Rodney Dearing was appointed Director at the Museum of Transport & Technology in May 1984. His appointment was the first under the new Trust Board following the Museum’s financial rescue by Auckland City Council.
The arrangement with Auckland City meant that the Trust had acquired the entire museum from the Society for the price of one dollar, while the Society Committee continued to work alongside the Director to manage the operations.
Rodney soon got into the milieu of managing the museum and had the dubious task of reporting to two organisations – the new board (with overall financial oversight) and the newly reformed Society and its management committee.
His tenure was marked by some significant developments that have formed the basis of where the museum is today. Some of these key developments were outlined in the Motat Messenger of May 1988 – only four years after Rodney had started.
The first of these was the handing over of the Aviation Centre Phase 1 building. This enabled the Lancaster bomber, which had been in the custody of the museum for 24 years to be moved fully under cover. A major programme of conservation and refurbishment got underway under the management of the Pathfinders team.
Rodney, together with the board then went on to negotiate with Auckland City funding of $1.6m for the proposed Science Technology Centre. The idea of a centre for science and technology was certainly one of Rodney’s most remarkable achievements. He had already explored how such a centre might work with 25 interactive exhibits that had been installed previously in what was called the Exploration Gallery.
Not everyone was enamoured by the “science” part of technology. However, as outlined in the chairman’s report to the Society Annual General Meeting in June 1988, it was very much the time to mark Motat’s difference from the “folk” museums of the past, to meet new challenges in the leisure market to sustain its future. Rodney Dearing headed the drive to meet the challenge of attracting and engaging the new generations as they came along.
Rodney Dearing stepped away from the Museum in 1994, having left an incredible legacy that has been built on since then. Sadly, Rodney passed away a few years ago. With the opening of Te Puawananga Science and Technology Centre in 2024, Rodney would be well pleased with what has further developed from his contribution.
by Alan Curtis
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