Queenstown and District Historical
 Society Incorporated
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Activities for Members


For reports and photos of past years’ activities, use the drop-down arrow.


Spring 2022 - Autumn 2023


Sunday 18 September, at Arrowtown Presbyterian Church Hall

Local  History Through Artists’ Eyes          


55 people, 22 framed paintings and drawings,

and about 12 prints gathered for a fascinating exhibition combining local history and artists.

The oldest subjects were hundreds of years ago.

The oldest artworks dated from the 1880s.







Sunday 16 October: Whole-day Trip to Matakanui, Drybread, Cambrians and St Bathans

60 people came including some from the Central Otago Heritage Trust. Our experts opened our eyes to the histories of these former goldfields, so different from the Whakatipu ones.

Ross Naylor revealed how large Matakanui once was; Dr Peter Petchey and Professor Hallie Buckley explained their bio-archaeological findings from the unmarked graves at the Drybread Cemetery; Bob L. de Berry taught us in the historic school at Cambrian.  
















Ross Naylor at the  mud-brick former bakery                Denise Heckler, Hallie Buckley, Peter Petchey and

                    at Matakanui                                                   Pauline Lawrence at Drybread Cemetery

                                                                                  

            














                                     

                                           An attentive class for Bob de Berry at Cambrians School


Sunday 20 November, St Margaret’s Church, Frankton

AGM, Courier 108 and speakers.                                                 

                                           

About 40 people attended. Tony Hanning spoke about his new

book The Mary Cotter Tree which arose from his family history,

about the planting of the avenue in Arrowtown in 1867.


Ben Teele, archaeologist, demonstrated how new technology -

drones, LiDAR and digital 3-D modelling - can assist in the

recording and preserving historical material.



Sunday 26 February: Trip to Oturehua -

Hayes Engineering Heritage NZ operating day with guided tour by Ken Gillespie,

Gilchrist’s Store in Oturehua, and the Golden Progress Goldmine Mine site nearby.

21 members and friends attended for the fascinating tour.  




















Sunday 2 April,  at Arrowtown Presbyterian Hall                      

‘People From Our Past’.

Four people from the district’s past appeared to tell their stories:

Alfred Duncan (Chris MacKenzie),

Helen Southberg (Cheryl Collie),

Elizabeth Grant Hansen (Kirsty Sharpe)

and Robert Lee (Rob Lee.)

80 members and friends attended.

                                                                      

                      

Cheryl Collie as Helen Southberg


Sunday 14 May: After-hours at the Lakes District Museum, Arrowtown

Queenstown Courier 109 was distributed, and 35 members toured the refurbished displays and archives facilities. Our thanks to the Museum staff.














Jo Boyd in ‘The Bunker’