Josiah's Cup

Robert (Punga) Adams and his sister Sue Sinclair, together with their partners and other members of the Adam’s family made a visit to the museum this week. They came to present us with Josiah’s or Siah’s Cup, after their father the late Charles Adams, gifted it to the museum in his Will. This is a very special gift indeed.

Robert Adams and Sue Sinclair hand over Josiah's Cup to Museum Curator Lisa Richards

 The cup was brought to Norfolk Island from Pitcairn by Josiah Adams, grandson of the original John Adams. It is not known for sure, but believed that it may have belonged to John Adams. It was passed down from Josiah to his son Guildford, who passed it his son Guildford Paterson “Pat” Adams and then to his son Charles. It is a mariner’s cup or mug and was most likely traded or purchased from a whaling ship passing by Pitcairn. The family believe it dates from the 1790’s.

The cup was used for Christenings in the Methodist Church when it was located in the Old Military Barracks from 1887 until the early 1920’s. Josiah, or Siah as he was known, was well known for walking along Quality Row with his cup asking everyone “was the kettle on”. Kik Quintal remembers stories that as he was leaving he would say that he would bring a little wood next time. In those days a trip up-county was needed to collect wood for the fire. The saying “I’ll bring a little wood next time” is still used today, particularly if you have to eat and rush off – “sorry f do semes Siah, eat en start, I’ll bring a little wood next time”. Robert has told us that in early tennis matches on the island, players would challenge each other and say “let’s play for Siah’s Cup”.

Josiah Chester Adams was born on Pitcairn Island in 1830, the son of George Adams and Polly Young. He married Dinah McCoy in 1858 and died in 1907. The endemic plant streblus pendulinus or Isaac Wood, is known as Siah’s Backbone and was named after him as he was known for his supple spine!

Josiah's Cup

Siah’s cup will be put on display in the Pitcairn Norfolk Gallery upstairs in the Pier Store, allowing future generations of Norfolk Islanders to see and learn from it. It is an object that holds great significance and value to this community. The stories of Siah’s Cup tell us about the people of this island, their history and culture. It will sit proudly alongside other objects owned by Islanders that also help to tell our stories. We are very thankful to Charles for bequeathing Siah’s Cup to the Museum and to Robert, Sue and their families for delivering their precious family cup to us. 

Paper Conservation Training

We have had a fantastic week down here at the museums, immersing ourselves in the world of paper conservation. Under the expert tuition of Caroline Whitley, Senior Conservator of paper and photographic materials with the Australian National Maritime Museum, three workshops were held providing training to a total of fourteen staff from the museum, KAVHA and Records Department. Each of these three areas is responsible for paper based artefacts and items that are part of our island’s material heritage. From photographs, letters, documents, maps, newspapers and books – we have a large collection of paper based items to care for and ensure that future generations will have access to.

 Caroline took us through best practice handling procedures as most damage is caused by poor handling. Preventing damage occurring in the first place was a good lesson and place to start! We then looked at options for collection housing, focusing on making two types of protective enclosures to help preserve items during storage, handling and transport. These are mylar (polyester) encapsulations and boxes. We came to understand the need for being precise and patient, clean and orderly and having good cutting skills. We saw how hand making a box from proper archive quality materials to neatly fit a fragile or damaged book, results in a housing that is not only lovely in its own right, but importantly provides the support and protection required to stop further damage.

After the workshops Caroline looked at some of the paper-based conservation ‘issues’ that we have in the Museum. We were also able to extend her visits to include Registry and Records Departments. We kept her busy as she provided advice on objects requiring attention such as historic Births Deaths and Marriage records; less than ideal storage facilities; the best options for keeping files to ensure they don’t create damage; and specific remedial work on maps, letters and documents. Janelle Blucher had some wonderful 1:1 sessions where she was able to learn further techniques for repairing damaged items. Caroline gave so generously of her time, working far beyond the hours we had requested. Her skill in this area is immense and we learnt so much from her, even though we knew that we had just scratched the tip of her paper conservation knowledge. We are very thankful to the Australian National Maritime Museum for making Caroline available to us, and also for all their support in ensuring we had the correct materials ordered and ready on-island for her visit. Our sincere thanks to you Caroline for all the preparation time you put into getting here, and also for such fabulous training while on island with us.

