As 2010 steps out from behind the Curtain of Time, it's a good idea to get your Otautau Museum Calendar. This year, the theme is sports clubs and features some of the best sporting photos from the museum's collection. The calendar's cover displays the Birchwood Hunt (pictured above). The hunt was a great tradition in the old days, but at this particular event, Governor General Lord Jellicoe made an appearance and is shown in the carriage in the centre of the photograph.
Lord Jellicoe had had a long career in the Royal Navy before and during WWI. He was the Governor General of NZ in 1920-24 and, with Lady Jellicoe (both pictured left), visited Otautau in 1921. [Note: the date on the calendar is slightly off and so is the spelling of his name. The Museum apologises for these typos]. And to show that 2 degrees of separation is not just a modern phenomenon, our own chairman of the Town Board at the time, Robert Seatter, was from Scapa Flow, a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. This was the northern base of the British Grand Fleet where Admiral Jellicoe fended off German naval attacks in WWI. So they had plenty to talk about over lunch at the Otautau Hotel before viewing the Birchwood Hunt itself. You can read more about Lord Jellicoe's Otautau visit in PapersPast.
So before Time leads you into the next chapter of your life, grab a piece of Otautau history via the Museum's 2010 calendar. Reasonably priced and readily available at the Otautau Museum. We're open Wednesdays and Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request.
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