Katikati Volunteer Marks 25 Years Preserving Local Heritage

Sue Sisley has spent 25 years volunteering with what is now Western Bay Museum, making her its longest-serving volunteer. Originally encouraged to join the heritage museum when it opened in 2000 by Nancy and Ken Merriman, Sisley has continued her passion for preserving artefacts long after the original Katikati Heritage Museum closed in 2014. Her love of antiques goes back to childhood, watching her mother pick up treasures at auctions, restore them and sell them on.

Sisley has travelled extensively over the years and amassed a personal collection of fascinating objects — among them a 1900s Ottoman wood cradle from Istanbul, Turkey, where she lived for two years. Several of her pieces have been loaned to Western Bay Museum for exhibitions. She now works alongside the museum's collection manager Donna Forde, and sometimes hosts school groups or dresses in period costume to bring history to life.

As well as her museum work, Sisley is a well-known figure on the Katikati Garden Ramble circuit, having opened her Hot Springs Rd property to the public for more than a decade. She is also a member of Waterford Garden Club and Katikati Garden Club. Reflecting on her time as a volunteer, she noted that community attitudes toward conservation have shifted markedly: "People are much more caring about conserving articles and protecting them so that they will survive another 100 years."

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).