ESSENCE MAGAZINE - Gilly Oppenheim
Sept 2019
Looking for free fun in Timaru? Find a Wuhoo!
Roselyn Fauth, her husband Chris and her father Geoff Cloake are the brains behind this initiative. This young mum is brimming with ideas to get people, both young and old, off the couch and into the local community to appreciate just what Timaru has to offer. “This creative outlet is bringing our community together, and helping others in ways they never imagined,” said Roselyn. “From getting families outside into the fresh air for a modern-day treasure hunt, to giving kids and adults of all ages and abilities a new creative hobby, a sense of belonging and pride in our community.” Roselyn stresses that Wuhoo is very much a collaborative venture. She has had wonderful support from the Timaru District Council, the Library, the South Canterbury Museum, the Aigantighe Art gallery and community groups.
The first initiative was TimaruRocks. This group was established in 2017 to help spread the craze which sees participants paint rocks and hide them in public places for others to find, re-hide or keep. They might be found under picnic tables, hiding at the foot of trees in reserves or alongside the sculptures in the garden around the Art Gallery. The community rock boxes, which contain paints and brushes have so far been used by over 2400 residents at South Canterbury primary and secondary schools, retirement homes, community groups, Children’s Day, the Rose Festival and the South Canterbury District Health Board.
Another initiative has been the popular Scavenger Hunts at the Timaru Botanic Gardens. Besides giving a brief history of the Botanic Gardens, there is an excellent annotated map and a myriad of fun and interesting activities to do. The informative activity sheets can be picked up from the Fernery in the gardens or at the TDC, Library, Museum, Information Centre or Aigantighe Art Gallery.
The newest initiative is celebrating art in our environment. The Aigantighe Art Gallery, the Friends of Aigantighe and Wuhoo Timaru have launched a new programme to get artworks out into the community and the environments that inspired them. In December 2018 the first five signs were installed at Caroline Bay and at Patiti Point. They feature artworks from the Aigantighe Art Gallery Permanent Collection that relate to the signs and their surroundings. The signs also include explanatory text and historical images from the South Canterbury Museum’s collection, giving the artworks greater context. Examples at Caroline Bay are William Green’s The Unemployed (a painting of the well-known donkeys that gave rides on Caroline Bay) and William Gibb’s painting of Timaru Harbour in 1888. Another Green painting entitled The Roadmakers (horses ploughing a road near the sea), can be found at Patiti Point, along with a painting by John L Higgs, which depicts the scene looking north towards central Timaru and the harbour in 1881 and William Ferrier’s Breakwater, Timaru, Running in a Southerly Gale in 1888.
The next round of signs are nearing completion and it is hoped to have the next three in the ground by October. The Friends of the Aigantighe Art Gallery have commissioned their first artwork to give a contemporary reflection on Timaru’s unique past for the Wuhoo signs. The painting has been created by local artist Mike Armstrong. This is a fantastic way to support our local artists.
Roselyn really enjoys the challenge of designing things and the discovery of our history thanks to the book Jubilee History of South Canterbury by Johannes C Anderson. “My goal is to celebrate what our district has to offer, encourage people to use it and to give some free family fun to our locals and visitors”. What a wonderful philosophy!