This training was made possible with the use of the profits from the play The Trial of the Fifteen. Expenditure of these monies is agreed on by the owner of the rights to the play, Peter Clarke’s son Stephen, and the Museum Trust.

Our Harmonium Comes to Life

Jeanine Snell and I had a quite lovely and unexpected experience this week. We were asked by Lynette Leach, visiting with her husband Athol from Williamstown in Melbourne, if she could please play the harmonium on display upstairs in the Pitcairn Norfolk Gallery. The harmonium was brought to Norfolk Island by Pastor Alfred Phelps and his wife Mrs Phelps in 1884. They brought it here for the new Methodist Church which was soon to be located in the Old Military Barracks. The harmonium continued to be used by the Church after they relocated and up until the 1960’s when they replaced it with an electric organ.

Lynette Leach playing our Harmonium

 As so many harmoniums and organs today are electric, there are not too people who know how to play one using the foot peddles and manually operating the stops. Lynette told us that she learnt how to play from her father who had been a Church Minister. Lynette, also a Minister at the Williamstown Church of Christ in Melbourne, has played piano from age five. The harmonium is in working order and as she clearly knew how to play we were pleased to consent to her request. The Pier Store was then filled with the amazing sound of this beautiful harmonium, as Lynette played well known Church hymns as well as the Pitcairn Anthem, Gesthemane and Oakleigh. It was a very special and quite emotional experience hearing the harmonium being played and to hear those hymns by Driver Christian, George Hunn Nobbs and Gustav Adolph Quintal reverberating through the Pier Store. In a cabinet beside the harmonium sits the tuning fork owned by George Hunn Nobbs, which was then passed to Driver Christian and then Gustav Quintal. The playing was a powerful reminder of the strong musicality and musical legacy left by not only these men, but so many Pitcairn Islanders and past Norfolk Island generations.

Mrs Phelps

Pastor Phelps from the book "Gathering Jewels"

The story of the Phelps’ and their bringing of Methodism to Norfolk Island was not without controversy. Pastor Phelps was an American Methodist missionary and he and his wife arrived on the island specifically to start up a Church. They began meetings in the home of Parkin Christian and within a few months held their first gospel temperance meeting. However there was great opposition to the starting of a Methodist Church including protests by angry crowds. This resulted in Chief Magistrate Arthur Quintal taking the unprecedented action of swearing in special constables to keep the peace. He said “on account of the numerous uproars and outbreaks of violent deeds between the Church people and the Phelpites I was obliged to adopt severe measures to prevent it, by drawing a line of distinction between the parties with strict orders to refrain from using abusing language against each other”. The congregation grew and within two years they had converted the Old Military Barracks into a church. The opposition did not stop and in 1888 a petition signed by 55 adult male members of the community called (unsuccessfully) for the Phelps’ deportation. Pastor Phelps’ death a few years later and his wife’s return to America slowed things a little, however the Church continued with visiting preachers from New Zealand together with local laymen giving pastoral care until 1902.  In 1903 the Norfolk Island Methodist Church was attached to the Methodist Church in Australia with Rev. R. M. Laverty as Minister. In 1974 the Methodist Church in Australia became part of the newly formed Uniting Church in Australia.

The Harmonium is on permanent loan to the Museum from Alan and Maureen

A Bit of a Mystery

We received an intriguing request from June Ryves last week. Moving her cows into a paddock one morning she came across 4 small, hand shaped balls lying on the ground. Where had they come from? She moves her cows through this area most days and had never seen them before. The next questions were – what are they made of, who made them and for what purpose? Are these old or something someone had recently made?

 We thought we were able to answer the question of what they are made from – viewing the surface with a microscope camera Sue Brian thought that they are most likely coral. However others think that they may be whale bone, from a knuckle or foot bone. Pauline Reynolds-Barff saw them and wondered if they were Polynesian. In Tahiti similar shaped balls made from rock were used as weapons. While primarily round in shape each has some flatter sides, and Tihoti thought they looked as if they have been used as a sanding tool. Pauline took some photos of them and while showing Meralda Warren in Pitcairn, she thought they looked like ones on Pitcairn Island. However she is yet to confirm this and it could be that they are not related at all. Nat Grube and Yoyo were in the office and they saw them – Yoyo immediately said they were like ones they used on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Coral pieces are used there as a sanding implement, gradually forming into the shapes of the balls we have.

