MOUNT LYELL COPPER DIVISION, QUEENSTOWN

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS SERVICE CLUB

The club was started in 1970 by the Mt Lyell Mining & Railway Company to show their appreciation for the loyalty of their long-time work force.

The Inaugural dinner took place on Friday, 23rd October, 1970, at 6 pm in the Memorial Hall, Queenstown. There were well over 200 Foundation Members. The Welcome speech was delivered by Mr G F Hudspeth, General Manager, and the Toast to “Her Majesty the Queen” was made by Mr T O McGee. The Chairman of Directors, Mr J B Massy-Greene, made the Toast to the Mt Lyell Mining & Railway Company Ltd, and went on to make the Presentation of Watches. Mr A A Hampton made the response.

By 1993, the Mt Lyell Company had been working for one hundred years. That year, 26th March, the 22nd Annual Dinner of the 25 Year Club was held. The invitation list was over 300 long. The longest service was that for W H Clark, with 51 years. More than 40 had over 40 years' service.

When the Company closed the mine in December 1994, a group of original members decided to keep the Club going, and called it the Inaugural Members Club. An Annual dinner has been held ever since. Where originally the Company paid for the evening, now the members pay a nominal amount to cover the evening's expenses.

The Club Committee in 1995 comprised Murray Waller (President), Ron Holmes (Secretary), and Bob Hales (Treasurer), together with Rex Brown, Barry Bugg, Don Clark, Leo Deacon, Michael McGuiness, Tony Potito, Terry Potter, Brian Reynolds, Ray Shea. The Raffle Organiser was Ray Shea. The list of members as at 1 March 2005 was still well over 100, the longest service being that of L. F. Powell (50), with a great many having served over 30 years. The minutes of the meeting show that the Club was still concerned with local facilities: the question of fencing the Recreation Ground was discussed.