we will go from there.  The NZ Vintage Car Club has expressed an interest in being at the Park for one of the days, TBA.
December-Sunday 6 December to be an Electric Day, maybe an Electric Weekend with the Saturday as well.  The THS will have two major projects to launch, we will look at getting the electric bread van out of the Linwood Store, the electric vehicles out of the Hall of Wheels and try to involve some modern electric vehicles.  Possible parade of vehicles.  The other December Sundays will be Steam Sundays
13th to 18th January 2010– “Wind in the Willows” will dominate January, running from Wednesday 13 to Sunday 18.  We need to avoid running any mini-event days in the weeks leading into this event or we will be getting in the way of the CCC marketing for the production. The other January Sundays will be Steam Sundays.
Cheers, Maureen Power, General Manager, Ferrymead Heritage Park, el 03 384 1970, Mob 027 269 8388, Fax 03 384 1725, snail mail to, PO Box 19988, Woolston, Christchurch 8241.

OTHER HAPPEINGS
November-Oamaru Heritage Celebrations 18 – 22 November.  Programme details not available yet. Could all members interested in attending and who would like bookings made for them please contact me. This is especially important for those interested in staying at Anne Mieke Guest house, as our host is keen to confirm bookings as early as possible. Phillip Cook 16th to 26th October is Heritage Week, look out for the brochure in your local library.
LOOKING BACK!
Friday 29th Ma
y, Night Out At The Flicks-Thirteen Friends enjoyed a wonderful night out at the Ferrymead Picture Theatre. We were transported back to Edwardian Britain as we watched the 2000 remake of The Railway Children. As leader of Heritage Youth, I was especially interested in the children’s clothes, both posh and everyday. After the movie, we partook of a delicious supper over in Curragh and most of us couldn’t drag ourselves out of the drawing room until nearly midnight. The good company, conversation and the warmth from the fire on a chilly night, was just to good to leave. Deborah Westlake.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 13th May, Kathleen Campbell gave a talk on J. M. Barry and Peter Pan finishing with a magic lantern show using a 106-year-old set of glass slides of Peter Pan, for The Canterbury Antique and Collectors Club (Inc).                                                                                                                                                                 P5130034                                                          

 10th June, Deborah Westlake gave a talk on Victorian and Edwardian schooling and children’s pastimes, also for The Canterbury Antique and Collectors Club (Inc).                                                                           P1013262 strait                                                              

 Saturday 13th June, mid winter lunch in Curragh Cottage, this was changed to midwinter school lessons and afternoon tea in the School House and was happening as this newsletter was going to print so the report will be in the following newsletter.

 Have you lost your marbles? Chances are, the answer is yes. Most of us owned marbles as a Kid, and maybe even played marble games. Whatever happed to those cat-eyes, aggies, and alleys anyway? Marbles is a street game people have been playing since before there where streets. The ancient Egyptians played games with small balls made of clay. In Renaissance Italy, glass blowers made glass “marbles” as children’s toys. The first book about marbles was published in England in 1815. The marbles you probably remember are the brightly-coloured, machine-made glass marbles. Than the games you played might have gone by names like Potsie, Forts, Ring Taw or Bossout. Like stickball and skully, marble games have faded as a pastime, done in by asphalt paving, the rise of video games, and the death of the vacant lot. But there are pockets of marble diehards including a national tournament that’s been held every year since 1922 (in G.B.) The British World Marbles Championship has been held every Good Friday in Tinsley Green, England, since at least the 1600’s and perhaps longer, It’s run by the impressive-sounding British Marble Control Board and often hosts teams from other countries. This artical comes from http://www.streetplay.com/thegames/marbles/

Marbles hasn’t changed much since these guys played

 Site of the month, http://www.fashion-era.com/edwardian_photos.htm

Deadline for the next magazine is Saturday 2nd August, to Kathleen [email protected]

 Important contacts;

For all “in house” entertainment and bookings in Curragh Cottage please contact Martin James [email protected]

For all entertainment off site of Ferrymead Park or outings you may find out about that you think may interest Friends as  a group please contact Phillip Cooke, as our entertainment liaison person,  [email protected]

For all drapery concerns and drapery roster please contact Pam [email protected]

For secretary contact Phillip Cook,  [email protected]

For Heritage Youth contact Deborah Westlake [email protected]

Important General Information, As Secretary I have been forwarding emails from Ferrymead etc to all members that I have email addresses for. Any members, who have not been receiving these emails and wish to, please advise me by email or phone. Any members receiving the above emails and NOT wishing to receive them should also advise me. Phillip Cook

Some members will be familiar  with Shire books, the small paperback books on a myriad of subjects that have   been available through Hazel Reeves. Hazel is no longer   handling orders for these, so I have taken this on.  If members wish to view the latest catalogue and full listing please contact me. Phillip Cook

*The Editor would like to apologise for all typing and grammatical errors in this issue! If you would like further information on any of the above articles please contact the author of the article concerned. Kathleen

*The Editor apologises for the disappointing quality of the print in the previous magazine, the print quality is out on my control,  Kathleen

 ***If you would like copies of any of the photos in this magazine please contact the editor ***

NOTE Any members requiring a copy of new Constitution should contact me by phone or email. Cheers, Phillip Cook

 

  ICE  

We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory. If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn’t know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this ’ICE’ (In Case of Emergency) Campaign. The concept of “ICE”  is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As mobile phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name “ICE’ (In Case Of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents there where always mobile phones with patients but they didn’t know which number to call, He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognised name for this purpose.

In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialling the number you have stored as “ICE”.

For more than on e contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc.

PLEASE PASS THIS AROUND AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE AS THIS CAN HELP IN AN EMERGENCY.

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