Can you help solve the mystery of the four coral balls? If you have any information about what they are likely to be and who would have made and used them, we would love to hear from you. Please give the Museum a call on 23788.

The Norfolk Island Effect

An important yet little known part of our island’s history was presented to us this week. A very interested audience was treated to a fabulous presentation by Dr. Miller Goss on The Norfolk Island Effect. Miller is a radio astronomer who spent his career working at places such as the Parkes Radio Telescope, the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Socorro, New Mexico (USA). He and his wife Libby still live in New Mexico.

The story of the ‘Effect’ takes us back to the dying stages of World War II in 1945. At that time Norfolk Island still played an important role due to its location, airstrip and the placement of the Radar Station at Mount Bates. Miller pointed out to us that there are very few places where you can gain a 360 degree view of the horizon, as you can on top of Mount Bates. The COL radar placed there was used to warn of aircraft in the area.

Dr. Miller Goss

One day late in March 1945 Royal New Zealand Air Force Flight Officer, Hepburn, who was in charge of the radar station, noticed increased radiation recordings at sunrise and sunset. We are lucky that Hepburn was alert to the fact that this was something to follow-up on and that he reported the discovery to RNZAF headquarters. From there the information was passed to Dr Elizabeth Alexander of the Radio Development Laboratory of the Dept. of Scientific and Industrial Research in Wellington. She began an immediate investigation. Within weeks similar recordings had been confirmed by other stations in New Zealand and she gave the name to the discovery as The Norfolk Island Effect. What had been detected were Type I solar bursts from an active sun. The news of this discovery had a major impact on science in New Zealand and especially Australia, leading to the Australians becoming a world power in radio astronomy within the next 5 years. The impetus of the Norfolk Island news was a major force in the re-birth of radio astronomy in the post war era.

The fact that today we generally know so little about the Norfolk Island Effect and the important historical role that the radar station at Mt. Bates played is surprising. The ruins of the radar are still there – and in fact Miller was surprised at the amount and intactness of some pieces, as most other stations of this type have all but disappeared. However, despite local attempts in years gone by, there is no sign or information that alerts us to what an important discovery was made at this place in 1945. The challenge of conserving what is left is also there. It is hoped that some re-dress of this may occur through attention brought by organisations such as the Museum and National Parks as well as interested community members.

Dr. Goss beside the remains of the COL Radar at Mount Bates

 Miller’s talk was made so interesting by the stories he told of the people involved in and that their backgrounds, connections and diligence were in no small part, the reason why the discovery was made. In particular he was able to really convey what a remarkable woman Dr. Elizabeth Alexander was. Educated at Cambridge at a time when women were not allowed to be full members of the university she went on to become one of the world’s first female radio astronomers – even though geology was her primary science. Her story of evacuation from Singapore in the days before it fell to the Japanese, her career in New Zealand and finally correspondence on the news of the Effect with colleagues in Sydney, were fascinating parts of Miller’s presentation.

Miller and Libby spent time in New Zealand prior to coming to Norfolk where Miller was able to talk with two of the men who worked at the Radar Station in 1945 and research more about Dr Elizabeth Alexander’s life. His enthusiasm for ensuring that the story of the Norfolk Island Effect is not lost to history was obvious. He left us enlightened on a small but very important part of the history of this island and charged with the task of making sure that the story and relics on Mount Bates do not get forgotten or lost to future generations.

The Bounty Cannon Returns Home

Early on Tuesday morning the KAVHA team picked up the Bounty cannon from the Works Depot (all prepared and sitting on a crate ready to go thanks to Lee Hamilton-Irvine), and returned her safely to the Pitcairn Norfolk Gallery in the Pier Store. The KAVHA team are amazing – they managed moving this half tonne object with great skill and care. The cannon had been at the Works Depot for the last four months undergoing conservation work by Janelle Blucher to remove corrosion and be re-sealed.

