On a quiet May day in 1861, Australian prospector Gabriel Read discovered gold in the gullies near Lawrence which now bear his name.
It sparked the massive Otago goldrush and, right there and then, cemented Lawrence's name for good.
Fast forward to the year 2008 and planning for the 150th anniversary of the event is well in hand.
An organising committee was formed last year.
This town likes to be prepared because the citizens know 2011 will be the biggest thing to hit Lawrence since, well, Gabriel Read.
Former long-time local government politician, now real estate agent, Wayman Roughan chairs the committee charged with planning not just a one-off event but an entire series of activities for the year.
His ancestor, Thomas Roughan, was a gold-miner in the Tuapeka goldfields soon after Read's discovery, something shared by a handful of other established Lawrence families.
The celebrations may be nearly two and a-half years away but the committee is already preparing.
Mr Roughan prefers not to use the word "sesquicentennial" when talking about the celebrations.
It is easier for the public if they are referred to as 150th celebrations.
And what celebrations they will be, judging by the vast range of ideas and projects being tackled by the committee.
The weekend of March 17-19 - Otago Anniversary weekend - is shaping up to be the focal point of the year but a series of other events planned for the town during 2011 will also carry the gold theme.
Two ships, sailing from Melbourne and Sydney, are expected to arrive in Port Chalmers in the days leading up to the March party and there is talk of a mini cavalcade travelling from the port to the Tuapeka goldfields.
A 3km walking track from Lawrence to Gabriels Gully is planned to be finished before that year while other ideas include a massive tent city at Gabriel's Gully, gold panning, gully tours and tying in with the planned restoration of the nearby Chinese Camp.
A special feature of the event will be the presence of three of Read's descendants who still live on the original family farm in Tasmania.
Several events throughout the year will emphasise the importance of what Read's discovery did not only for Lawrence but for the regional and national economy.
Mr Roughan said he wanted the 2011 celebrations to "leave something behind" for the area so the occasion was never forgotten.
Exactly what shape that would take is yet to be decided.
"A lot of what we have planned is still a work in progress but it's looking really exciting."
The committee hopes to appoint an events co-ordinator to handle the bulk of the organising by March next year.
That person's job may be for 20 hours a week initially, grow to 30 hours weekly in 2010 and virtually become fulltime during the big year itself.
It promises to be a bumper period of celebration in the region.
A year after Lawrence's party, Cromwell and Naseby will reach the same milestone while Arrowtown celebrates its 150th birthday in 2013.
