Museum needs $250,000

Press, 18 May 1984, Page 5

Museum needs $250,000

About $250,000 would be needed to replace the obsolete planetarium machine at the Canterbury Museum, the Museum Trust Board was told yesterday. In a report to the board, the planetarium supervisor, Mr Jim Coxon, said the old star projector was in urgent need of replacement. The only reason the old machine was still useable was the skill and dedication of the maintenance officer, Mr Lionel Hussey. Mr Coxon said a replacement had been sought for several years but the prospects of obtaining a new projector now looked brighter.

The director of the museum, Mr Michael Trotter, said that a new star projector would cost about $250,000. The old projector might sell for $12,000 to $15,000.

He said that a new machine was offered to the board in 1970 but he did not know why the offer was not accepted.

The chairman of the board, Mr Rupert Pearce, said the board might later consider giving $lO,OOO to start up a fund to replace the equipment. It would first have to decide its priorities. An approach for funding might also be made to the

New Zealand Lotteries Board. Mr Coxon also said in his report that the original slide collection, consisting 40 black and white “rather dated” slides, had been replaced with about 2000, up-to-date colour slides. Co-, lourtrue Processing Ser-' vices, Ltd, gave the slides. Bequest At least $45,000 has been left to the museum from the estate of Miss A. B. French. The museum was left a quarter share of her estate along with the Nurse Maude District Nursing Association; the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind;

and the New Zealand Crippled Children Society, said the board’s accountant, Mr Kenneth Jensen. Money from the estate had so far been paid to the board in two amounts, one of $34,000 and another of $ll,OOO. The money had been placed on term deposit until the board decided in what areas the money should be spent. Although Miss French, who had been a supporter of the museum, did not specify any particular use of the money, the board decided to find out what special interest she held and to allocate the money accordingly.