Full disclosure: this blog post isn't really to do with our cemeteries project ... in fact it's outside of the time period we're interested in, but when I came across it in my research I couldn't resist sharing. In the early 1900s, rural New Zealand was beset by an exploding trousers problem. You heard that … Continue reading The New Zealand Exploding Trousers Epidemic →

A couple of weeks ago we wrote about Dr. Weber and reports of his use of drugs and alcohol to ease the pain of his wife’s passing. The rather gossipy reporting of this in the Bruce Herald reflects social ideas at the time. The temperance movement was gaining traction in New Zealand, indeed Dr. Weber … Continue reading Taking the edge off in colonial Milton: chloroform and laudanum use. →

This blog post deals with one of the identified individuals at St John's Milton and is published with the full knowledge and permission of his known descendants. It deals with issues of substance abuse and depression, and the family hope that in telling his story we can illustrate how deeply-rooted these issues can be in … Continue reading The Doctor will see you now… →