Having faith in Puhoi – Jenny Schollum
Words Luke Williamson
When I arrived in Puhoi in 1970, the older women wanted to meet the new brides. They discovered I could play cards and drive a car. They couldn’t drive and they loved to play 500 so they organised me to pick a car load up and go to someone’s place to play cards for the afternoon. I would ask them all sorts of questions about the Schollum family and that was the start of my interest in local history. I just collected all those stories,” Jenny reflects.
Around 1972, at the annual celebration of the arrival of the Bohemians at Puhoi, a Schollum matriarch, about 90 years old, was attending and she solidified Jenny’s nascent interest in the family history. “She was dressed all in black and I sat at her feet for the afternoon, enjoying the music of the band and talking to this older woman. She had so many stories and I was fascinated. The Puhoi they developed was such an amazing place, and it still is.”
Retaining and enhancing that historical character in Puhoi is a conscious decision by the community. “The historical society was formed from a group that deliberately set out to keep Puhoi with its original character,” says Jenny. “They were very much against the subdivision that went ahead, but it brought so many good people into Puhoi who appreciated the character of the town. We may not have survived without them.”
What motivates Jenny is the desire to keep the memories of the original settlers alive, and acknowledge what they achieved and what they were like. “At the museum, we’re compiling folders about each family and trying to get everything we know stored in one place. Each time we think we’ve exhausted an avenue of enquiry, suddenly something new will turn up. I used to love doing jigsaw puzzles and this is like doing jigsaws, but with a purpose.” Folders have been compiled for eight families, but there are still another 15 to go, so there’s plenty of work ahead.
For the first settlers, a strong Catholic faith and pitching in to help each other helped the community to survive, along with generous assistance of local Māori, shares Jenny. She believes that atmosphere of faith and helping each other is still what keeps the village going, and that’s what Jenny loves about Puhoi.
The Catholic church in Puhoi is a beautiful building and Jenny was involved with a dedicated team who organised its renovation between 2009 and 2013. “The church is a big part of my life and I’ve played the organ there nearly every Sunday since 1983. Being part of the team that organised the restoration of the church is one of the things I’m most proud of.”
Jenny has held posts with the historical society as president, secretary, treasurer, historian, museum coordinator, archivist and newsletter editor. She is part of the team that organises the annual celebration of the arrival of the Bohemians in Puhoi. She is also involved in the ANZAC day celebrations, Puhoi Bohemian Dance Group, Puhoi Public Cemetery, Puhoi Community Forum, Puhoi Centennial Hall Committee, and more.
The quantity and quality of her volunteer work is what makes her a worthy recipient of her Queen’s Service Medal, and, hopefully, the Puhoi community will be blessed to enjoy the fruits of her labours for some time yet.