NATIONAL MEMORIALS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 4, 28 April 1939, Page 5

NATIONAL MEMORIALS

IMPORTANT CENTENNIAL ,1 FEATURE d , s HOMAGE TO CAPTAIN COOK II The marking of historic spots in y New Zealand is a matter that the i [. GoA'ernment regards as being of the 0 first importance, the Hon. W. E. Parry, Minister .of Internal Affairs, stated yesterday in the course of an" interview. Mr Parry went on to an_ n nounce that the Government had ap- ( proved of a grant of £200 to mark,' s in a permanent and fitting manner,, j places of outstanding historical sig_ e nificancc; This wa 3 an object tha'c g everybody would approve of, and the „• decision would be specially gratify. v ing to residents in districts where , t memorials would be crected. n Neglect of Older Monuments 0 A complete survey of public momie mcnts in New Zealand, Mr Parry: r said, has yet to be made. However, , ° from information already made avail able to him by the National HistorL v cal Committee, it is clear that tko need for an advisory or co-ordinating 0 authority, is very evident: there are - examples of monuments whose inn seriptions are historically inaccuc rate; of memorials destroyed; and of s interesting monuments which have simply been abandoned and forgots ten. A striking instance of neglect 3 was reported several months ago, 1 following the discovery at Lyttelton - of a stone obelisk erected in 1883 to " commemorate the .marriage of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Although lying within a-foot or two of the footpath on the Sumner Road, the monument was unseen and forG " gotten for perhaps the last 30 years. ' Its metal plaque had disappeared, : and in fact its original purpose "was ~ orlv disclosed after reference to JVlr W. J. Toomey, one of Lyttelton's oldest residents. English Practice Cited, i- In the past, there has been in New .* Zealand r\o counter.part to the three principal English Societies whose od. ject is the preservation of momi- " merts. In England there are, apart , from the numerous national and local (usually County) archacologi- - j, cal societies, the Society the Protection of Ancient Buildings, fourded in 1877: the Ancient Monn_ I m?nts Society; and the National Trust for Places of Histor'c Interest or Natural beauty. However, Mr •Parry srurl, the National Historical was doing Hood work in ■■■* 1-to di"«rtion .of compiling m inventory of rt"bli« mon"m?nts and nlpees of Vstrrio inte-os*. wHle the Government's sympathetic interest in thr"'r lab'o'irs lip— l->c:'n_' in a nract'c"! Wav by the preliminary grant of £200 already mentioned. Cynic's places Thr<- the rf land_ ?r<rf n 1 pi« c 'lorl "nf Ive-n eT'^ied Vnn r>/fo is ra + her surprising, "said \r-» ppfi is an illustration of th" necessity for an ex l,fV r<- ad vis. v o-" Th<> A Hi-tor'—l Sovietv, -<Hth t l "* financial , lioln p-F the in.d Gov-or-nrnei-its, romnleted, some yeaTS ago. the marking of a number of !i|itii"p: rdocesj in Australia. ;i- tv«<? now that New , "Zealand shouM do the same. The •-•pipiv-r! Hon of New Zealand's Cen_ iorni.ni i-. 19-10 pprtninlv seems a. "iost fitting occasion to do honour +o one of the greatest navigators and expl<">*"ers fie world lias ever known. Several spots have already been marked by local enthusiasts,, - there remain at least seven his. r>inno<; -(vh'eh a v " pioselv- con- -i.j,"'" TTWntf -vri'h Cook's visits in . and 1770 -namely Art aura Pay. iv [ Tolr.ga Bay, Mercury Bay, <f River Thames," Bay of Islands, Admiralty Bay and Dusky Sound. This list • vps orif[i nn l]y compiled by Captain - J. D. McComish. who=e assistance is warmly appreciated by the National Historical Committee and the Government. Simple Plaques Proposed. The Government, said Mr Parry, concurs in the committee's recommendations that the memorials beof uniform design, and that they ■should not be ornate or pretentious. The committee suggests inscribed s metal plaques, not exceeding 12 'nches by 18 inches to be attached! to rocks or other natural features. Where is it not possible to affix the olacjues to any natural outcrop, a "mall stone or concrete cairn will be "onstrnctcd. The inscriptions will dsn conform to the ideal of dignitv t simrdicity, an example b°in£X tlx? ~>ronosed placuie for Mercury Bay, which will bear the brief legend "In this bay was anchored 5/15 November" 1 769 H.M.S. Endeavour. Lieutenant James Cook R.N. Commander. T le observed the transit of Mercury •Mid named the bay." In, this way • the memorials proposed would hav? 1 a uniformity suitable to "their function as National Memorials. . : 'S