"I was born in Union St, lived in Owles Tce, and now live in Lonsdale St. Where else would you live?"
The 81-year-old is one of 21 volunteers at the New Brighton & District Historical Society and Museum helping to keep the seaside suburb’s rich history alive.
“We’re preserving history. Apart from Lyttelton and possibly Sumner, we’re the only ones doing that,” she said.
The secretary/treasurer “and scone maker” started volunteering at the museum after the February 22, 2011, earthquake.
“They were really having trouble, and their secretary had left so nobody could work the computer.”
Peggy started helping out and never left.
“And none of us still know how to use the computer properly.”
Peggy’s daughters, Lynda and Jill, often joke that she can’t just join anything, she has to run it.
Earlier this year, Peggy and fellow museum board member Tim Baker were surprised with life memberships at the museum’s annual meeting
“It was a honour, and it means the museum respects what I do,” Peggy said.
She said volunteering was something everybody should try.
“It makes you think about other people, not just yourself. You get as much out of it as you put in, you really do.”
After raising her two children, Peggy worked for 18 years as a checkout operator at the original Countdown supermarket on Bridge St.
"I worked there from the day it opened until the day it closed. It became a SuperValue after that. I loved it because everybody knew me."
Peggy said the museum volunteers were the “keepers of history”, showcasing New Brighton's past through displays and archives to more than 3000 visitors each year.
Meeting and greeting the visitors is her favourite part.
“People like the museum. Especially if they've lived in New Brighton but then moved away. They get very nostalgic.”
Peggy said the museum wasn’t just about exhibits, but also local stories from years gone by.
As they walked down the pier, one of the little girls fell through a rotten timber plank. The boy stripped off his shoes and trousers and dived in, dragging her safely to the beach.
The mother was so grateful that she went and bought him a present from Gracie's, a New Brighton drapery shop.
He said the parcel contained two pairs of underpants.
“In 1953, only rich people could afford underpants. He had stripped off his pants and dived in, bare bum and all,” Peggy said.
The museum is working hard to attract a younger audience, hosting schools, scouts, and holiday programmes.
Peggy enjoys teasing children when they come across old technology, like a rotary telephone.
“I tell them it’s a phone and ask them to make a 111 call on it. They bash it and hit it and ask how do you do that?”
After showing one boy how to dial, she recalled his horror at how long it took.
“He had also just seen a slide show showing the first fire engine in New Brighton was a horse-drawn cart. He said by the time you’ve dialled and waited for the horse to arrive, you didn't have much of a chance if your house was burning down.”
In 2022, it faced eviction after their landlord signalled he wanted to sell the 110-year-old historic property – the oldest structure in New Brighton.
Leaping into action, Peggy rallied the locals and led a fundraising effort to buy the building.
With help from a Lotteries Commission grant, fundraising events, and private donations, the building was saved.
But the work is ongoing. The museum still needs funding for new signage, car park resealing, and repairs. With exhibits that can never be replaced, the team also hopes to get expert help creating an online catalogue.
The museum is also planning new innovations such as a heritage walk around New Brighton in coming months.
With all the work still left to do, Peggy is not slowing down and reckons she will aim for the age of ninety at least before she thinks about quitting.
“They'll have to carry me out.”
- The New Brighton & District Historical Society and Museum on Hardy St is open every day from 1-3pm (from 11am on Mondays)
