Farewell Anne Jackman

Thursday, January 17th, 2013 | Anna Blackman | No Comments

Anne Jackman, Senior Reference Librarian

The Hocken whānau is sad today to be saying farewell to Anne Jackman.  As well as being an exceptional Reference Librarian and Hocken ambassador since 2001, Anne has been an outstanding manager, mentor, advocate and friend to many former and current staff members.  Well-regarded for her ability to deal with any situation with grace and good humour, we have relied on her – we hope not too much – for her organisational skills and insights, and for her ability to provide the solutions to numerous quandaries.  Long-term staff in particular attest to her integral part in establishing our convivial and supportive workplace culture.

Anne, we will all miss you, and wish you all the best in your new role at Knox.

From the staff of the Hocken Collections with all our best wishes.

New acquisition : Legend Land of Mysteries

Friday, January 4th, 2013 | Anna Blackman | No Comments

On 23 December 1953 Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived in New Zealand for a royal tour. It was a big deal for the country, and it’s been estimated that three quarters of New Zealanders saw the young Queen.

A new addition to the Hocken Collections is a memento of that time of optimism. Legend Land of Mysteries, written by Florence Wynn-Williams was a Christmas gift presented by the author to the Queen for Princess Anne. We have acquired the author’s copy, one of only six published, and it is the only copy whose binding matches that of the presentation copy. Consisting of children’s poems with hand-drawn and coloured illustrations, it is a delightful work with a distinctly New Zealand flavour.

One of the book’s charming illustrations:

Blog post prepared by Hocken Publications Coordinator, Pete Sime