Preserving Community Memory — Digitising the Marlborough Express
Jamie Lean, NZMS’ Operations Manager - Central Region, and Steve Austin with volumes of the Marlborough Express. Image supplied by NZMS.
For centuries, newspapers have played a key role in shaping collective consciousness and informing public discourse. They offer intriguing insights into the social, economic, political, and cultural aspects of countries across the world, and this is especially true of the local or regional publications that capture the events and viewpoints of their specific communities. Despite their enduring relevance, providing access to historical newspapers is challenging due to the fragile nature of the paper they were printed on. Digitisation has become essential to facilitate easy access to this content, even allowing for advanced search features like OCR.
Digitisation of historical newspapers is crucial to preserve them for future generations and ensure they can be accessed for research and educational purposes. The Preserving Local History and Educational Trust is pursuing the digitisation of several historic newspapers, including The Ruapehu Times (1987-2000), The Taupō Times (1958-1990), and The Marlborough Express (1921-1953). The National Library of New Zealand, a strategic partner of the Trust, will make these digitised newspapers accessible to the public through Papers Past, an online archive holding historical documents from Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific.
The Marlborough Express, established in 1866, is Blenheim's daily newspaper. Over the years it has become the primary repository of the region's history, capturing the essence of the Marlborough community. Papers Past currently has digitised copies of the Marlborough Express from 1868 until 1920. The Trust worked with Steve Austin, former Executive Director of the Marlborough Museum, to digitise newspaper collections held by both the Museum and the Marlborough Historical Society dating from 1921 to 1953, in order to preserve this unique period of their local history.
An image of the Marlborough Express, Feb 8th, 1927.
The Trust interviewed Steve in June regarding this project to highlight the importance of providing online access to these issues of the Marlborough Express. In the interview, Steve emphasises the potential benefits of inclusive access to historical newspapers, including fostering a deeper connection to local history and enriching educational resources. You can read some of the interview below which details the compelling reasons behind this project!
Why do you think is it important that historical newspapers are preserved and digitised?
“I was just reminded the other day of the saying, ‘Journalism is the first draft of history’ – and this communicates how important the newspaper accounts of the day are. It is not that they're always absolutely correct, but they often point researchers in the right direction. If you learn how to read newspapers, then you get a sense of the community in which they are operating. You can detect the sentiments and feelings relating to certain events, as well as the people and the places. It’s important to recognise that there are always editorial judgments involved, but in general, newspapers flag the important things. That is why they’ve become so valuable to historians and researchers… and even kids trying to do their homework at 11 o'clock at night!”
Can you tell me a little bit about what was involved in getting these issues of the Marlborough Express digitised?
“The newspapers are bound in leather bindings in six-month sets and they're quite big and heavy. The set that we held at Marlborough Museum originated from the Marlborough Express office – they were volumes that had been used by staff and stored for many years within the Marlborough Express building itself. We think that we actually have the only copies of some of the issues of the newspaper – so they're not held anywhere else.
“I had been struggling for years and had moments of feeling disheartened trying to get this project off the ground, but then I realised that I must be persistent... Initially, we were just trying to get the period from 1921 until 1940 scanned and digitised. But we were able to secure extra funding, on top of what The Trust was already able to inform me was available. The extra funding has meant we could digitise up to 1953! As far as we know we have minimised all the gaps and it’s now a complete collection. That really represents a major step forward in terms of preservation and access for this project.”
Left: Volumes of the Marlborough Express loaded into Steve’s car.Right: Jamie with all the volumes of the Marlborough Express at NZMS.
I heard that you even transported the newspapers yourself to NZMS for digitisation?
“In the museum world, we like to travel with our collection. It's been an incredibly busy time over the last few months, but I just feel so personally committed to the importance of this project. I realised that any kind of transport poses some risk, and it wasn't something that I was prepared to delegate to somebody else. I wanted to make sure that everything went well – it involved three trips on the ferry loaded up with volumes of the Marlborough Express! It was a big project, and I was keen to take personal responsibility to ensure that everything arrived safely.
“The other side of that was that I was able to see the facilities and equipment, and meet some of the people involved in the project. It was all very reassuring and interesting. It’s a great team and it is a real pleasure to be associated with the Trust’s entire project. I know that in future years when a kid is doing their homework, or a family is looking for information about their ancestors, or a journalist is looking for more information about a historical issue – I will have done my best in partnership with the Trust’s great team.”
Why is it important for the Museum to have these newspapers digitised?
“Museums hold and protect the memory of our communities, but that information has to be accessible as well. In the past, the way that you would preserve something would be to lock it up in a bank vault and it would never see the light of day. Now we know that the way to preserve something is to actually share it far and wide through digitisation. Many of our research inquiries come from overseas and the people who want to do research are not physically able to come to the museum, or may not be able to come at the time that suits them. Due to the changes to the New Zealand curriculum, emphasising New Zealand’s history, it is important that all students can have access to this aspect of the memory of our community.”
