Waihola history project first to focus on area

A dedicated group of Waihola residents who set about recording, for the first time, the history of their lakeside town are about to see their efforts come to fruition after eight years of work.

Waihola History Project member Helen Sinclair said a group of enthusiasts had worked to collect historical photographs in order to provide an insight into the town's past.

The fact that no-one else had bothered with the history of Waihola was what started the group off.

What spurred them on was their desire to speak to the town's older residents so they could impart their knowledge before they died.

Mrs Sinclair said Waihola was surveyed in 1861, but it grew when German and Polish families were sent to the area to establish a railway line in 1872.

Until the line opened in 1875, the easiest way to get to the area was by boat up the Taieri and Waipori Rivers and then along the lake.

Mrs Sinclair said the group had collected more than 200 photos, dating from the 1870s until the present.

They provided documentation of local figures, such as Arthur Draper, who set up a business manufacturing cricket bats in the area, as well as of people rowing on the lake, dances at the hall and the many hoteliers who plied their trade in the area.

A grant from the Clutha District Council's creative arts council along with a donation from the Polish Heritage Trust enabled the group to hold the exhibition.

Mrs Sinclair said the group hoped the exhibition would help people learn about the history of the district and could put the group one step closer to setting up a permanent exhibit.

The exhibition at the Waihola Community Centre runs from 12-4pm today and tomorrow.