Remarkable West Coast restoration completed
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The restoration of the 100-year-old home of a remarkable pioneering photographer who documented West Coast mining life has been formally opened.
The $100,000 project undertaken by the Department of Conservation has breathed new life into the home of Jos Divis who lived in the cottage from the 1920s until his death in 1967.
Members of Divis' family, including his great niece, travelled from the Czech Republic to formally cut the ribbon on Friday, March 15.
The celebration marked the culmination of a complex restoration by DOC over the past two years which brought the fragile wooden structure back from the brink - amid renewed interest in Divis' photographic legacy.
Born in 1885 in what is now the Czech Republic, he emigrated to the West Coast about 1909, first living in Blackball then following an itinerant life as a mine worker for several years before becoming a fixture of Waiuta.
There Divis worked in the large underground gold mine and documented the community in a startling record of the town which continues to lives on in his images.
As a keen amateur photographer, Divis, documented the mining workplace in often startling photography.
This often included the photographer himself posed within his photos as an early form of the 'selfie' by deploying self timer technology of the day.
Divis was widely published in the national newspapers until the late 1930s.
He also documented the demise of Waiuta as a town when the mine suddenly closed in 1951. At the time it had been the largest underground gold mine of its kind in the South Island.
Divis' remarkable legacy of thousands of photographs is still being discovered amidst a resurgence of interest in his legacy with three current exhibitions including an opening at the National Library in Wellington this week.
Simon Nathan, the maker of a recent documentary on Divis, said the historic legacy of Divis is pure gold.
"One of the things that has been fascinating is, I keep on finding Jos Divis' photographs," he said on Friday.
This included Divis' descendants recently sharing fresh material buried in a family album of his early days on the West Coast, Nathan said.
Divis' work is also contained within many hidden personal albums of families with Waiuta links.
While there is an extensive archive of Divis' work in the National Library of NZ, along with that of Waiuta families links, his commercial post card work was also beginning to come to light, Nathan said.
World Heritage Site evaluator and DOC heritage adviser Paul Mahoney said he did not believe Divis' legacy had been given enough credit yet in New Zealand.
"I don't think there's anyone else in New Zealand who has documented a work place and a community in such a way. He was away ahead of his time," Mahoney said.
Heritage NZ deputy chief executive Nic Jackson paid tribute to DOC and the Friends of Waiuta who in an unique partnership had ensured the fabric of the Waiuta Tohu Whenua site continued to be enhanced, namely through the Divis cottage restoration.
"Here at Waiuta we can say a picture paints a thousand words, with thousands of pictures taken by Jos of life on the West Coast," Jackson said.
The Waiuta township site is one of six Tohu Whenua sites on the West Coast.
While Waiuta is now a ghost town the images taken by Divis of a town which was "a hive of bustling life" was unique, Jackson said.
"Much of the town's physical life has gone but Jos brings it to life for us."
Poll: Are our Kiwi summer holidays helping us recharge, or holding the economy back? ☀️🥝
There’s growing debate about whether New Zealand’s extended Christmas break (and the slowdown that comes with it) affects productivity.
Tracy Watkins has weighed in ... now it’s your turn. What’s your take? 🤔
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72.8% We work hard, we deserve a break!
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16.1% Hmm, maybe?
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11.2% Yes!
Secure your homes over summer
Police are reminding people to keep their homes secure during the summer months.
Inspector Glenda Barnaby, Christchurch Area Prevention manager, says daytime burglaries are just as common as nightime burglaries.
“Burglaries can be committed at any time of the day, and coming into warmer months there is more opportunity for thieves."
"Although a majority of burglaries involve forced entry through windows and doors, we are starting to see more incidents at insecure premises. Police deal with cases where burglaries are committed in broad daylight, sometimes even while the victim is at home. Good weather means open doors and windows, which makes homes more vulnerable to burglars.”
Inspector Barnaby says there’s a few things people can do to reduce their changes of a burglary being committed.
⚠️ If you’re going outside for gardening, relaxing in the sun, or working in the garage, take a moment to lock your doors and secure your windows first.
⚠️ Do the same at night when you go to bed - keep your doors and windows secure and close your curtains. Fitting window stays means you can get a breeze coming through, while keeping your windows secure.
⚠️ Get to know your neighbours - let them know if you’re going away and look out for one another.”
If you see any suspicious activity, people or vehicles in your neighbourhood, don't hesitate to contact Police.
If you witness or suspect any illegal activity, please call 111 if it is happening now, or make a report through 105 either online or over the phone, if it is after the fact.
Brain Teaser of the Day 🧠✨ Can You Solve It? 🤔💬
How many balls of string does it take to reach the moon?
(Peter from Carterton kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Peter!)
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
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