Bob Watherston, from Kurow, tries to organise the extensive
Kurow book collection. Photo by Andrew Ashton.
Plans to expand the Kurow Museum could result in 40,000
second-hand books being provided to prisoners in New Zealand
prisons and people in underprivileged areas around the world.
The Waitaki Valley Community Society hopes to expand the
Kurow museum and create a new children's activity area by
buying the neighbouring land and Kurow Curios and Book Shop
next door, but community society member Bob Watherston said
before that could happen, the society needed to find homes
for the estimated 40,000 books at the store.
Mr Watherston said the books would go on sale at the Kurow
Festival Market Day on December 29, but it was unlikely they
would all be sold.
''We have got to get rid of them, so we are looking at
donating them to charities. We are looking at giving them
away to the ... prison service and the Red Cross.
''We are also looking at overseas [places] like East Timor,
where they could be useful.''
''A good sprinkling'' of the books were at least 100 years
old, and some could be ''very valuable''.
Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean said she had been helping to find a
use for the books, and added that she would be contacting the
New Zealand Ambassador to East Timor.
''When I was up in East Timor three months ago, as an
election observer, they said they would welcome books there,
particularly English language books, for their libraries.''
Mr Watherston said it was hoped that once the books had found
a new home, work could start on expanding the museum in the
new year.
''We would like to allow the museum to expand so it can
display old farm implements in an outdoor display.
''We propose to create an attractive walkway round to a
landscaped children's play area.''
andrew.ashton@odt.co.nz
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