Among the many issues that concern older New Zealanders today – health, housing, aged care and more – BILL RAYNER from Grey Power North Shore, reminds us not to forget the preservation of our heritage.
Grey Power has a vital role in ensuring the history and heritage of our country and that of our communities is not lost in the rapidly evolving digitally-focused communication base of modern society.
Museums and community heritage groups are under threat in this new social environment and must be preserved and promoted for our grandchildren and the generations to come.
Online connection via computers and phones has become the social, community and commercial norm, a situation with which many older seniors struggle.
With reducing personal socialisation and instant access to online entertainment and information – much of which is overhyped and marketing focused – this is a disturbing situation for our young generation.
‘Fake news’ is an unfortunate fact these days, and the continuing loss of human-produced media is of particular concern, encouraging distrust and cynicism.
At the same time, it is possible to gain immediate access to quality, in depth information and visual presentations at major academic and cultural institutions including museums.
This has a positive element but also a risk. Information is often in a ‘ready to use’ format for students and writers. But, is it reliable?
AI already exists and is causing widespread concern in many schools and universities. Will our grandchildren flick through the displays of the top museums of the world and fail to become aware of the value and pleasure of a visit to local institutions?
This thought makes the role of museums even more critical in maintaining the ‘physicality’ and human relationship with our history and educational experiences.
Seeing actual physical, real artefacts and historical displays provides an emotional human link and appreciation which is completely lacking in a picture flashing up on a screen no matter how sophisticated.
Our ‘heritage’ sector, museums, historical societies, vintage car clubs and more are a vital part of our national culture and character. They are there for generations, quietly preserving and telling the history and stories of our people and community over the years. Most particularly, the smaller community museums rely on enthusiastic volunteers, the vast majority being seniors.
Many New Zealand towns have a local museum full of simple artefacts, stories of the people – our families, parents, and grandparents, and those who went before to build the communities we are still part of. And, nearly always there are the sombre displays of losses from the two World Wars.
Community museums now have a critical role to preserve our history, particularly local history, which is now becoming a core part of the school curriculum.
Grey Power is not just about hip replacement and pensions– our heritage is the story of our lives, and those before us. We cannot just fade away – engage with your council to ensure our stories live on; volunteer to help if you can.
