Keynote Speaker Talk
Sunday 1st March 2pm
Meeting Room, First Floor, Invercargill Public Library, 50 Dee Street, Invercargill
Join Dunedin-based freelance oral historian Helen Frizzell as she reflects on her 40 year career in oral history. Helen was a key person in the establishment of the Southland Oral History Project and has provided valuable ongoing advice and support.
Afternoon tea provided at the conclusion of the presentations.
Southern Steam F150 Restoration
Thursday March 5th 5:30pm
Meeting Room, First Floor, Invercargill Public Library, 50 Dee Street, Invercargill
Join Lindsay Buckingham as he presents an update on the Southern Steam Trust’s project to restore the 1881 New Zealand Railways steam locomotive F150. Lindsay will outline progress to date and plans to establish an operating heritage railway. This will enable future heritage steam trips on the KiwiRail network, beginning in 2027.
History of Bluff
Wednesday March 11th 12pm
Meeting Room, First Floor, Invercargill Public Library, 50 Dee Street, Invercargill
Interested in local history? Join Lloyd Esler as he talks about the history of Bluff from the research he has done for his forthcoming book. Bluff has a long Māori heritage which includes a massive stone tool manufactory. European occupation began with a whaling station making Bluff one of the oldest settlements in the country. The history includes stories of the railway, oysters, smelter, freezing works and shipwrecks.
Hillary’s Hut Virtual Reality Experience
Monday 16 to Friday 20 March 10am-4pm
Meeting Room, First Floor, Invercargill Public Library, 50 Dee Street, Invercargill
Antarctic Heritage Trust invites you to explore Sir Edmund Hillary’s Antarctic hut through a new, ground-breaking virtual reality experience. Find out what life was like living in the world’s extreme environment as Hillary’s team furthered science and exploration. Pop in and try it!
Free to attend. No registration required. Contact events@ilibrary.co.nz for more information.
Educator’s Evening: Putting Together Your Local History Research Toolkit
Wednesday 18 March 5:30pm-7pm
Meeting Room, First Floor, Invercargill Public Library, 50 Dee Street, Invercargill
Looking for better resources to help your students research Murihiku’s history? Join the Education Programmer at the Invercargill Public Library, who will show you some of our resources, including online databases, microfilm records, oral histories, and local collections, to build a stronger bibliography. Followed by a tour of the Archives to finish off the evening.
Free to attend. Register by Tuesday 17 March.
Contact events@ilibrary.co.nz for more information
Czech Globetrotter Bohumil Pospíšil in NZ
Friday March 20th 5.30pm
Meeting Room, First Floor, Invercargill Public Library, 50 Dee Street, Invercargill
Join Dr Martin Nekola as he introduces the remarkable story of Czech adventurer Bohumil Pospíšil (1902–1974), a half-forgotten globetrotter who spent five years in the late 1920s travelling 160,000 kilometres and recording his journey in notebooks and thousands of photographs.
From Awarua Radio Station to Awarua Communications Museum
Thursday 26th March 5.30pm
Meeting Room, First Floor, Invercargill Public Library, 50 Dee Street, Invercargill
Join Veronica Williams as she shares the story of Awarua Radio Station. Opened in 1913, Awarua was built around the early Telefunken spark transmitter and became a key part of New Zealand’s Post & Telegraph network. Today, the Awarua Communications Museum keeps this history alive with hands-on exhibits and heritage films, preserving the legacy of a remarkable Southland site.
