Staff and Volunteers: Past and Present
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Volunteers and staff members are at the heart of a community-led museum like Cambridge Museum. Here are introductions to those who have researched and written articles that have been published on our website, in our newsletters and in museum brochures.
Eris Parker
Long-time local historian and prolific writer Eris Parker was a foundation member of the Cambridge Writers Group in 1987. She began volunteering for the Cambridge Museum before being appointed curator from 1992 until 2013. In that time, she researched and wrote somewhere between 30 and 40 books, brochures and other documents. She put together 36 photo books and has talked at least 80 times to local groups and organisations. She advanced the museum into the computer age by designing a comprehensive website and by setting up collection management software. In 2018, the Historical Society granted her a Life Membership.
Ruth Wilkinson
Ruth Wilkinson QSM, JP, MPS began her writing career by submitting short stories for the New Zealand Herald and Weekly News. In the 1960s, she began recording Cambridge’s early history by publishing First Families of Cambridge. She followed up with Life Was Like That, Just Roaming, The Streets of Cambridge and Our Cambridge – all proceeds going to various charities including the Cambridge Historical Society Building Fund. She was a foundation and life member of the Historical Society, and remained actively involved until her death at age 84 in 1985. Other distinctions include her being the first woman registered as a pharmacist in New Zealand, and her service as Cambridge Mayoress for eleven years.
Karen Payne
Karen Payne moved from Wellington to Cambridge in 2008 with her husband and young family. She began working at the Cambridge Museum in 2016 as administrator and curator. Her research and storytelling skills were put to good use when she began editing the Cambridge Historical Society newsletter. While rediscovering old histories in the museum’s archives, she was able to uncover new ones to share with her readers. Her experience in transcribing cursive script from her early secretarial roles has been invaluable for revealing the content of personal manuscripts of Cambridge residents. These highlight the change in perceptions, mores and manners in Cambridge over the decades.