Welcome to 'Central in an object', our summer series celebrating the rich history of the Central Otago district. 

We asked museum curators and volunteers across the region to strip it back to basics: choose just one item from their collections that tells a story about who we are. 

Today, Clyde Museum committee member and author Russell Garbutt tells us about the founding object of the town's collection.

The object

Sitting in pride of place within the former council chambers at Clyde Museum is a cabinet of curiosities.

While it is filled with an eclectic mix of specimens, the cabinet itself tells the story of its owner, Vincent Pyke.

An eclectic mix: A close-up of a 'Rock with marine encrustations' displayed inside the cabinet. Image: The Central App

It holds a special significance as the very first item in the museum's collection.

While Vincent collected the items inside, he didn't simply donate the cabinet. Despite his immense public standing, Vincent wasn’t a rich man, and he sold the cabinet to the museum for 50 pounds.

Russell describes Vincent as a man who was genuinely curious about the world around him.

Born to a tinman in a small English town, Vincent received only a basic education. Yet, by the time he was 22, he had published a book of poems.

After spending only five years in Australia, he knew enough to deliver a New Year's Eve lecture in Melbourne on the history of Australian exploration.

He was widely read and had theories on everything from the fate of the Moa to the behaviour of bumblebees. He was also a skilled horticulturalist who understood trees and shrubs, and as the first Gold Commissioner, he could identify exactly where a nugget came from just by looking at it.

When Vincent looked at Central Otago, he saw potential.

His resume was staggering: he was a newspaper owner and editor, represented Wakatipu, Dunstan and Tuapeka in parliament, and was chair of the Vincent County Council.

He understood that transport was the key to opening up the interior and was instrumental in pushing the railway through from the coast.

His influence is even woven into the room where his cabinet sits; the magnificent council furniture and chandelier were all of Vincent’s doing.

Despite his resume, Russell believes Vincent is often underappreciated.

"I don't think you could find a person in Central Otago's history that was actually more important than Vincent, and yet he's relatively unknown," Russell says.

He hopes to change that with his new biography, Vincent Pyke: Goldfields Gladiator.

The book captures the life of the man who "made things happen" and is available now at the Clyde Museum.