Gore's individual achiever

How is it that a small gallery in the deepest south is home to an astonishingly good art collection? It’s thanks to the single-handed efforts of the man in charge. Words by Claire Finlayson; photos by Aaron McLean.

* For ways to spend a weekend in Gore, see the suggestions at the end of this article.

SHOULD THAT GIANT fibreglass brown trout ever tire of representing Gore and slump from its perch at the town’s entrance, someone ought to replace it with a similarly epic statue of Jim Geddes – such is the man’s contribution to the oomphing-up of Gore. Jim would be the first to deface it though: exceedingly modest, this man. Head of Arts and Heritage in Gore, he’s blessed with vision, vim, artsy nous, a keen business nose and an easy, un-starchy manner (the latter, by the bye, finds its perfect follicular expression in his springy, red, age-defying curls). His peers rate him: it was their vote that saw him scoop the plum Individual Achievement accolade at last year’s inaugural Museums Aotearoa Awards for the myriad ways he’s delivered Gore from cultural torpor.

Jim’s most celebrated coup was securing the stellar art stash of Dr John Money (former Morrinsville lad and controversial sexologist) for the resource-poor Eastern Southland Gallery. It’s the boast of the town: 400 pieces including cracker works by Rita Angus and Theo Schoon and a terrific mix of indigenous arts from other continents. The chain of events that led to this art triumph reveals much about Jim’s integrity and pluck. While travelling around the United States 20 years ago, he and a friend dropped by unannounced to meet the venerable Dr Money at his university office in Baltimore. (Dr Money’s niece had prompted them to do so.) Polite questions between strangers soon gave way to robust conversation about the New Zealand cultural scene. Many potent Long Island Iced Tea cocktails were consumed. A nice little art-centric friendship was born.

Several years later, when Dr Money decided he wanted to gift his collection to a New Zealand institution, it was Jim to whom he wrote for advice. Jim promptly set out to elicit interest from the nation’s bigger galleries and governmental agencies on the doctor’s behalf. He encountered a mix of maddening indifference and unyielding officialdom, due in part to the fact that the collection was too eclectic for rigid gallery acquisition policies to contend with. So he used his own bank overdraft to fund a reconnaissance trip to document the collection. (A decade on, he’s only just cleared that overdraft.) Jim didn’t want to tell Dr Money that he’d used his own cash for the trip. “I thought it would’ve been nice for him to think that New Zealand was interested in his collection and was responding to the gift. I didn’t want it to look like a lost cause.”

Back in Gore, Jim set about raising $1.2 million to build a Money-worthy wing on to the Eastern Southland Gallery. “I knew deep down that we needed a point of difference – that we had to go that next step or else we would always just muddle along. And in the back of my mind I thought this Money collection might just be it.” It was a daunting sum to squeeze from assorted governmental agencies and a modest urban population of 9000 but Jim had the smarts to do it. He’d already proved his fund-raising mettle by gathering $1.3 million to establish the Hokonui Moonshine Museum (a salute to the region’s history of bootlegged whisky) and had shown an unwavering commitment to Gore by working as an unpaid volunteer for several years in the mid-’80s while presiding over the birth of the Eastern Southland Gallery. Being a local farmer’s son gave him added leverage with the Gore community – one farmer turned up at the gallery in gumboots saying he’d had quite a good year and offering a cheque for $5000.

It’s been six years since the Money wing opened. In that time the gallery has wooed multitudes (one writer described it as “the little gallery that could” and Saatchi & Saatchi boss Kevin Roberts dubbed it “the Goreggenheim”). With Jim’s sure hand at the tiller it’s also attracted continued largesse from the arts community, most notably the 36 works gifted by Ralph Hotere and the hulking great limestone press offered up by Auckland’s Muka Gallery. “All our projects have been leaps of faith,” says Jim, “and on the strength of those, people trust our judgement. We don’t have an acquisitions budget but lots of goodwill is descending upon us. The other big spin-off is that artists who would’ve previously driven through Gore and only stopped to buy a pie and go to the toilet are actually wanting to stay and have shows at the gallery.”

