Local history brought to life with Whanganui lecture series

Researcher Dr Elizabeth Ward will deliver a free seminar on early Whanganui women's political groups at the Davis Theatre next month. Photo / Supplied

A series of free seminars hosted by the Whanganui Regional Museum aims to raise awareness of the presence of history in the local community.

The theme of the series is New Decade and the lectures are associated with Massey University study, research and writing.

Following the first seminar, Patriotic Women's Organisations in New Zealand, held on April 27, the next lecture on May 11 is Whanganui Political Women – women's political groups in Whanganui 1893-1915.

Dr Elizabeth Ward will deliver a lecture covering the significant roles of Māori and European women in the region in promoting women's rights during the era.

Ward received a Massey doctoral scholarship and completed her PhD in 2019. She was a recipient of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage 2019 NZ history writing awards, and is currently working on a book on the history of the Reform Party in New Zealand.

The seminar will be held at 5.30pm on Tuesday, May 11, at the Davis Theatre, Whanganui Regional Museum, Watt St.

On May 25, associate professor Geoffrey Watson and his editorial team will present a seminar called Writing a history of the city of Palmerston North.

Watson is the postgraduate co-ordinator in the history programme at Massey University and a specialist in New Zealand sports history.

As well as editing History of Palmerston North, he is the co-author of Sport and the New Zealanders and Will to Win: New Zealand netball greats on team culture and leadership.

On June 13, retired senior history lecturer Dr Chris van der Krogt will present The Legacy of Suzanne Aubert and the community at Jerusalem.

Van der Krogt specialises in New Zealand's religious history and is currently writing a history of the Catholic Church in the Manawatū-Whanganui region. The lecture will be held at the Alexander Library in Pukenamu Queen's Park.

Whanganui historian Kyle Dalton will present a seminar on the history of Pukenamu Queenspark in June. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui historian Kyle Dalton will present Pukenamu Queen's Park Reserve - The Acropolis of Whanganui at the Alexander Library on June 27.

Dalton completed his BA (hons) at Massey University on the incident at Handley's woolshed in 1868. He is an independent history and heritage consultant in Whanganui.

The New Decade series is a partnership between the Alexander Heritage and Research Library, the Whanganui Regional Museum and Massey University's WH Oliver Humanities Research Academy.