
What we leave behind provides pathways for connection, writes Chloe Searle.

In working with collections, I tend to become curious about the donors. One donor who has often crossed my mind is Reuben Eutycus Dimick (1897-1980). It’s a name that would catch anyone’s eye. Even before encountering Reuben Dimick in our collections, I had already read of him in Janet Frame’s autobiography as beloved teacher "Gussy" Dimick, at Oamaru North School.
Reuben Dimick’s name is connected with hundreds of items in our archive collection. The items speak to his life: athletic competitions, time served in the military during World War 1, his work as a teacher, his interest in local history. The items together reveal someone with a careful eye for collecting ephemera, someone precise and someone with a sense that we each have a place in history.

Our collections serve as portals, connecting us to the lives of others. More than once I have had visitors to the museum share memories of Reuben Dimick. I was delighted recently to find that one of our volunteers is a relation of his. No matter how much I might like to conjecture about the people behind our collections, there is nothing like a first-hand account.
"It’s been over four decades since great uncle Reuben passed away, but I still fondly remember his profound influence on our family — most notable when my father died in 1968. During this shattering time he was there to help pick up the pieces. ... His support continued for years to come by taking an interest in all of us as children and ensuring we all had a decent Christmas and birthday present until the age of 18. These special occasions coincided with a personal visit to deliver our gifts. I remember receiving much appreciated art materials but the gift that I recall most vividly were the black leather platform boots. I’d seen them in the shop window and being a fashion conscious teenager of the ’70s I just had to have them. When I put forward my request to Uncle Reuben he wasn’t sure at first. Perhaps to someone of his generation it may have seemed a little indulgent. Somehow I assured him it was a good investment and I soon became the proud owner of these fabulous boots. I was thrilled to bits and wore them a lot for years. I still have them ... they remind me of a kind and generous man who was there for us when we needed him."
Chloe Searle is arts, culture and libraries manager at Waitaki District Council.