Palmerston North city councillor Mark Arnott: We all have a part to play as public-spirited citizens

Palmerston North city councillor Mark Arnott says having your say on matters important to you is part of being a citizen. Photo / Kevin Bills Media

OPINION

Searching through family archives recently, I came across some old Manawatū Evening Standard newspapers.

One that caught my eye was a Jubilee of Borough supplement dated 1927 covering “50 years of progress from virgin bush to modern city” from 1877 to 1927. One article lists the city’s mayors and councillors over that time, calling them “public-spirited citizens”.

We all have a part to play as public-spirited citizens, from voting in central and local body elections to standing up and having your say on national and community matters important to you.

Last week, I listened to seven hours of hearings on proposed bus shelters, and the objections raised by citizens relating to the placement of these shelters outside their properties. It was heartening to see the process working, where people who care enough to raise their thoughts are listened to, and some objections were indeed upheld.

History shows us that we have several examples of public-spirited citizens from our region whose efforts and foresight have left their legacy.

Sir Jerry Mateparae, then-chief of the Defence Force, called Palmerston North the defence capital of New Zealand, with Linton and Ōhakea. When the museum at Ōhakea closed in 2007 and all its artefacts were sent to Christchurch for the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, hundreds of items donated by Manawatū ex-servicepeople and their families were lost to our area. It was devastating then and is still talked about now. The late Tony Pierard was very vocal at the time.

Dr David Warnock established the Palmerston North Medical Museum at our hospital in 1980. It’s a charitable trust operated by volunteers. The museum was required to vacate its hospital premises earlier this year, and the items will be kept in storage until new accommodation is found.

Surgeon Major Arthur Anderson Martin, our hospital’s then-chief surgeon, was in the UK when World War I broke out in 1914. He signed up with the British Army Medical Corps. A man ahead of his time, he championed ambulances at the front and performed urgent surgery on the battlefield.

Amazingly, he found time to write a book, A Surgeon in Khaki, by candlelight during those war years before tragically being killed in 1916. A fantastic read, and part of our city’s history.

We have the world-class Engineer Corps Memorial Centre at Linton Military Camp, which opened in 1982. This is also a volunteer-run charitable trust at risk of closure.

It has more than 6000 books, which is more than the Kippenberger Library at the National Army Museum at Waiouru. The centre also holds more than 20,000 images and 60,000 items, including silverware gifted by Lord Kitchener, who was the face of the World War I-era posters which read: “Your Country Needs You.”

Winston Churchill once said those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

History needs saving by the public voice – that’s the spirit!

Mark Arnott is a Palmerston North city councillor.