Otautau Groups Through the Years

The sporting clubs from the last post led to creating a list of 69 Otautau groups dating back to 1875. The Otautau Football Club seems to be the oldest, still existing group, followed by the Otautau School Committee (1879). Fraternal organisations, sport clubs, religious and community service groups soon followed. It appears that the first decade of the 20th century had the most groups start, with 15 groups formed. Skimming this long and incomplete list, it's apparent that the efforts of many throughout the years have resulted in the community we now have.

While looking through PapersPast for groups, this story popped out. In 1905, the Wallace A&P Association was born. But it seemed to have come about because of a disagreement with the Western District A&P Association which had formed in 1879. Someone suggested that the Western District annual show should alternate between Riverton and Otautau each year. This was unacceptable to Western District, and so Otautau formed its own organisation and called it the Wallace A&P Association. That's how we got the annual show.

Every group has its story, and it would be ideal if we could collect all those stories. But at the very minimum, it would be great to complete this list with beginning and ending dates for each group. If you can fill in a year or see a group that is missing, please contact us. Even if you don't have the years but want to add a group, please do!

1. Otautau Football Club (1875-present)
2. Western District A & P Association (1879-1913?)
3. Otautau School Committee/Board (1879-present)
4. Aparima Lodge Independent Order of Oddfellows, No 39 (1883- )
5. Birchwood Hunt Club (1886-present)
6. Otautau Racing Club (1887- ?)
7. Otautau Cycling Club (1900?-?)
8. Otautau Hack Racing Club (at least 1901-)
9. Otautau Lawn Tennis Club (1902?-?)
10. Lodge Wallace Masonic, No 129 (1903-?)
11. Band of Hope, Presbyterian youth group (?)
12. Young Men's Bible Class, Presbyterian youth group (?)
13. Young Women's Bible Class, Presbyterian youth group (?)
14. Wallace A & P Association (1905-?)
15. Otautau Gun Club (1905-?)
16. Otautau Cricket Club (1905-?)
17. Otautau Brass Band (1905-?)
18. Otautau Bowling Club (1906-present)
19. Otautau Choral Society (1907- ?)
20. Te Ara Rebekah Lodge IOOF, No 11 (1908-?)
21. Pride of Wallace Tent Independent Order of Rechabites (1909-?)
22. Hope of Wallace Tent, Juvenile Rechabites (1910?-?)
23. Otautau Harrier and Athletic Club (1910-?)
24. Otautau Hockey Club (1911-?)
25. Otautau Golf Club (1912-present)
26. Loyal Otautau Lodge Manchester Unity IOOF (1913-?)
27. Otautau Branch Southland League (1914-?)
28. Lady Liverpool Fund (1914?-?)
29. Red Cross Committee (1914?-?)
30. Otautau Swimming Club (1917-?)
31. Fallen Soldiers Memorial Committee (1919?-?)
32. Otautau Pipe Band (1920?-?)
33. Otautau Croquet Club (1922-?)
34. Loyal Orange Lodge No 109 (1924-?)
35. Bayswater Tennis Club (1927-?)
36. Otautau Debating Society
37. St Andrew's Scottish Society (1919-?)
38. St Andrew's Scouts (1927-present)
39. Girl Guides (1927-present)
40. Otautau Basket Ball Club (1928-?)
41. Otautau Plunket Society (1930?-?)
42. Women's Division of Federated Farmers (1930-1999)
43. Otautau Returned Services Association (1946-present)
44. Otautau Fire Brigade
45. Otautau Marching Team
46. Otautau Playcentre (1958-present)
47. Otautau Jaycee (1963-1990)
48. Lions Club of Otautau (1963-present)
49. Otautau and Districts Historical Society (1974-1983)
50. Otautau Pottery Club (1979- ?)
51. Otautau Squash Rackets Club (1979-present)
52. Order of St John (1986? -?)
53. Otautau BMX Club (1986?-?)
54. Otautau Combined Sports Complex (1988-present)
55. Otautau Local History Museum (1991-2002)
56. Otautau and District Community Charitable Trust (1994-present)
57. Otautau Promotions Committee (?)
58. Western Districts Country & Variety Music Club (?)
59. Otautau Patchwork and Craft Group (?)
60. Otautau Community Health Trust (2000?-?)
61. Otautau Heritage Trust (2000-present)
62. Otautau & Districts Creative Arts Trust (2000-2007?)
63. Otautau and Districts Toy Cupboard (2003-present)
64. Otautau Museum Trust (2003-present)
65. Western Southland Floral Art Group (?)
66. Otautau Senior Citizens (?)
67. Alex McKenzie Memorial Arboretum Charitable Trust (2007-present)
68. Otautau Community Swimming Pool (2009?-present)
69. Otautau Friendship League (2013?-present)

Thanks again to the people at the National Library for creating PapersPast. It holds historical NZ newspapers and is invaluable for all kinds of historical research.

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