Newspaper Article 2014 – Preservation of past priceless, but costly

Preservation of past priceless, but costly

By HOANI HOTENE

The Hawke’s Bay Knowledge Bank is using a donation to help buy a machine that will keep the Bay’s history alive.

The Eastern and Central Community Trust has donated $15,000 to help the bank buy a microfilm scanner to preserve old film.

A ST Viewscan I cost about $26,000 so the trust would be fundraising to cover the rest of the cost.

Hawke’s Bay Digital Archives Trust secretary-manager James Morgan did not now [know] how long it would take to find the extra money but believed “the sooner, the better”.

“The machine is an important instrument in recording and preserving the Hawke’s Bay’s history,” he said.

If the trust was unable to find the full amount quickly, it could take up an offer of a time- payment deal by digital company New Zealand Micrographics.

“[NZ Micrographics] are working with us on a deal which will enable us to start recording history in a matter of weeks,” Mr Morgan said.

“Any sum that helps us to reach $11,000 is an extra sum that we do not have to search for,” Mr Morgan said.

Once the microfilm scanner was paid for and operational, the trust’s next project would be improvements to the home of the bank, Stoney Croft House.

One improvement they hoped to achieve was the creation of special lighting concealed in old-fashioned lamp posts, Mr Morgan said.

“It’s a clever and intriguing [way to] display one of the district’s oldest historic buildings as well as providing light to the car park and being an added security feature.”

Photo caption – Piece of history: James Morgan inspects an old reel of film containing important historical footage of the Hawke’s Bay.