Events & Activities

13 September 2026 in the Arrowtown Presbyterian Hall, attended by 90 people.

Local history was brought to life by four people who lived in the district between 1863 and now:

• Mary ‘Mammy’ Johnston née Jones, 1853-1936, hotelier, presented by Catherine Brown
• Mary May née Scurr, born 1937, farmer, being herself
• William Henry Homer, 1835-1894, route-finder, presented by Peter Doyle
• Sergeant Warwick Maloney, in Queenstown 1970s–1980s, in a 1989 radio interview with Jack Perkins (Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision)

We were invited to visit this extraordinary, architecturally significant property. The original part, completed in 1989, was designed by the acclaimed architect Peter Beaven. In 2011 an award-winning extension was designed by local architect Michael Wyatt.

50 members attended and were amazed by the buildings and the artworks.

50 members had a delightful visit, being shown over the splendid lodge which was opened in 1999. One of our members was the guide who explained its history.

Colleen Bergin, great-great-granddaughter of pioneer John Butel and author of From Farmlands to Fairways, and Graham Smolenski, promoter and original driver of the Millbrook development, gave fascinating accounts of the history. Afterwards, some members toured the buildings with them. 50 people attended.

This was held on Sunday the 23rd of November at the Whakatipu Rowing Club Centre beside Lake Hayes. A talk by the club president Amy Wilson-White about the history of rowing and the building of the centre was well received.

Marion Borrell received Life Membership and fittingly a painting of Lake Hayes.

The Society’s contribution to QLDC’s Cemeteries and Crematoria Week. 25 people visited the graves and heard the stories of Elizabeth Goodwin, Anna Catherine Neilson, James Reid and John Augustus Miller.

Andrea Ritchie, an owner of the Olivers complex, guided us through Olivers and her sister Victoria showed us the beautifully refurbished Lord Clyde Hotel over the road.

The Council Chambers/Clyde Historical Museum was next and then St Dunstan’s Catholic Church in Fraser Street. We finished at the Clyde Railway Station which is now used as a bike business. About 30 members attended.

We had a keen audience for ‘Medical People From Our Past’, learning about some surprising substances used by the chemist, Lewis Hotop; some changes in maternity care in the early 20th century involving Nurse Lizzie White; the strenuous life of longtime local doctor Bill Anderson; and the dedication and forthrightness of hospital matron Isobel Bremner.