Whakatāne Police have been asked to investigate the disappearance of Sir William Sullivan’s KCMG (Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George) Star and neck badge from the Whakatāne Museum’s collection.
The KCMG star and badge were amongst five items gifted to the Museum by Sir William’s family in January 2002. They were displayed briefly and the star and badge were last seen in April that year.
Whakatāne District Council Community and Economic Development General Manager, Julian Reweti, says concerns about the whereabouts of these important items heightened in 2010 when staff began a NZ Lottery Grants Board-funded project to audit and rehouse the more than 80,000 items in the Museum collection. The audit also aimed to assist the selection of items for the new Museum display space at Te Kōputu – the Whakatane Library and Exhibition Centre.
“That brought to light a file note from May 2004, from the then-Museum Manager Fiona Hall, indicating that no location codes could be found for these objects, Mr Reweti says. “Staff quickly began a search of on- and off-site storage spaces while the audit progressed, a complex process which has now been completed. Of the thousands of objects recorded in the collection, only two – Sir William’s KCMG star and badge – cannot be located.”
He says the completion of the audit confirms Museum staff’s fears that the star and badge may have been improperly removed. “We have informed the Police of the situation and asked for the matter to be investigated. Realistically though, we recognise that the time which has elapsed since the star was last seen, and the lack of any engraving or other identifying marks, will make its recovery problematic.”
Mr Reweti adds that the donor has been notified, and although concerned, is hopeful that the missing items will be located. “During that meeting, the donor took the opportunity to gift another incredibly meaningful item to the Museum – the logbook kept by Pilot Officer Michael Sullivan DFC. We were deeply touched by the trust placed in the Museum and have assured the donor that the Sullivan family objects in our collection are safe and well cared for.”
Michael Sullivan DFC was killed in action in World War II and his Distinguished Flying Cross and Citation are also held in the Museum collection.
“Losing collection items is undoubtedly one of the worst situations any museum professional can face and although none of our present staff were employed during the period the star and badge went missing, they all feel a huge sense of personal responsibility,” Mr Reweti concludes.