Archaeology – it’s child’s play

In the Southern Cemeteries project we mostly study skeletal remains and archaeology relating to death and burial. Not always the cheeriest topic! It's really important for us to remember that the people we're looking at lived lives before they died. They experienced hardships certainly, but they also had fun times! So for the final blogs … Continue reading Archaeology – it’s child’s play

Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases

In our last post we talked about the tragic story of the sisters who died of whooping cough just one day apart. Today in blog 4 of our Little Lives series, paleopathologist Dr. Annie Snoddy talks about the diseases that used to make childhood so dangerous for our colonists. Infants and children are the “canary … Continue reading Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases

Isolation in the colonial period

Last week we posted on how Otago handled the Influenza epidemic of 1918. This week, as New Zealand moves into lockdown due to Covid-19, Dr. Peter Petchey tells us what isolation meant to the European colonial settlers of NZ. As we all go into four weeks of social isolation it will be the greatest change … Continue reading Isolation in the colonial period

Chinese Whispers: The darker side of the Lawrence nightlife

Visiting a Chinese Camp Part 5 Today Les and Maisie conclude their tales of the Lawrence Chinese Camp by taking us into the darker underbelly of the nightlife - the camp's opium den. As with all of the other Chinese Camp posts, the broken English is deliberate and reflects spoken Chinese. We obtained flasks of … Continue reading Chinese Whispers: The darker side of the Lawrence nightlife

Chinese Whispers: The Lawrence Chinese camp’s nightlife

Visiting a Chinese Camp Part 4 Today we rejoin Les and Maisie Wong's visitors to the Lawrence Chinese camp, as they enjoy a meal with their hosts and are introduced to the camp's nightlife... Heading towards Ah Bok’s, we noticed Missy struggling with a pail of water. She said she was getting water from the … Continue reading Chinese Whispers: The Lawrence Chinese camp’s nightlife

Chinese Whispers: The Chinese store and Joss house

Visiting a Chinese Camp (part 3) Today Les and Maisie Wong continue their trip back in time with the Chinese on the goldfields. Catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 of their story, and then join us as we explore the store and the Joss house in the camp... After ‘Charlie’ had departed we … Continue reading Chinese Whispers: The Chinese store and Joss house

Chinese Whispers: Making a fortune on the goldfields?

Visiting a Chinese Camp Part 2. Today Les and Maisie Wong continue their trip back in time to the Lawrence Chinese Camp, bringing to life the stories of the Chinese on the goldfields... Sleeping in the loft was not without its problems. Apart from being unfamiliar with sleeping on bales of straw there was the … Continue reading Chinese Whispers: Making a fortune on the goldfields?