After years of putting the Maniototo's community first, Rural Art Deco founder Edna McAtamney is having to focus on herself and future health. Rosie Manins talks to the woman who put Ranfurly on the map for all the right reasons, about what it feels like to hand the reins over to someone else. In Mrs McAtamney's own words it is a story about "leadership, tenacity, sheer guts, and taking the hits".
Past:
In 1999, Edna McAtamney had a vision for the small Maniototo town of Ranfurly, which at the time was sinking into a state of depression.
"We must never forget that sections were being given away or sold for $1 and houses were selling for between $5-$700. There were very few locals at the time who thought this crazy Art Deco scheme would make any difference.
"It was never about painting buildings, it was about an economic revitalisation of the town. It was about people living here making more money . . . people being able to make a living out of what they did," she said.
Ranfurly was in a slump, and Mrs McAtamney felt she had the drive to pull it out and market the town to the rest of New Zealand and the world, in an effort to improve its economic situation.
"In 1999 we were in no state as a community to service the Otago Central Rail Trail and something needed to be done. The important thing was to roll the barrels one at a time though, because people could only handle little changes," she said.
That year Mrs McAtamney, as one of the members of the Maniototo Community Board, oversaw the refurbishment of Ranfurly's premier Art Deco building, the Centennial Milk Bar, which had been in danger of being demolished.
Its opening coincided with the official opening of the rail trail, after which it became a still popular museum of Art Deco design, comprising items from private collections throughout the area.
In 2000, Rural Art Deco became an incorporated society, of which Mrs McAtamney was the founder and chairwoman.
The society looked after and managed the museum, Art Deco annual celebration weekend, and an Art Deco gallery featuring artist in residence scholarships.
"Our first Art Deco weekend in 2000 was called a celebration of the community, and that is what we've always strived to achieve. I've always had strong partnership and friendship with the Napier City Council, which has been of great value because they never saw us as a rival, but rather as completely different, especially in terms of being rural," she said.
The next year, Mrs McAtamney's shop, Decollectables, was opened, after which she and her husband, David, established Time Out Tussock Tours and the Rural Art Deco Guest House.
Other entrepreneurs were encouraged to set up businesses in the Maniototo, banking on the town's new reputation for quirky Art Deco architecture, tourism, and retail, as well as the growing success of the rail trail.
Mrs McAtamney was also instrumental in establishing a statue of John Turnbull Thomson in central Ranfurly, to celebrate his surveying achievements in the 1800s.
While saluting history, it provided yet another point of interest for visitors, she said.
Mr Thomson was the chief surveyor of Otago between 1856 and 1873, and the surveyor general of New Zealand between 1876 and 1879.
In November 1857, he explored and mapped the Maniototo, naming many of its primary features along the way.
"I am really proud of that statue, I worked the phones throughout New Zealand and overseas and within three weeks I had the necessary $35,000 in the bank. Money came from all over the world for that statue in Ranfurly, and I would love to see more art like that established in the town," Mrs McAtamney said.
Meanwhile, she forged on developing the Art Deco scheme.
"The Art Deco project has been my baby and I'm really proud of it. I've lived it night and day to keep it going and to motivate people to get involved, and it has paid off.
"It's really put Ranfurly on the map in New Zealand and overseas, which is exactly what we needed. We couldn't market Ranfurly and have people disappointed when they came here," Mrs McAtamney said.
Present:
Ranfurly's Rural Art Deco Maniototo event had become a popular fixture on the community's calendar when Mrs McAtamney injured herself in an accident during winter 2006.
She was walking with a group of visitors on an Art Deco tour, when her foot became trapped in a pot hole, damaging nerves down her left side.
Seven operations followed, and Mrs McAtamney still struggles to walk without crutches.
"I thought I would be back to normal after the first operation but that wasn't the case. Never had I dreamed I would still be injured more than two years on," she said.
Mrs McAtamney will need regular physiotherapy until at least March next year, when her health will once again be re-assessed.
"It is slowly getting better, in the last two weeks I've felt better than I have in a while and can walk a little bit without my crutches," she said.
Despite her recent health improvement, the fall has taken a huge toll on Mrs McAtamney's life over the past two years.
She has had to stop working at her shop, pull out of local body politics, and sell the family farm.
Retirement from Rural Art Deco has been the latest casualty in the interest of getting better.
Mrs McAtamney said the highlight of Art Deco had been all its volunteers, and she felt it was not fair for her to continue being involved if she was not up to the task.
"It's a huge job to do it properly and market it all around the world, and I just can't do it justice anymore. I made the decision that I've to concentrate on myself and really get myself better before I can put energy into anything else," she said.
Future:
Now living in their Rural Art Deco Guest House, fronting Ranfurly's main street, Mr and Mrs McAtamney are enjoying a slightly less hectic lifestyle while continuing to run the adjoining accommodation facility and art gallery.
The couple moved into Moyoia House on September 1, after leaving their farm homestead and surrounding land which was sold in April.
Mr McAtamney manages and operates their Time Out Tussock Tours business, which continues to grow with the rail trail.
Although Mrs McAtamney has been unable to work since her accident, she has hopes for Decollectables, which sells antique, Art Deco, and collectable items.
If fit enough in the future, she would like to go back to work at her shop.
Employing staff has strained finances, although Mrs McAtamney said both her full-time and part-time women were well worth the cost.
She is positive about the future of business in Ranfurly.
"All the houses which have been built, and houses and sections which have been sold in the last seven or eight years prove the growth. Art Deco weekend was something hardly any locals went to the first time and now they wouldn't miss it for the world," she said.
Bill and Tracy Acklin, who helped with this year's February festival, have agreed to manage it from now on.
A budget cut of about $5000 by the Maniototo Community Board means the eventwill be held over one day next February, instead of running through the weekend, as has been the case previously.
It is hard for Mrs McAtamney to sit back and allow the Acklins to learn from their own mistakes, although she is confident they have everything they need to do a fantastic job.
"The most important contribution I think I've made is to educate people about Art Deco. Next year's ninth festival will be a great prelude to the 10th event in 2010, which should be huge," she said.
In the meantime, she is taking each day as it comes and learning to live life at a slower pace.
"David and I are just in the interim at the moment. We haven't decided exactly what we are going to do and just need to work through all our options," she said.