What value does newspaper digitisation have for the Marlborough community?
“Digitisation of the newspapers is important because we have struggled to get support for a new, and complete, history of Marlborough in terms of publication. This is such a godsend for anyone really looking at any aspect of Marlborough heritage. I know how important the newspapers are from my own research projects. A few years ago, I gave a conference paper that was published by Otago University Press, and it was regarded as one of the most original research papers that was being presented at the time. Of course, it wasn't the first time that information had been presented because almost all of my research (on an early Chinese settler in New Zealand) actually came from historical newspapers.
“Papers Past presents all the business addresses and the advertisements so the history of commerce is always there. In the early days, even relatively ordinary people may have had an obituary... there is a lot of information about families – where they lived, and how they were regarded in the community. There's a sort of democratisation of the record when you start getting into newspapers… the whole preservation and accessibility with this project from the scanning and digitisation exponentially democratises the information again. And of course, knowledge is power. That’s the really interesting aspect that I hope young people in schools can understand... that they can see these alternative stories.”
Historical newspapers ready for digitisation at NZMS.
Do you think these newspapers can give a voice to communities that might get overlooked in the history books?
“A lot of my research has been about those who might not have had their voices as amplified in the past, such as women, early Chinese settlers, and even a very well-regarded doctor from Marlborough called Dr George Cleghorn. You can get a complex history and story once you start putting all the pieces together from different sources on Papers Past.
“Heritage is a tremendous resource that can change and enrich people's lives. It’s especially important for kids to be able to see them and think, ‘Oh okay, there's someone that I can identify with, or someone's story that was interesting.’ All of that is important because when people start to see themselves within a community or resonate with the roots of a community, that can really inspire them to create a worthwhile future for themselves. I guess that's at the heart of what has driven me to persist with trying to find funding for digitising the newspapers…so that when funds do become available, I know that I've done my very best to ensure that we can be at the front of the queue!”
How has access to historical newspapers benefited the Museum and its programmes related to education?
“One of the programmes that we ran very successfully for many years is around ANZAC Day and WWI. I remember printing off about 550 references from newspapers describing what was happening during the WWI period here in Marlborough. We don’t really have any published history books that cover that period, so actually going to the original newspaper reports was interesting.
“Marlborough started WWI with a large number of volunteers, then some months later when the casualty lists started coming through the pool of volunteers dried up. The newspapers reveal that the casualty lists had a great impact on how the war was perceived. By the time conscription was introduced, there was some hesitation from the Marlborough community. The local people were saying, ‘Actually, we need all these people to help run the farms and orchards. We can’t contribute to the economy if we don't have people who can assist us.’ So that was an interesting insight to me, and even now we're so dependent on the primary sector and the various workers helping us with harvest.
“So, for that research about WWI and the exhibitions the Museum has put on, I drew very heavily on Papers Past to find, as what we might again say, the first draft of history. It’s about hearing and acknowledging local voices which can explain what the situation was like for them.”
The period that is currently being digitised relates to WWII; what impact will this have on research in this field?
“There was a lot going on in Marlborough during this time period, such as the development of the base at Woodburn for flight training. Many people trained there and then went on to fight in Britain. Many of the men who were flying came back with English wives or families. For a long time, aviation was the only industry here in Marlborough. It was all primary sector economy, so that is a very important period in terms of what was to come later with the baby boom generation.”
What benefit will access to digitised newspapers have for research and education? Particularly, with reference to the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories curriculum?
“It's incredibly worthwhile scanning and digitising the newspapers. I hope people understand how meaningful they are as primary sources, and what a great resource they can be for all kinds of research. I have talked to many different researchers over the years, and they're just so invested in Papers Past. The sort of research that I was doing, even when I was at university, took so long... we had to use microfiche or microfilm and it involved hours and hours of straining your eyes!
“One of the things that I had to weigh up before the digitisation was the period that the papers would be away from the Museum to be scanned. I decided that due to the newspaper’s bindings and the fact that they're not indexed to the degree to which they could be, they were already to some extent largely inaccessible to the majority of researchers. So, although there is this sort of temporary period where things aren't necessarily going to be as accessible as they were, in the long run, the benefits far outweigh the minor inconveniences.
“It was really a no-brainer to have the newspapers digitised to make sure that researchers, students, family historians, and anyone else with an interest can access this material... I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity that we've been able to develop in partnership with the Trust. I would certainly regard it as a significant legacy project in terms of my professional time here in Marlborough.”
A panorama showing NZMS’ digitisation technicians imaging the historical newspapers and other taonga.
What role does the Marlborough Museum play in the community, and how does access to historical newspapers help?
