Three share history award

Press, 20 December 1988, Page 18

Three share history award

Three works won the J. M. Sherrard award for New Zealand regional history this year.

The award commemorates the works of the late John (Jock) McAra Sherrard, the author of “Kaikoura, A History of the District, 1966,” and was judged this year from publications listed in the national bibliography for 1986 and 1987. Awards went to Dick Scott for "Seven lives of salt river,” published by Hodder and Stoughton, Auckland, 1987; and Don Stafford for “The founding years in Rotorua: a history of events to 1900,” published by the Rotorua District Council, Ray Richards, Auckland, 1986. The other publication to receive the award was “Waiuta 1906-1951: the gold mine, the town, the people,” compiled and edited by Gerard Morris based on an M. A. history thesis by Tony Nightingale, oral history research by Les Wright, newspaper research by Anne Hutchinson, and published by the Friends of Waiuta, Reefton, 1986. Judges for the competition said there was a widespread tendency, in spite of advice against it, towards limiting regional history to chronicles.

A number of authors tppeared to consider de-

tails of persons, families, institutions, properties and events as the whole of regional history so their chapters ended abruptly when they ran out of local facts.

The judges urged writers to see their area in wider contexts for social, economic and political angles by seeking material in national and other sources.

Other works commended were: Francis Bennet for “Tairua: a history of the Tairua-Hikuai-Pauanui district,” published by Pauanui information bureaux, 1986; J. W. Brodie for "Terawhiti and the gold fields,” published by the Karori Historical Society, Wellington, 1986; Peter Chandler for "Let there be light: a history of Bullendale and the generation of electric power in Central Otago,” compiled by Peter M. Chandler and Ron C. Hall in association with G. N. Jeffrey, and published by Otago Central Electric Power Board, Alexandra, 1986; Jack Lee for “Hokianga,” published by Hodder and Stoughton, Auckland, 1987; and G. J. McLean for “Moeraki: 150 years of net and ploughshare,” published by Otago Heritage Books, Dunedin, 1986.