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| "Mrs Atkinson" awaits the arrival of Sir George Grey at the Harbourside railway station. |
It has been dubbed a walking tour with a difference.
Shortly after the clock on the nearby Waitaki District
Council headquarters chimes 7pm, a top-hat-and-tails-attired
gent appears from around the corner of the Oamaru i-site
centre.
He introduces himself as Robert Addison, the manager of the
Living History Players, and welcomes a group of 12.
Next, the excitable Fanny appears - whose background is "none
too salubrious" - and Addison discreetly disappears,
returning as a hunched, cane-carrying old man - architect
Thomas Forrester - and speaks, with light in his eyes, about
the stone in the town which "carves like butter under a hot
knife".
And so the tour begins, leading past the Harbourside railway
station and down to the historic Harbour-Tyne precinct, with
two young Dunedin actors, Wyeth Chalmers (19) and Louise
Jakeway (21), slickly playing multiple roles based on real
characters who have contributed to the town's rich past.
There's Dr Garland, who comes to the aid of Mrs Atkinson's
son, William, who tripped on the train platform and was
pulled on to the tracks as the train was moving.
The irrepressible Fanny encourages the group to quickly move
on from the terrible scene - "try not to look, it's a bit
gruesome" - and it is later learned that young William lost
his arm.
Polly, the maid at the Criterion Hotel, introduces the group
to Captain Whitson, the captain of the first shipment of meat
carried to England on the vessel Dunedin in 1882, while Larry
the larrikin causes some mayhem as a tambourine-ringing Fanny
tries to conduct a prayer meeting in Smiths Grain Store.
Sergeant O'Grady tells of an unfortunate incident with a
night-cart, while a young girl with whooping cough is "dosed"
with the foul-tasting Lane's Emulsion - bearing the slogan
"famous because it's good" - outside the old Lane's Emulsion
shop in Harbour St.
"Yuck, yuck", she splutters, before declaring that she feels
much better and is off to play.
"Goodness me, that's a big horse," exclaims Fanny as a
four-wheel-drive vehicle passes down Harbour St.
Secrets of the Old Town has been a transition from The Great
Storm of 1868.
That living history show, which stood as the longest-running
production in any location in New Zealand, premiered in 2007
and ran for two seasons.
Three actors took on multiple roles to re-enact a shipwreck
and flood that ravaged the burgeoning town.
But feedback showed visitors wanted more flexibility in the
time and structure of what was being delivered in bringing
the stories of old Oamaru alive, Living History NZ principal
Scott Elliffe said.
