We
are really excited to announce two new installations this week. A short term display in The R.E.O. to
compliment a story on Roy Bell featured in the current Your World Magazine and
new display material in the Pier Store Museum to enhance our Norfolk Language
display.
Roy
Bell was born in 1882 on Raoul Island in the Kermadec Group east of Norfolk
Island, coming here to live in 1911 it is now fifty years since Roy was laid to
rest in our cemetery at Kingston. Being
born into the Bell Family on isolated Raoul was the beginning of an incredible
life story for Roy. The hardships the
family endured and the immense appreciation for nature were no doubt
inspirational for his life’s work as a photographer, ornithologist and a
naturalist. On Norfolk Island he was
also known as a spiritualist. Roy
is remembered for his work supporting Tom Iredale and a group of scientists
studying birds, molluscs and shells on Raoul Island. On Norfolk he continued to be a natural history
collector making contributions to Gregory Mathew’s valuable publication ‘Birds
of Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands’ published in 1928. Today on Norfolk we can be grateful for a
wonderful collection of Roy’s photography that has captured the visual history of
our island.
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| Masked Booby's by Roy Bell |
Call
into The R.E.O at Kingston to see our display commemorating the life of Roy
Bell. Then come across to the Pier Store
Museum to see the new iPad installed at our Norfolk Language display.
The
app design provides an easy to follow audio and visual for visitors to
experience, learn and play with the Norf’k language. It begins with an introductory page that
prompts you to learn the Origins of Norf’k (Wesaid
Norf’k kamfram); Old Folk – Food and Whaling (Oel Salan – Wetels en Wielen);
Language of Love (Laengwij’ Law);
Humour (Kasedri); Modern Education (Lernen Norf’k Des Dieh); Teach Yourself
Norf’k (Tiich Yusaelf fe Tork Norf’k)
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| Mary Cooper enjoying the Norf'k Laengwij App |
The
Origins of Nor’k features audio and visual showing four men speaking a single
passage in Tahitian, English dialect, Pitcairn and finally Norf’k itself. The Old Folk – Food and Whaling is a group of
Norfolk Islanders talking in the 1960’s about gathering food, cooking, whaling
and the younger generation. The Language
of Love is a story written by Rachel Nebauer-Borg about a young couple courting
and the Humour features a poem composed by Andre Nobbs titled Baswaagas that
depicts the Norf’k sense of humour in describing a man and a woman who overcome
their dislike for each other to fall in love.
Modern Education is an audio of three school students learning the
language at school and to illustrate the difference one student is Australian,
the other a New Zealander and the third a Norfolk Islander. And finally Teach Yourself Norf’k is a set
of simple language lessons progressing from simple greetings, questions and
phrases through to full conversations, all with written translations and
wonderful images. We also have colouring
in and lettering activities for the children.
The
Norfolk Island Museum offers thanks to both Eddie Hooker and Ron Edwards for
providing information to develop our Roy Bell story and many thanks also to all
dem sullen who have contributed to the content for this wonderful Norf’k
Language resource in the Pier Store Museum.
We
also sincerely thank Nicky and Wally Beadman for giving generously and freely
so much of their time and expertise to develop the Norf’k Language app and to
Peter Muhlhausler for his continued support of Norf’k Language in the Norfolk
Island Museum.
Janelle
Blucher
