The Timaru Herald 7 Jun 2019
Craig Westenberg
Anyone with quirky tales related to Timaru’s architecture can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or message WuHoo on Facebook.
Roselyn Fauth, of WuHoo Timaru, is looking for interesting stories about the town’s history as she designs a colouring-in page for adults.
Quirky Timaru tales are being sought for an adult colouring-in page celebrating the town’s architecture.
WuHoo Timaru co-founder Roselyn Fauth started the voluntary organisation two years ago with her husband, Chris Fauth, as a way of celebrating Timaru via free, family-run activities.
Roselyn Fauth’s latest project is an adult colouring-in page.
She hopes to fill its back page with quirky information about the town’s architecture and is asking the public to add interesting stories.
‘‘I don’t want it to be the architects’ guide to the Timaru CBD,’’ she said.
‘‘I want it to be like, ‘Did you know there was an orchard in the Royal Arcade before it was built?’ and, ‘Who started the great fire?’ ’’ she said.
Fauth, a mother and artist, has been inspired by cubist painters and Canterbury artist Rita Angus for the page, which will feature a mix of new buildings and old buildings that are no longer standing.
‘‘The idea is that it is a cubist kind of style. That style gave me the freedom to be simplistic with how I represented some of the architecture,’’ she said.
She said she felt compelled to start the project after researching Timaru history.
‘‘Having a little one means that I don’t have huge long lengths of time,’’ she said.
‘‘But when I’ve got 10 minutes here and there, I’ll just jump on the museum website, Roots Ancestry, civic trust website and learn about Timaru. [Timaru architect] David McBride has done some fantastic blogs on the Timaru architecture.’’
Fauth said secret buildings that not everyone knows about also feature on the page.
‘‘So, the first house of Timaru is in there – it belonged to Samuel Williams – with his washing hanging on the line.’’
Celebrating the region’s culture, and doing it in a fun way, is one of the key reasons behind both the project and WuHoo Timaru.
‘‘I think it’s about making this information even more accessible,’’ Fauth said.
‘‘It’s all at the museum. It’s been recorded. We’re just presenting it in a new way.’’
Most importantly it was about rejuvenating residents’ interest in Timaru’s past, she said.
The project will be available to download for free within the
‘‘It’s about making this information even more accessible.’’ Roselyn Fauth
coming weeks on the WuHoo Timaru website.
However, Fauth said she hoped to get funding so WuHoo Timaru would be able to print its own copies of the page.
‘‘Or maybe restaurants and cafes are happy to print them off themselves. There’s no copyright. As long as people are not making money out of it,’’ she said.