On Jim’s watch, Gore has grown up and stretched past its old country-music-and-trout-fishing profile. He wouldn’t want it to get too fancy, though. “I really like the hoon culture, the bogan culture, the old Valiants. There’s something quite endearing about them. I know it gets up people’s noses and they say Gore’s known for all the wrong reasons but you don’t want the place to be too spruced up – I think it’s just got to find its own comfort zone.” Jim doesn’t seem to have a civic off-switch but work is a happy confluence of his various passions. “We’ve always got projects on the go – they absorb your creative energy. You realize that all of your interests have become work and vice versa. The working day is 24 hours to a degree but on the other hand, that’s 24 hours of fascinating stuff.”

Asked if he’d live anywhere else, he says, “No. I wouldn’t live more than 30 miles away. I’m very happy here.” No one knows this better than his new wife, Marcella Currie. She left her post as director of the Ashburton Art Gallery to move to Southland and nab him good and proper (she now works alongside him as the gallery’s Exhibitions Manager). Says Jim: “We were commuting for three years. She sort of knew there was no way she’d get me out of Gore – poor woman!” Gore got Jim and Jim got the girl.

A WEEKEND IN GORE

Thanks to country music and fly-fishing, Gore is officially on the tourist map. The tiny Southland town swells in the summer months with anglers from all over the world flocking to take on the mighty Mataura River and test their skills against the elusive brown trout.

Rich in local history, the past of this town involves inter-tribal Maori wars, the discovery of gold and an illicit whisky industry.

STAY

Mainholm Lodge: Located a 30-minute drive from Gore, this restored homestead was originally built as a grand family home in 1908. It now provides comfortable accommodation and relaxed fine dining. Its four large bedrooms are individually decorated in late-Victorian style and it has beautiful grounds, a sauna and a library. www.mainholmlodge.com

Wentworth Heights Bed & Breakfast: Situated on a 4.8ha farmlet with a few sheep, cattle and pet lambs in the springtime, this B&B/homestay features spectacular views of surrounding farmland, Hokonui Hills, Mataura River and Gore township. King twin or queen rooms have private bathrooms and there’s a guest lounge. www.wentworthheights.co.nz

Oakleigh Motel: Spacious accommodation on a quiet, rear site, this is close to the town centre and with its self-contained one or two-bedroomed suites and studio units is ideal for families. www.oakleighmotel.co.nz

PLAY

The Hokonui Moonshine Museum explores the history of illicit whisky-making in Southland through recreations, audio-visuals and original artifacts. Old Hokonui whisky, made to the original local recipe, is available from the Hokonui Heritage Centre. Check the website for opening times. www.gorenz.com

The Gore Historical Museum displays collections covering the arrival of southern Maori and early European settlers plus a gallery of historical costumes and the “Hook, Line & Sinker” exhibition that  celebrates the area’s trout fishing. www.gorenz.com

The Eastern Southland Gallery houses the John Money Collection of New Zealand, Australian, African and American art as well as one of this country’s largest collections of Ralph Hotere’s works.

More than 26 rivers and streams, all within an hour’s drive of Gore, make fly fishing for brown trout a fisherman’s dream. www.flyfishmataura.co.nz

The Gore Golf Course is on the outskirts of town.

Croydon Bush is approximately 10km to the north-west of Gore with several well-maintained walking tracks. Surrounded by farmland, it shows what much of Southland once looked like with forest, grassland and shrubland.

EAT

For those opting to stay in self-contained accommodation there is the usual range of supermarkets as well as the Gore Farmers’ Market which is held at the Old Horse Bazaar, Mersey Street on the first and third Saturday of each month from 8.30am to 12.30pm. It’s a great chance to sample local delicacies and fresh produce.

Gore has a wide range of cafes and licenced restaurants. Browse www.gorenz.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=visit.diningOut for a full list and contact numbers.