The Value of External Supporters

The 21^st Battalion Association collection is a significant addition to the Museum’s war collection, however, most museums unfortunately do not have the resources within their operational budgets to spend large amounts of time researching, documenting, and storing collections of this size. Curator and Collection Manager roles have a broad-ranging remit that spans community engagement, research, public programming, exhibitions, ongoing collection management and development activities. When we receive collections or donations that are very large, unusual or fragile, this can place a strain on our team of staff who care for and manage those collections. The opportunity to secure external funding to support the processing of large collections at these times enables the collections to become visible and accessible, as well as supporting the storage of the collections in a stable archival environment.

The Lotteries funding enabled the Museum to employ two collection technicians for six months to process the 646 objects from the 21^st Battalion, adding them to the Museum’s already extensive History collection. The processing of the collection objects, as well as preventative conservation measures, prevented further degradation and facilitated the re-housing of the collection into archival storage and mounting systems.

Each member of the team that worked on the collection has chosen some favourite objects that embody different ways of conceiving the collection.

_{Image: Vinyl decal; 2019.62.632}

"The paybook, prayer book and cigarette lighter that belonged to Private Ivan Robert Carlisle are some of my favourite objects from the 21^st Battalion Association collection. These items were so personally connected to him as a soldier.

When opening the paybook out fully, it had plant material tucked in a pocket and prompted me to ask many questions – where did he locate this plant? Why did he put it in his paybook to keep? What meaning did hold for him?

The prayer book, for his Catholic spiritual guidance, which he obviously held close to his person for comfort in unsure times and his engraved cigarette lighter that would have been with him during both social and traumatic occasions with his fellow soldiers.

Personal objects like these in the collection speak to the connection between objects and memory for the individual. These are ‘anchors’ in a person's life at that given point in time. These become a conduit for memory and stories."

_{Image: Plant material, prayer book and cigarette lighter belonging to Pte Ivan Robert Carlisle, 2019.62.70. © Auckland Museum CC BY}

"For this reason, I’ve chosen as favourites a small group of objects that in their very ordinariness speak of the strong sense of community among the association members, and the comfort and strength received and given by everyday activity and care for the well-being of others. From the clubrooms gate that proudly proclaimed the association’s presence, to the bar towels and teapots that embody the regenerative power of friendly social ritual, to the Last Post blackboard which respectfully remembered those members who had recently passed, these objects admit us, in a small way, into the 21^st Battalion Association community and encourage us to reflect on the meaning of resilience, and on the value of comradeship."

_{Image: Bar towels from the 21st Battalion clubrooms. 2019.62.371. © Auckland Museum CC BY}