Documenting a shady past...

I've been following this story in the news since February. The Hungarian government is in the process of creating legislation that will allow for the destruction of archival records relating to its Communist history. Along with other documents, anyone who was spied upon by the Hungarian secret police would have the right to dispose of the records in which they are named. The Hungarian government sees the act as a way to remove Hungary's association with Communism, stating that these are 'immoral documents of an immoral regime'.

If the piece of legislation becomes law, the Hungarian archives could possibly lose 12 miles of archival documents that cover a period from 1948-1990. I don't think that the Hungarian government is directly trying to cover up its less than perfect past. I get the impression, rather, that they are trying to separate themselves from Communism and the grip it had on the war-torn country. By giving its citizens the right to destroy records containing their personal information, they are allowing the people to take control of their past. If Hungary really wanted to destroy its records and break from its Communist past, they could easily and secretly dispose of the documents in question.

That being said, however, I hope that the Hungarian government rethinks this legislation. The archival records document a period in Hungary's history that was turbulent but not dissimilar to many European countries behind the Iron Curtain. I think the Hungarian Archives needs to be the guardian of this information so the tumultuous period can be remembered and considered and so that Hungarians, and other Communist-turned-democratic countries, can truly understand how far they have come.

If you're interested in learning more about this, check out this website created by Canadian, Christopher Adam.

A Victorian Farm Christmas...

I am a big fan of all things British - history, Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall, Top Gear, BBC, football, Quality Street chocolates, etc. Mostly the history though. Last night, I was excited to see that Victorian Farm Christmas was finally airing here in Canada (we should really watch more TVO).

Victorian Farm Christmas is a follow-up to Victorian Farm, a documentary where a historian and two archaeologists live and work on a Victorian farm for a year. In the Christmas version, Ruth, Alex, and Peter return to the Shropshire farm to get ready for a full Victorian Christmas. The show is filmed at the approximately 900 year old Acton Scott Estate, which has preserved its 19th century working farm.

It was, in one word, fantastic. It was educational, interesting, and visually, very pretty. Last night, Alex and Peter harvested the hay using a wide range of Victorian farm equipment and selected a ram for breeding, while Ruth prepared the mince meat, and made bread, butter, and soap. The show was a wonderful example of public history. Ruth, Alex, and Peter were great presenters who are excited about what they are doing.

Victorian Farm Christmas airs on TVO at 7 on Mondays. I look forward to the next episodes!

Camp X artifacts to a better home...

The Star and Oshawa This Week recently published an article detailing the fate of several Camp X artifacts belonging to the Robert Stuart Aeronautical Collection housed at the Oshawa Airport. It was a follow-up to an article written in March, when it was expected that the private collection would be sold to the highest bidder, likely someone in the US. As of this week, 15 artifacts, including a suitcase radio, some clothing, trench art, and a helmet, from the Second World War spy training school near the Whitby-Oshawa border, have been purchased by the Canadian War Museum.

I think the history of Camp X, and certainly the artifacts, will be better served at the War Museum in Ottawa than they ever were in Oshawa. Lynn Phillip Hodgson, author of many *interesting* books about Camp X wrote to Oshawa This Week saying that the collection belongs to Oshawa. He goes on to say that, 'Tens of thousands of GTA school children have visited the museum over the past 33 years and now must journey to Ottawa to do so.' I was a GTA student, in fact I attended school in Oshawa, in the 1990s and I never once saw these artifacts. Even as an adult and someone who is interested in history and local history, I didn't find the Camp X artifacts to be terribly accessible, although I have seen the collection.

I don't think that the artifacts belong to Oshawa. Camp X and its history belong to all Canadians. In Ottawa, some of the artifacts will be publicly displayed and enjoyed by all Canadians and tourists and Oshawa's role in the Second World War will be featured. Similarly, the objects will receive proper care and storage at the Canadian War Museum. Isn't that better than the objects languishing in an old building that nobody knows about?

Celebrating Paritutu

Since being in New Zealand I have had a few opportunities to put into practise some of the theories I learned at school last year. As a newly graduated public historian, I am very aware of instances where the introduction of some kind of public history could greatly benefit an institution or natural setting.

I am thinking particularly of Paritutu rock in New Plymouth. Paritutu is what remains of the rim of an ancient volcano. It is 153m tall and its steep surface can be climbed in about 30 minutes (there and back). At the summit, climbers can experience vast and breathtaking views of New Plymouth and Mount Taranaki, and the Taranaki Region.

Paritutu and the land surrounding it was once occupied by Maori who used it as a source for food, water and shelter. Other similar mounds of rock in the same area, called the Sugar Loaf Islands, were used in a similar manner and as a result, villages formed around Paritutu and the Islands.

Paritutu was discovered by Europeans in 1770 and just over 100 years later, the leading men of New Plymouth proposed to blow up Paritutu and use its rock for a breakwater at the port. The breakwater would encourage trade in New Plymouth as ships could easily sail into and dock at the harbour. Despite protests, workers went ahead with plans to make quick use of the ancient landmark. Only a small amount of stone was quarried from Paritutu as the explosion was largely unsuccessful. It was decided that Paritutu would not provide the necessary amount of stone needed for the project and the breakwater was made with the rock of one of the Sugar Loaf Islands.

Paritutu remains today, only slightly marred by the human interference of the 1870s. An even bigger travesty, however, is that Paritutu's story, an important part of New Plymouth and Taranaki history, remains relatively unknown. Neither the summit nor the base showcase any sort of information regarding Paritutu and its surrounding Sugar Loaf Islands. New Plymouth's museum, Puke Ariki, has a brief history online as part of its Taranaki Stories initiative but considering Paritutu stands so proud and tall at the city's port, it deserves a little more public history.