Tūātapere & Districts Heritage - Golf Club History, Early Days

Shared by Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive

Tūātapere & Districts Heritage - Golf Club History, Early Days: IMAGES The Minutes shown here are from the Clubs AGM in 1950, held in the very (prior) Plunket Rooms which now house many local community archives! But these are the earliest surviving Golf Club Minutes the Golf Club have now. This is as in 1949 the then Secretary had his property that the earlier minutes were held in, burn down, so all those records were tragically lost. EARLY HISTORY In June 1925, Tūātapere Golf Club had a meeting, with the below working Committee being appointed: - Mr B Brookes (owned the Waiau Hotel after the Wests) - Mr H Coombe (Secretary & Treasurer) - Mr JO Harper (President of Tuatapere & District Returned Soldiers’ Association) - Mr H Lobb (owned the General Drapery Store in the front of the Cymric Hall) - Mr J Mangan (Painter, Paperhanger & Home Decorator ) - Mr H McCallum (the National Bank Manager) - Mr D McLeod (owned the local Bakery and Tea Rooms) - Mr A Prentice (later owner of the first Grocery Store) - Mr C Payne (local Saddler and Handicapper for Cycling at Tuatapere Sports Day) - Mr WJ Pratt (he was the Postmaster) The Club’s first home was at the property of Robert Scott of Clifden, who “generously offered to give every assistance.” He allowed the use of his property on the Clifden-Tūātapere Road for the course. The news reported about the property in this way: “The links are well situated about two miles from the town and are capable of being transformed into a first-rate course.” It was also reported that about 30 members had joined the new club, so it was interesting to note that at the time of their first Annual General Meeting a year later, the number of members had fallen to just over 20. The new Committee for the second year was formed and improvements planned. Robert Scott was voted in as the Chair and continued to offer his land, his help and his machinery to keep the fairways grass cut as needed. It is of further note that the Tūātapere Golf Club has had four different homes over its 100 years. No 1 - as noted above, the original site was at Robert Scott’s property on the way to Clifden, later farmed by John Rowley and now owned by Nathan & Marilyn Parris, just outside the town boundary. No 2 - in 1939 it was moved down to Papatotara, to James Young’s farm, later owned by Allan Harris. No 3 - shifted to JA Bennett’s in 1957, later Alan Campbell’s, next was Murray Hamilton, then Neville Bennett, now Linsey Bennett & Murray Skedgwell’s Elmsbrook & Mount Brook Jersey Studs are there. No 4 - Finally the club was moved in 1963 to the home it has had since this time, the site of the old Clifden Domain, where many a horse race with the Clifden Racing Club was held in earlier years. Hopefully this entry will be added to as more information comes to hand. If you or anyone you know has any more information or photos to share or accounts of the Tūātapere Golf Club history during the years, please do share this with us in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page. Or you can make contact with us as per the archive front page. Note: these entries are compiled with information provided by donors with the records, from locally reported news, from national and occasionally international reports in publications, from personal records made by the people themselves - such as their electoral enrollments, wills, war records etc., also from government and council held records such as births, deaths and marriages or cemetery information, and lastly, from community memories, such as those passed on by friends, family and contemporaries. It is not always possible to verify memories from others, so please let us know if you believe we have any incorrect information. If you believe that any public or personal record information quoted is wrong, if you can provide proof of any alternative fact to us in a document showing evidence of the correct details, that would be very helpful to us. Thank you.