A new sports trust plans to make its first project a digital sports museum, celebrating great local sporting achievements and archiving important sports information.
The Whanganui Sports Heritage Trust launches on Friday next week.
The public is invited to attend the official launch in the Cooks Gardens Function Centre between 12 noon and 2pm on Friday, September 29 where the guest speaker will be 1978 British Open runner-up and hometown golfer Simon Owen.
Trustees for the inaugural term are Susan Haden (chairwoman), John B Phillips, Rod Trott, Glen Osborne and Ron Polanski. The management structure includes co-ordinator Russell Sears and projects and data collection officer Kevin Ross, the Whanganui athlete who still holds the New Zealand 4x1 mile relay record set in Auckland in the 1970s with Dick Quax, Dick Taylor and Collegiate old boy Tony Pohill.
Mr Sears said the first order of business for the Sports Heritage Trust would be to set up a virtual sports museum, a website people from throughout the world can access historical Whanganui sporting information and materials for use in a wide variety of ways.
Mr Sears said it would initially allow people to access newspaper reports and available video/film footage dating back to the mid-1800s.
"Initially we will focus on athletics, cycling, rugby and rowing, but the templates will be there to add other sporting codes like cricket, hockey and golf at a later date," Mr Sears said.
"Much of the work is being done by volunteers, although the trustees will be applying for funding through a variety of available grants.
"Whanganui has a very rich sporting history that needs to be preserved and an accurate account is easily accessed. At the moment there are limitations accessing material. The aim of the website is for people to be able to log in from anywhere in the world, click on a year and all events hosted in Whanganui that year will come up. Or they cam also call up specific individuals and/or events.
"For instance, not many people know there is an 8-minute, black and white film available of the 1930 rugby match between Whanganui and the British Lions. Things like that will be made available."
Mr Sears is urging the public to get involved in the launch next week where they can enjoy a sumptuous two course luncheon, including refreshments for $50 a head, or $360 for a table of eight.
"We will also make an announcement about the Cooks Gardens Mile and produce unique extracts from Whanganui's sport film archives including rugby, rowing, cycling, cricket, hockey and golf. This is not a fundraising event, but simply the launch of the Whanganui Sports Heritage Trust," Mr Sears said.