“There are several layers to the whole project: I talked about preservation, enhancing access, and how the museum holds the memory of the community. Museums have a really important role in terms of community identity, tourism, and regional branding because they have the ability to tell the stories of the region. The past is never dead; it's always a challenge in front of us, and we know that traditional history books have left out a lot of voices. One of my roles has been to discover the stories and voices of people that might have been overlooked in the past. This includes people like Mary Ann Müller, an early women's rights campaigner, or Elizabeth Lissaman, a very famous Potter, and Dr George Cleghorn, a doctor who was a great advocate for the whole community. These are amazing stories that should feature in the rewrite of Marlborough history if it ever happens... People will be drawing on newspapers to help put these stories back into the consciousness of the community so that they can inspire others.
“I come to my work from an educational perspective, because I’ve worked in education for 10 years before I started a nearly 20 year career in museums. That's why I've spoken quite a lot about the importance of having this material available to young people. Part of my life has been to really understand the value of education in terms of social mobility. I see knowledge, education, and access to information as something that can help young people create a positive future for themselves, no matter their circumstances.”
Is there a story that you have found within historical newspapers that you were drawn to or found inspiring?
“Dr George Cleghorn was a fascinating doctor here in Marlborough. He was very famous as his patients kept surviving – this was because he understood a lot about the transmission of bacteria. He was really to the fore of sterilizing equipment which meant he was able to do quite complex abdominal surgery with good outcomes for his patients. Eventually, he started being sought out by very sick people, or people who needed urgent help. This also included Māori from Wairau Pā who started coming to him after hearing about his successful treatments. Dr Cleghorn is a great inspiration to me because he was dedicated to his profession and, having sworn the Hippocratic Oath, he’d try to keep anyone who came to him alive and do his best for them.
“The difficulty was that the Māori from Wairau Pā were supposed to go to the hospital in Picton, not Blenheim where Dr Cleghorn was based. However, for a sick Māori person, it would make sense to come to Blenheim rather than make the long trip to Picton. So, in the newspapers, every month you can see the hospital board reports where Dr Cleghorn is getting told off by his superiors because they had to apply to Wellington to get reimbursed for the treatment that those from Wairau Pā should have gotten when they went to Picton. That's a really interesting story of someone who wasn't Māori, but did all they could to meet the commitments of their profession, despite criticism from his employer, because it was actually the moral and right thing to do.
“When Dr Cleghorn left Marlborough, he was given a beautiful feather cloak and that is now part of the Oxford University collection. By reading these hospital board reports in the newspapers carefully, you get the sense of a truly great person who was doing something that was admirable for the whole community.”
An example of some damaged pages of the Marlborough Express, and their improved readability after digitisation.
What do you hope is uncovered by digitising the newspapers? And how will it positively impact the Marlborough community?
“There's a lot of humanity and a lot of community that's recorded on these pages, which are physically very vulnerable to disruption. Once the pages are scanned, there's no reason why they won't last until the apocalypse. Once they’re digitised, they also become searchable, whether that's by age, region, or keyword. It's such an extraordinary thing. When people use Papers Past in the future for these particular issues of the Marlborough Express, I really hope that the sense of community, belonging, goodness, and decency of people starts to come through.
“No one is going to say the tragedy isn't recorded in newspapers, such as prejudice or other terrible things, but as one of my aunts would always say, ‘Look for the helpers.’ Very often if you go looking within the community, there are other people who are doing the right thing and will be supporting others.
“In the late 1900s, William Gee, a Chinese carver who was working here in Blenheim, was a victim of a suspected racist arson attack… but the newspaper records also reveal that other people in the community came together to help him by supplying tools and equipment so that Gee could keep working and making a living for himself to get back on his feet. All those types of stories are fascinating – I think they really depict something true and good about a community and that is what I hope people will see when they're finally able to access these particular issues of the Marlborough Express on Papers Past.”
Volumes of historical newspapers ready for digitisation.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s newspapers are significant sources of historical and cultural knowledge, providing valuable insights about various aspects of our society. Digitisation plays a key role in facilitating access to this information which can benefit researchers, students, family historians, and anyone else interested in heritage. Historical newspapers, such as the Marlborough Express, can help people explore a deeper connection to their community by revealing first-hand accounts related to local events, people, and sentiments of that time.
Steve's dedication to the project, involving even personally transporting volumes of the Marlborough Express for digitisation, illustrates his commitment to preserving and sharing community memory. Digitising historic newspapers also aligns with the Government's mandate to incorporate Aotearoa New Zealand histories into the education curriculum, providing students with access to primary sources for learning. The digitised newspapers uncover hidden stories of remarkable individuals, like Dr George Cleghorn, who promoted inclusivity and belonging. This type of information illuminates the humanity and decency within different communities, showcasing stories of unity during challenging times.
Preserving the unique voices and stories found within historical newspapers allows insights from the past to resonate for generations, enriching Aotearoa’s cultural heritage and fostering a deeper sense of belonging within our communities.