The Club Committee agreed in 2002 that it should start recording and transcribing reminiscences of our older members, in order to preserve first-hand accounts of early events in the Club's history and in New Zealand mountaineering. Local historian, David Harrowfield BSc, was contacted and was able to commence work straight away. He has bought the latest high quality recording equipment especially for this purpose, and the project has received full support from the NZ Oral History Centre, National Library, Wellington.
David's own interest in the outdoors began at an early age with work in the 1970s as a field technician in the University of Canterbury's Department of Geography. This took him to remote areas in the Southern Alps, Fiordland and to Antarctica. He then became curator at Canterbury Museum, with responsibility for the alpine and Antarctic artefacts and archives. Since then he has held positions with DSIR Antarctic Division, Antarctic Heritage Trust and at the Visitor Centre of the International Antarctic Centre. The author of over 70 articles, papers and books, David is now fully involved in research, writing and publishing and has, in recent years, amassed his own formidable collection which includes over 300 cassette tapes. David is looking forward immensely to becoming involved with this important archival project and considers the work he will be doing for the Club as turning the full circle.
An article about David's work appears in the Mountaineer (no. 61). Over 2003 and 2004 David has continued with the valuable oral history work and in 2005 more of our older members have been contacted. Transcripts of these interviews will eventually be included in the Mountaineer.