Clayton leaves QEII Museum

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 439, 9 June 1992, Page 3

Clayton leaves QEII Museum

Major Gary Clayton had his last day at the Queen Elizabeth II Army Memorial Museum on 5 June. Major Peter Pitts will take up the position of Museum director. For the next six months Gary will be at Staff College at Whenuapai. "It's quite a surprise, I

didn't expect to go to Staff College quite so soon." Major Clayton said it is not common for an Education Corps Officer to go to the college. One other Officer has been that he can recall and an Education Corps Officer has been to Joint Services Staff College in Australia. After Staff College,

Major Clayton said it is proposed that he goes to Wellington as S02 Concepts in Development Branch, Army General Staff. He has been the director of the museum for two years - his third appointment to the museum. Prior to that he was curator from 198286, the acting director in 1988.

Some things Major Clayton has instigated over the last two years have been: the planning of a display programme over a five year period, rather than every year; museum staff work on one major exhibition a year on a topic theme; World War Two's 5Qth anniversary is the theme that will generate exhibitions for the next five

years; to have the museum franchise on a sounder financial footing; to enable trading to become more profitable. The cafeteria has gone away from buying bulk items to sell, the emphasis on baking and producing on site products for sale.

Ihe museum has a manufacturing enterprise of making and selling canvas bags. This helps profitability on museum's trading on the whole. Major Clayton has been instrumental in establishing the Military Turnpage4

Museum man

From page 3 Studies Centre. He feels this has been the most important development for the whole army because of the impact of the tertiary education programme. Major Clayton said he has seen a quantum leap in the educational opportunities for soldiers. As well as completing his doctorate in 1990 and a Diploma in Museum Studies, he has rewritten the Army's history, called New Zealand Army 1840's-1990's. "This is a popularised history of the army, designed to further our general public awareness of our Army's origins and development."