Amateur archaeologists seek the truth

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33987, 30 October 1975, Page 6

Amateur archaeologists seek the truth

The search for truth about New Zealand’s past is what prompts many people to take up amateur archaeology, believes Mrs Sally Burrage, who was recently appointed deputy leader of the Canterbury Museum Archaeological Society.

The older history books were so often contradictory that these people would decide to try to find the truth for themselves, Mrs Burrage said. Mrs Burrage is the first woman to be appointed deputy leader and she brings to the position 12 years experience with the society. She has been on the society’s council for a number of years. , The society is made up of amateur archaeologists, who are under the direction of a professional. Many of the members, like Mrs Burrage, are studying geology at university. It is a related field, said Mrs Burrage, and it helps them in their archaeological work. Archaeologists are always eager to point out that their work does not revolve entirely round digs and, in fact, the actual dig is only a small and generally infrequent part of their work. Mrs Burrage said the society’s main function was to record sites and collate information with a view to having the facts published. On digs around Canterbury, members could not expect to find things like forth

fled pas and Mrs Burrage explained that their work was much more detailed and involved working with fine brushes and trowels to find much smaller evidence. UNIQUE SITUATION Mrs Burrage believed that it was unique for Christchurch to have much .of this fact finding done by the museum rather than the universities. She said that in the past, as the population expanded

from the cities and as land was cleared for new building, historical sites were found but many of them were destroyed by people going in with picks and shovels. People were more aware of this now and were placing more emphasis on the importance of preserving these relics of the past, she said. For the last two years Mrs Burrage has been leader of the Museum Junior Club for children. She formed the club after being approached by the Education Board, and there is a long waiting list to join. Mrs Burrage describes the club as an out-of-school class. Most of the club’s activities take place within the museum and Mrs Burrage finds it encouraging that children are so keen. Mrs Burrage, a primary school teacher, has five children. It was one of her sons who accidentally awoke an interest in archaeology in his mother. On a holiday in Central Otago, he discovered an old grave. Mrs Burrage took one of the bones from the grave to the museum and had it identified as a moa bone and her interest grew from there.