Two weeks in the past Dwayne Carey, who runs the Fb web page Southland’s Previous — Te Wāmua o Murihiku, posted the picture of 4 elephants grazing outdoors the Creamoata mill.
That is his second time posting the picture, which he received from a Wellington archive, having posted a black and white model in 2022.
Mr Carey has the software program to colourise black and white images and stated the colored photographs get extra clicks on social media.
He stated individuals on the web, significantly on Fb, need prompt gratification.
“So after they scroll down and see one thing, they’ll react to it right away,” he stated.
“Whereas a video … individuals nonetheless don’t watch them except they’re .”
On the submit accompanying the colored elephant photograph, Mr Carey wrote the photograph was taken when the Wirth’s Circus got here to city within the Nineteen Forties or Nineteen Fifties.
“Does anybody have any previous tales about elephants in Gore? We’d love to listen to them,” Mr Carey requested his 36,000 followers.
The submit had greater than 700 likes, whereas the 2022 black and white submit had 300.
The greater than 190 feedback on the newest submit had customers providing their tales of elephants in Southland.
It was effectively documented that circus elephants had been visiting Southland up till the Nineteen Sixties, the feedback stated.
A well-liked instance was the case of a 20-year-old elephant, named Sally, which died and was buried in Riversdale whereas the Bullen Brothers Circus was visiting in 1960.
A historic monument for the unique animal’s grave on 9 Mile Rd was erected in 2019.
Mr Carey labored for the TV station QTV, previously Mercury TV and Southland TV, for 19 years earlier than it closed in 2015.
“I used to be the primary on, final to go away,” he stated.
When it closed, all of the previous TV footage was going to get thrown out, so Mr Carey rescued it and had been slowly drip feeding it on the web page ever since.
The response he received from his viewers, significantly after they knew or have been associated to the themes of one in every of his movies, was rewarding, he stated.
“I do like getting feedback in public from individuals saying, ‘Oh my God, my daughter’s by no means seen her grandfather earlier than and heard his voice, and also you’re the one one with a video’,” he stated.
Prior to now 5 years, he had been struggling along with his well being and stated Southland’s Previous stored him going, giving him one thing to do.
It had stored him occupied throughout Covid, the place he usually spent 16 hours a day on content material for the positioning.
His viewers is “rather a lot” of Southland expats residing in Australia, the UK and within the North Island.
Doing the work completely professional bono, and for the love of it, he stated he could begin crowdfunding to afford carrying on with the positioning.
Loads of his methods have been previous and due for changing, and he wanted cash for that, he stated.
Being the one one who knew how you can function the antiquated methods, he stated if he died, all the fabric could be misplaced.
“I really feel like I’m a caretaker for every part,” he stated.
ella.scott-fleming@alliedmedia.co.nz
