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| About the Friends |
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The Friends of the Williams House Paihia Library Incorporated are a voluntary group who support the development of the library, the upstairs gallery and the historic Williams House. The Friends enjoy an excellent working arrangement with the Far North District Council and the Williams family who support the many projects the Friends undertake. The Friends are an active group who have completed many projects: ♦ Upstairs Museum: Upstairs in Williams House is a museum covering the history of the house, the people who lived there, how the house is constructed and also the wider Williams Family in Paihia. The Upstairs Museum is open for viewing whenever the Library is open. More information about the Upstairs Museum can be found here. ♦ Restoration of the Stone Shed: The Friends organised the restoration of this historic shed. Once used as a school house, this shed is steeped in history. The next stage of the project was to establish a museum display within the shed that details its historic significance and the many uses of the shed. More information about the Stone Shed Museum can be found here. ♦ Restoration of the pump house in the grounds of Williams House. As well as the shed itself needing to be completely rebuilt, the pump required a complete overhaul. Initial checks had indicated that the pump was still in running condition, but more comprehensive checks on the pump, the bore and the pressure tank were needed before it would be able to be used. As a further enhancement, we provided a secure viewing door to enable public viewing of the pump operating. The pump was restored to working condition and up until recently |
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we used the water provided for watering the gardens, enabling us to become more self-sufficient. However, in recent years the pump was providing mud instead of water. This resulted in having the remove the pump and have bore checked, the pump re-furbished, seals replaced and reinstalled in the well bore. Unfortunately we still have mud appearing and it now appears that the water table may have altered and further investigations will be undertaken as time and funds allow. The Stone Shed and the pump house are both open for public viewing on a daily basis whenever the Library is open and weather permitting. More information about the pump house can be found here. ♦ Restoration of the garage: A local resident donated a sum of money to the Friends for the restoration of the garage. The Friends now use the garage as a venue to sell second hand books. This is our main source of funds. The garage book stall is open on the first and third Saturdays of each month and on cruise ship days. The money raised from the book sales is used to provide facilities for community use in Williams House, books and equipment for the Library and also the projects undertaken by the Friends. When funds are available, we also support other community initiatives, such as Focus Paihia. The Friends welcome the donation of good quality used books, which they will collect if necessary. Contact the Garage Book Sales co-ordinator Jeff at oromai51@gmail.com. ♦ Brochure: A brochure had been published some years ago explaining the history of the House, gardens and site. The site has direct links with the Reverend Henry Williams who arrived in Paihia in 1823 to establish an Anglican Mission Station. The supply of these brochures has run out and a new brochure is in the planning stages. It will also contain information and a map about our history trail. It is proposed that this will available, as before, from the Paihia Library, Paihia i-Site office or at the Williams House garage, (during book sales days). ♦ Work has been completed on our history trail, which allows visitors to understand the various features of the gardens and their historical significance to Williams House. The Friends commissioned Visual Solutions to provide interpretive signs that we hope will enhance the experience of Williams House for our visitors. More detailed Information about the trail's points of interest can be found here. ♦ A book, PROTECTING PARADISE IN PAIHIA - The Story of Williams House and Gardens by Fiona Craig, was commissioned to record the living memories of those associated with the House and gardens. The official launch of the book was held in the Williams House grounds with current members of the Williams family as guests. Copies of the book are available from the Friends book sales at the garage. If you wish to obtain a copy, purchase at the garage or please contact any of the committee members listed at the bottom of this page. ♦ Garden: This is an ongoing project for the Friends and the helpers. Four large garden seats had been provided and are well used by the many visitors. Recently these four seats were replaced as the originals had rotted at ground level due to the wrong installation used. The Friends also look after the vegetable garden and produce from the garden, when available, will be sold in conjunction with the garage book sale days to raise additional funds for the Friends' projects. The Friends have regular working bees to look after the flower beds. Anyone who would like to join us at working bees or would like to take ownership of an area of the garden is welcome to join us. What else are the Friends involved in? ♦ The Friends make annual and special donations to the library to purchase books, puzzles and other items, as these are needed. Examples of the special items include; new lighting provided in the children's room and the non-fiction room; and tables and chairs for the outside areas so that visitors can operate their laptops or just enjoy the scenery of the garden and new sun blinds in the library reading room. ♦ Have you checked the back flap of the book you are reading? Is it one that was bought with donations to the library by the Friends? These have been purchased using proceeds from garage sales of second hand books. Do you have any second hand books we can have? We always need more and we can collect, so please let us know. ♦ The Friends also have volunteer gardeners for most flower beds, but we have paid to get a lot of the heavier work done - that's why the gardens look tidy all the time. The vegetable garden is currently maintained by a volunteer as a community vegetable garden. ♦ We have lots of fun and spread our tasks so would you like to join us? Or do you want to hear more about what we do - how we support the house, the grounds and the library? Please come and join us, ask us, assist us - at our meetings, or on the committee. Anyone who would like to become a member of the Friends is welcome. Please contact either of the Friends listed below: Chairperson - Margaret Civil [Send email], or Secretary - Anne Corbett [Send email], |
