Join the Museum team for a free movie night at the Museum!
In conjunction with the Dambusters exhibition, we are proud to present four free community screenings of the 1955 classic, “The Dam Busters”. This classic black and white 1955 movie captures the amazing feats of Dr. Barnes Wallis who had a crazy idea – to create a bouncing bomb to cripple the enemy’s industrial nerve centre during WWII.
Tickets for each screening are strictly limited and must be booked and collected prior to the screening date. There is no charge for the event.
Don’t forget these dates: March 16th, April 20th, April 27th, and June 15th. Bookings essential as seats are strictly limited per screening. Please pick up tickets the Monday prior to screening date. Arrive by 3.45pm, movie starts at 4pm with a 15min intermission. Running time 120mins. FREE Popcorn sponsored by PoP’n’Good Popcorn for each ticket holder. All food to be consumed in the theatre space only! No Door Sales.
Contact the Museum to book now!
Dambusters Exhibition created by Air Force Museum
Te Awamutu museum staff believe an upcoming exhibition celebrating World War II’s famous ‘Dambusters’ will be one of its most popular ever.
The museum will be hosting ‘Dambusters: Boffins, Bravery and Bouncing Bombs’ from the Air Force Museum of New Zealand from next week running through until July this year.
The exhibition explores the extraordinary story of the Dambusters raids on the Ruhr Valley dams in 1943. It details the planning that went into the raids, the science behind the ‘bouncing bombs’ and the aftermath for the men involved as well as the Ruhr Valley community.
It also covers the stories of the two New Zealanders who served with this elite unit, including former Waitomo mayor and dambuster pilot Les Munro. Munro was the subject of the TVNZ documentary, ‘Reluctant Hero’.
Museum and heritage director Anne Blyth said the dambusters story is well known with a book and a movie released following World War II. But there was sustained interest in the story and she was expecting the exhibition to be very popular.
“It will primarily appeal to people interested in World War II, the Air Force and military aviation but this exhibition includes fascinating technology and interactive components as well and is very compelling. It will be captivating for all ages.”
“Visitors will get to see the science behind the famous ‘bouncing bombs’, how they modified the plans and will be amazed by the stories of the incredibly brave pilots,” Blyth said.
In conjunction with Dambusters the museum is doing a special tribute to pilot Les Munro running from the opening until April. Special screenings of the classic 1955 film ‘The Dam Busters’ starring Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave will also be held during the exhibition period.
Dambusters will open with a launch event on January 26 from 2pm to 6pm with local singers, games, activities and a chance to fly an Avro Lancaster via iPad technology.
The exhibition closes on July 3.
For updates on the exhibition and details of movie screening times visit www.facebook.com/TeAwamutuMuseum and www.tamuseum.org.nz
Throughout the exhibition period there will be special screenings of the classic 1955 film, Dambusters. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for dates and times of the screenings.
Explosive Exhibition Opening, Thursday 26th January! Click here for more info www.tamuseum.org.nz/events
In conjunction with the Te Awamutu and Districts RSA, the Te Awamutu Museum is hosting a commemorative service for the Battle of the Somme.
100 years ago on September 15th, the New Zealand Division entered the battlefield of the Somme.
Join members of the RSA to commemorate the sacrifice of those New Zealand men who still lie in France.
1.00pm Saturday 17th September
Education Exhibitions on the Front Porch
Te Awamutu Museum has been taking a creative approach to heritage education and exhibitions over the last few months! One of our temporary spaces, the Front Porch, is designated to be a community space and we were starting to run short on ideas to display on it. It is a crucial space as we want the community to recognise the whole museum as their own, especially this space. It is also the first exhibition space you see when you enter the building.
Our educator, Tereora Crane, mooted the idea that schools be given the opportunity to create their own exhibitions for this space, using an education programme as the basis for the topic.
This idea has taken off and we have had two local primary schools create exhibitions for this space. The first, Kihikihi School, created an exhibition about their learnings on the topic of the 28th Maori Battalion. They created three text panels, plus a video. The two classes and their families were invited to an opening event at the Museum, which was attended by 85 of the local community, including the local Mayor and representatives from the RSA.
The second school is Paterangi School, whose topic is Legendary Explorers. They learnt about different explorers and navigators and how their families have come to be in the Waipa district. They also have three text panels, (two with interactivity!) and a slideshow. Their opening event was also well attended by the school community and the Mayor assisted the children to officially open their exhibition.
The Museum team are excited by the success of these two programmes and hope to continue to have schools taking the opportunity to present their own exhibition, with even more involvement from the students in content, design, objects and marketing.
