At last, a place of their own

In 1985 money was so tight that Dunedin Study staff and volunteers cleaned and painted the...
In 1985 money was so tight that Dunedin Study staff and volunteers cleaned and painted the Barningham Building themselves to save money.
The new building under construction in October 2016.
The new building under construction in October 2016.
An artist’s impression of the new building on Anzac Ave.
An artist’s impression of the new building on Anzac Ave.

After more than 40 years of squatting in abandoned buildings, the Dunedin Study is getting the home it deserves, writes Sean Brosnahan.

The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, or Dunedin Study for short, is world-famous, recognised internationally as the gold standard in multidisciplinary longitudinal research. The one thousand study members, all babies born in Dunedin at Queen Mary in 1972-1973, have been called the thousand most studied people in the world. When it first began the study’s focus was on infant and early child developmental issues. Its survival and expansion into the world’s most notable longitudinal research project is a remarkable story of persistence and commitment.

The Dunedin Study began in 1975 with minimal resources. Its work was based in the old Knox Church manse (which had been condemned). This was where the study children were seen and put through a battery of tests. The results proved so useful that the project was extended, then extended again, and again. By 1985 new premises were needed for a sixth round of assessments. Founding director Dr Phil Silva was delighted to take possession of part of a 19th-century foundry complex, just behind George St. Another "condemned" structure, and recently abandoned by the University of Otago pharmacy department, the Barningham Building was to be "home" for the study for the next 30 years.

In January 2016, the Barningham Building was demolished to make way for the redevelopment of the university’s Dental School. A nostalgically minded staff member rescued the building’s signage from a skip. It is now on display in Toitu’s exhibition about the study, "Slice of Life".  These signs evoke the long days spent by study participants moving around the Barningham complex opening themselves up to intensive scrutiny from researchers. When they show up again in 2017 and 2018 for the latest round of assessments, however, the 45-year-old "babies" of 1972 will be visiting a brand new building, with dedicated research space, opposite opposite the stadium in Anzac Ave.

- Sean Brosnahan is a curator at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.The exhibition ‘‘Slice of Life: The World Famous Dunedin Study’’ is on at Toitu until March 27 next year.

Add a Comment