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When some of Arnold Henfrey Watson's drawings were scorched
Arnold Henfrey Watson was a local with an interest an interest in drawing, painting and natural history. Sometime after his death in 1960 his collection of natural history illustrations (Ams 507) was being transported as part of a descendant's household move from Wellington to Christchurch. Around 5.10am, when the Mana Transport van was near Kaikoura, Mr Bevan Gill, saw smoke coming from the van and called the fire brigade, who intercepted the truck, dousing the electrical fire, but not before "several items were burned or smoke damaged."
Ams 507/1/41 and Ams 507/1/42 are two of the scorched items.
Ams 507/1/41: Hemirhamphus crustralis, Garfish Piper, Mt Maunganui
This undated article has the story and a photo of some of the contents of the van post-fire:
