The Manawatū Journal of History 2022 has plenty to marvel over

History lovers are fortunate to have volunteers put this journal together each year.

The Manawatū Journal of History
Issue 18
Published by Manawatū Journal of History Inc
Reviewed by Judith Lacy

It seems unfathomable now, but church services used to be held in the Palmerston North courthouse.

A lack of venues for worship in early Palmerston North meant some interesting bedfellows, or as Peter Lineham puts it in his Manawatū Journal of History article "the mixture of secular and religious uses sometimes had odd results".

In Religious Beginnings in Palmerston North, he writes Prince the pig grunted in response to questions raised by the Sunday School teacher when the Foresters Hall had many uses. The pig was part of entertainment visiting the town.

But what really had me texting friends to say "did you know" was the article about Mina McKenzie, Manawatū Museum's (now Te Manawa) first director. I had heard museum folk talk highly of McKenzie, particularly former Te Manawa chief executive Andy Lowe.

But I had no idea she was married to bookseller Bruce McKenzie until her death in 1997.

In Mina McKenzie and the Manawatū Museum, Margaret Tennant writes beautifully of Mina's life and her fascinating lineage. The highly accessible article is illustrated with some great family photographs and we learn when the museum opened in 1971, Bruce was deemed to have the best handwriting and given the job of writing the display captions.

Sadly, Mina died just three months after Bruce McKenzie Booksellers opened.

Fiona McKergow writes about one of my favourite topics - old cookbooks. Simple, Everyday Dishes From the Town and Country Patriotic Women Workers' Cookery Book provides an absorbing look into making do during World War I. Some of the recipes are included but they would have benefited from being retyped and made bigger. The current-day baking of khaki cake is a great touch.

Simon Johnson's article on Blackley Construction gave me a talking point at a function last week. I spotted a man who looked as lost as me and it turned out he works at Blackley's. Graeme Blackley's innovative use of lasers for trenching kept me turning the pages.

Michael Roche writes about a 1928 visit to Palmerston North from Dr Arthur Hill, director of Kew Gardens, while Tony Rasmussen captures the history of Boys' Brigade in Manawatū. It complements Lineham's article as the history of the brigade is also partly a history of Christianity in the region.

Concluding journal 18 is Leanne Croon Hickman's article on the Palmerston North Horticultural Society - complete with colour photos, and Russell Poole's exploration of transit camps - so different to the houses being constructed in Centennial Drive now. You will have to read the article to learn about the mayor who staged a break-in.

The journal's cover is attractive with many photos to study.

The typographic and paper colour choices would benefit from an assessment by someone with expertise in these areas. My brain was willing to keep reading but found the black fully justified text on super white paper hard going. There is also unnecessary capitalisation of nouns that hinders the reader.

The journal would also benefit from mini-biographies of the writers, though most will be well-known to keen fans of Manawatū history. The authors have put in countless hours of volunteer labour to bring us these articles.

With the big C looming (and I don't mean Covid or cancer), the journal would make an ideal gift at $25. There's plenty to learn and marvel over, and if you read it before December 25, you will have some intelligent conversation starters.

MORE INFO: Email manawatujournalsales@inspire.net.nz to buy the journal.