The cannon has come home to sit on a new gun carriage made for us by Peter Horrocks. It is worth a visit to the Pier Store just to see Peter’s carriage - it is beautifully hand made to the exact original carriage plans and is a major addition to our displays and in particular, the display of the cannon. As large pieces of Norfolk Island Pine were needed for the construction, timber was specially sourced by John Pearson and Charles Christian-Bailey. The steel work for the cap squares was made by Greg Horrocks and KCI once again made a supporting frame for the cannon to actually sit on. Our sincere thanks to Pete, John, Charles, Greg and KCI.

Once again, the Museum has benefited from local skill and ingenuity and a major item of great significance to this community as well as internationally has been successfully handled and cared for.  We invite you to visit the Pitcairn Norfolk Gallery in the Pier Store to see our newly conserved Bounty cannon sitting on its hand-made carriage. This project was funded by the National Library of Australia through their Community Heritage Grants Program.

Up-town Museum Presence

We were recently asked by Baunti Escapes to provide a major display of our Museum tickets, products and tours in their Burnt Pine office. We have long desired the opportunity to have a substantial up-town display to ensure that visitors learn about the existence of our museums in the early stages of their holiday. One of the most common things we hear is “if only I’d found out about the museums earlier in my stay” – as visitors realise that more than the last morning or afternoon of their holiday is needed to really explore all we have on offer.

Many thanks to Baunti Escapes for providing this valuable space to us. Next time you walk past their office drop in to see the new home for our replica Bounty cannon made as part of the Bounty cannon conservation project, and displays on our museums and tours – including the chance to dress up and have your photo taken in either a Bounty or judges outfit (from the Trial of the Fifteen). Bring your camera for lots of fun!

Can you help us?

We recently received an enquiry asking for information about Carnfield (Carn or Karl) Bancroft. Carn managed the whaling station here in the early 1960s and lived in the Royal Engineers Office (now the R.E.O. Café and Bookshop) in Kingston with his wife Sybil. One of his descendants is looking for information about his time here on Norfolk. We would really appreciate your call on 23788 if you have any information we could pass on.

Maritime Archaeology Training

Last weekend 25 locals with a common interest in our maritime heritage spent their time in the Museum Theatre at Kingston attending a course on Maritime Archaeology. Everyone successfully passed Part 1 of the course offered by the Australasian Institute of Maritime Archaeology (AIMA) and Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS). Cass Phillipou and Sarah Ward were our main tutors and Andy Viduka also taught some sessions. Cass, Sarah and Andy are all members of AIMA and were here with funding provided to the Museum by the Commonwealth’s Historic Shipwrecks Program (Andy is the Assistant Director of Maritime Heritage in that Department).

 We were incredibly lucky to have these three run our course – not only are they very experienced maritime archaeologists and professionals, but their passion and enthusiasm for the subject made our learning experience a really enjoyable one, and as easy as possible. We covered topics that were totally new to most of us and there was a lot to take in including the Legislations covering shipwreck material, Archaeological Principles, site survey methods and conservation. We even managed in our small groups to survey parts of the New Gaol! The course is designed as an effective way to learn basic underwater archaeological skills.

AIMA is the only non-government organisation involved in maritime archaeology at a national level. It was formed in 1982 to assist in developing the maritime archaeology profession and furthering the aims of programs and projects carried out in Australia and other parts of the world. Volunteers make up a large part of maritime archaeology expeditions around the world and Membership of AIMA and Certification through the courses they offer, can provide the opportunity to volunteer on expeditions around the world.

After passing a short exam the outcome of our efforts was the presentation of Certificates certifying that we had each passed Part 1 of the AIMA/NAS course, and Membership to AIMA. Another outcome was that the group came together again during this week to start a Maritime Archaeology Association on Norfolk Island. This is incredibly exciting as it marks the beginning of a volunteer group of divers and non-divers who will research, locate, document and protect our maritime heritage. There will be further information provided by the group in coming weeks as they begin to confirm their purpose and objectives and formally establish themselves as an Incorporated Association.  This is great news for Norfolk – and for future generations of Norfolk Islanders.