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John Swinney’s Collection

  • Spectrum for 5 August 2012

    For thirty five years Dr John Swinney's been hoarding bits of redundant apparatus from Whangarei Hospital and any medical stuff that didn't seem to be wanted by anyone else. His collection quickly… Read more Audio

For 35 years Dr John Swinney’s been hoarding bits of redundant apparatus from Whangarei Hospital and all the medical stuff that no-one else seemed to want. His collection quickly became the Northland Medical Museum in an original hospital building called The Cottage. That, it soon outgrew!

John Swinney August John Swinney left and Stewart Bowden director of Whangarei Museum and Heritage park small

John Swinney (left) and Stewart Bowden, director of Whangarei Museum and Heritage park

Now John Swinney’s moved his hoard to a permanent and much bigger home at Whangarei  Museum and Heritage Park ‘Kiwi North’. What’s more he’s taken the little cottage with him! For Spectrum David Steemson, gets in the way, while they’re shifting in.

John Swinney August Some of John Swinney s overflow with his treasured iron lung machine in foreground small

Some of John Swinney’s overflow with his treasured  iron lung machine in foreground

John Swinney Augus The Northland Medical museum almost ready to open small

The Northland Medical museum almost ready to open