The brooch once belonged to Mary Ellen Mair (nee Boult), wife of Robert Mair. The couple married in 1861.
The brooch once belonged to Mary Ellen Mair (nee Boult), wife of Robert Mair. The couple married in 1861.
Museums around the world rely on the public not only for visitors to their special place but also for volunteer workers, financial contributions and donations.
Whangarei Museum is no different depending on regular volunteer assistance in many facets of museum operations. It also relies on the generosity of public individuals and families for bequests, donation offers and gifts of artefacts, archival material, memorabilia and ephemera to enhance the museum's permanent collection.
Recently, the museum has accepted various interesting and unique gifts, some objects in particular having close connections to one of Whangarei's founding families and are testament to their lives.
Among other family heirlooms donated by Jo Ryan was a small, intricately decorated gold brooch which had once belonged to Mary Ellen Mair (nee Boult), wife of Robert Mair. The couple married in 1861.
The private, miniature portrait of Mary's husband Robert on the reverse.
What makes this brooch so special is not the embellishment on the front for all to see, but the private, miniature portrait of Mary's husband Robert on the reverse. A tiny coloured vignette under glass of Robert in his earlier years.
Initially thought to be a mourning brooch, worn to honour the dead, it is more likely to be jewellery of sentiment, inspired by themes of love and remembrance. While some sentimental jewellery, was worn to mourn loved ones, it was also traditionally worn for betrothal, love, loyalty and friendship.
This form of jewellery has always been well-liked, not only because of the romantic messages, charming motifs and intriguing secret meanings, but also because so many pieces bear inscriptions, dates or references which act as social and historical documentation.
Portrait miniatures were frequently used as personal mementos carried in specially designed items of jewellery and have been popular since Elizabethan times. These miniatures (and later photographs) were hidden in lockets, brooches or bracelets, sometimes discretely incorporated at the back of fine jewellery pieces such as Mary Mair's brooch gifted to the museum.
The Mair family contributed much to early colonial society and in particular Whangarei, where Robert's father Gilbert Mair purchased 2000ha called the "Hatea Block". After his father died in 1857, Robert took over the farm which included areas now known as Mairtown, Kensington and Otangarei.
Robert and Mary Mair lived for many years at Deveron with their family, situated on the western bank of the Hatea River.
Robert and Mary resided for many years at "Deveron" with their family, situated on the western bank of the Hatea River. The original Mair homestead, where the present Top 10 Motor Camp is sited, was tragically burned to the ground in 1910, with the loss of valuable historic material.
Robert donated the land for the Christ Church as well as tennis and croquet lawns, and in 1913 he offered for a public domain, some 2.8ha running down to the Hatea River. The gift was accepted and is today's Mair Park.
Not only does the memory of Robert and Mary Mair continue in our wonderful recreational reserve, but also in a more personal treasure of a more intimate nature. The circumstances in which Mary acquired the brooch are uncertain, but it remained safe in the family for generations and is a precious reminder of a pioneer family who dedicated so much to Whangarei.
■ Natalie Brookland is Kiwi North's collections registrar.
