Jeff Wilson visited the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in Dunedin when he was an All Black and his message in the visitors’ book was one word — "inspiring".
Wilson, who represented his country in both rugby and cricket, was inducted into the hall of fame in 2013.
Thousands of people visit the hall at the Dunedin Railway Station each year and some may be similarly inspired by seeing the bike Sarah Ulmer rode to win a gold medal in the velodrome in the Athens 2004 Olympics, the kayak Paul MacDonald and Ian Ferguson powered to Olympic glory in Seoul in 1988, or one of the gold medals won by middle-distance runner Sir Peter Snell at Tokyo in 1964.
In 2000, Snell was voted New Zealand’s athlete of the 20th century.
Dunedin’s Dame Yvette Williams (later Corlett) was the first New Zealand woman to win an Olympic gold medal when she leaped 6.24m in Helsinki in 1952. When the length of her long jump is laid out — as it is in the hall of fame — it looks an outrageously long distance.
A sports fan who visits the hall cannot help but have their heart strings tugged by hearing a little of Winston McCarthy on the radio and coming across images of rugby giant Jonah Lomu, cricket great Martin Crowe and netball star Sandra Edge.
But the future of the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is in doubt and Dunedin is at risk of losing the facility. Sport New Zealand is ceasing its annual funding of $100,000 at the end of this year and the hall is set to close, unless the Dunedin City Council — the hall’s second-largest funder — intervenes.
City councillors will next week consider whether they should give the hall a lifeline. Cr Sophie Barker has put up a notice of motion and, if other councillors agree with her, the hall could stay open until at least June next year while longer term options are weighed up.
Its budget has long been considered inadequate and the displays are static.
The hall began modestly in a Wellington office in 1990. After about seven years, its board decided it needed a physical presence, serving as a sports museum.
Museum visitor numbers are about 9000 a year and it seems many of them head there on the recommendation of Dunedin families hosting visitors. The South Island provides about twice as many visitors as the North. The museum also has school visits.
NZ Sports Hall of Fame chief executive Ron Palenski points out Dunedin’s council was the only one — of various councils approached — to raise its hand to host it in the first place. The first floor of the railway station was made available and refurbished and the facility opened in 1999.
Dr Palenski (75) has been running the hall with his wife Kathyand sister Helen Watkins. After two decades of service, he has indicated he would like to scale back.
When he took on the assignment, the former journalist had a vast space to work with and, initially, only a bust of cricket great Sir Richard Hadlee to put there.
Dr Palenski asked around for memorabilia and some of New Zealand’s finest sportspeople ended up contributing material.
To scroll down the list of hall of fame inductees is to be reminded of New Zealand’s magical moments — such as yachtsman Sir Peter Blake leading the successful New Zealand campaign to win the America’s Cup in 1995, golfer Sir Bob Charles winning the British Open in 1963 and skier Annelise Coberger claiming a silver medal at the Winter Olympics in Albertville in 1992.
"I got a call from Bob Charles when I was walking down George St," Dr Palenski says.
"He said ‘I hear you’re setting up the hall. Can you come up to the farm and I’ll give you some stuff?"
Dr Palenski visited Charles’ farm in Oxford, Canterbury, and found he had a triple garage.
"The floor was just covered with golfing memorabilia — of his clubs and bags and clothes and more shoes than you’ve ever seen in your life.
"Years later, Bob Charles was in the hall, showing people around and, when he came to his display, he pointed at his first putter and said, ‘oh, is that where it got to?"’
Ulmer was inducted into the hall of fame in 2014 and Dr Palenski asked her that night if she might have something she could lend. Asked for a suggestion, he said he would love to display her bike.
"About a year later, I got a phone call from Sarah. She was in Dunedin with her bike and she asked where was I."
Dr Palenski caught a flight from Auckland and when he got to Dunedin, Ulmer was at the hall with bike parts in a big box.
"She sat on the floor here and assembled the bike for me.
When he was setting up the hall’s museum, Dr Palenski visited All Black legend Sir Colin Meads at his Te Kuiti farm.
Meads had famously played a test in South Africa in 1970 when his left arm had been broken and was not yet fully healed. He wore a leather arm guard to protect it.
"He gave me various jerseys and programmes.
"I’d got into the car to leave and he had come out to say goodbye and he said, ‘oh, hang on, there’s something else you might want’.
"He tossed this thing on to my lap. As soon as I saw it, I knew what it was.
"I asked if he was sure and he said ‘yeah, I’ve got no use for the bloody thing’."
While running his tour for the Otago Daily Times, Dr Palenski points out one of two Olympic gold medals Snell won at Tokyo.
He does not know if it was for the 1500m or 800m, because the medals were the same.
Snell opened the New Zealand Masters Games in Dunedin in 2006 and he gave the medal and a pair of his training shoes to the hall.
Years later, Dr Palenski visited Snell in Dallas, Texas, and the great athlete donated more memorabilia.
Dr Palenski says people who have donated memorabilia love the sports museum.
"In their minds, they’re sharing it with the rest of New Zealand, so New Zealanders can vicariously share in their successes, which is why it would be such a shame to see it close."
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Comments
As with all heritage collections, funding is critical for saving & displaying our past & present records & items.
Overlooked in the greater Dunedin area are small museums that struggle on the smell of a oily rag to survive.
The DCC has not helped with grants or taken much interest, rather poured funds in to only the TOSM & the Otago Museum.
The small volunteer based collections just do not have a say or are subject to neglect with an urban Dunedin focus by the DCC.
Time for a change.
It's time to have a good look at the whole funding & support to all the heritage playing in the region.
I read this article hoping it would explain why a sports hall of fame is important or relevant, but I still have no idea why such a thing exists or why it should be funded from the public purse. What I AM impressed by is the dedication of the people who run the museum with obvious passion and commitment. Perhaps THEIR stories should be shared?