First batch of plaques ready for heritage walk
From left, Grant Delaney, Lincoln Edwards, Barry Cashman, Frank Byrne, Jane McDonald and Toni Bischof with the first seven plaques of Takaka’s heritage walk. Photo: Neil Wilson.
The first seven heritage plaques will be on buildings in downtown Takaka within days.
The plaques represent more than three years’ work by Heritage Golden Bay, a group specifically set up to document and honour the built heritage of Golden Bay.
Barry Cashman, a prime mover in the project, said he had been inspired by a plaque that was being installed elsewhere.
“Bob Askew, who was TDC’s service centre manager, knew that I was interested in our heritage,” said Barry. “One day he showed me a plaque that he was about to deliver to a reserve in Motueka. It had a photo and some information engraved on it and it got me thinking about a similar project here. That day I visited some businesses and building owners and I was overwhelmed by their support. The Heritage Golden Bay group got in behind the idea of some plaques in the Takaka town area to make a kind of heritage trail and today it’s a reality.”
The high-tech metal plaques will be attached directly to the buildings and include a historic photograph and some text explaining its significance. They are also numbered because, in time, interested people will be able to pick up a brochure from i-Site and enjoy a heritage walk that is expected to include 18 buildings in the Takaka CBD.
“These first seven are going up in the next few days,” said Barry. “The next six are not far away, and we’re working on the images and text for the final five. When they’re all up it’ll be a pretty impressive heritage walk.”
Barry paid tribute to the work of East Takaka graphic designer Toni Bischof. “Toni’s done an amazing job turning the old photos and the text into images that the company, Metal Images, in Auckland, can apply to the metal plaques,” said Barry. “We’ve had a great response from people who are prepared to lend us old photos of Takaka’s buildings, and Jane McDonald has checked all the archival material to make sure the information is as correct as we can get it.”
Three Golden Bay builders, Lincoln Edwards, Grant Delaney and Frank Byrne, volunteered their services to install the first seven plaques. Frank was particularly keen to help with the plaque that will end up on the MONZA Gallery, as it was once a shop where his great-grandfather Henry operated a butchery.
Grant Delaney also has a connection with the plaques. The photograph on the plaque attached to the Church of the Epiphany shows the tram-tracks of The Pioneer, the little train that ran from East Takaka to Waitapu, via Commercial Street, and which was driven by Francis Robertson—Grant’s great-grandfather.
Neil Wilson
