Good morning everyone, from another magnificent #pinotcentral morning.
Join us for an evening with Grahame Sydney and Brian Turner to celebrate the launch of their new book Landmarks on Tuesday 24 November 6:00pm – 8:30pm.
Tickets include a glass of wine and Nibbles from Moreish Kitchen on arrival.
Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Guardians of Lake Dunstan.
With connections and intertwined stories spanning over 150 years, this collaboration is one we are delighted to be co-hosting with Aimee and the Paper Plus Team. Be sure to secure your tickets today.
JT Thomson aka “Surveyor Thomson” (David’s great-great grandfather and for whom our brand pays homage) not only surveyed but named many landmarks throughout the Maniototo – Thomson wanted to ink local Māori place names onto the official map wherever they existed, but was over-ruled by prejudiced superiors.
Though Māori were never as numerous in this rather difficult land as in the North Island, there were still plenty of Māori placenames. For instance, the Māori name for much of northern Otago is Maniototo, which means ‘plains of blood’. Not actual blood, but rather the red tussock that’s native to this semi-arid land and which normally gave it a rather Australian appearance.
Forbidden to honour the Māori — so the story goes — Thomson gave many localities Scots-border-dialect names that refer to farm animals such as cows (‘kye’) and sheep (‘wedder’). And so north Otago is sometimes called ‘Thomson’s Barnyard’.
The Guardians of the Lake here in the Cromwell Basin, is very close to our hearts as well with our very own Operations Manager Kate Barnett, Secretary of the Guardians.
We all look forward to seeing you here then.
