125 years to celebrate

St John's Jubilee Committee. (Clockwise from left) Royce Tunbridge (president), Jackie Ragan, Reg Douglas, Bev Hogg, John Rhodes, Laurie Harding (Secretary), Gloria Martin, Allison Douglas. PICTURE / BEVAN CONLEY

Wanganui's St John's Club turns 125 in 2018 and plans are being made to celebrate.
One of the projects is a book to bring the club's history up to date. The club's centennial in 1993 saw the publication of Phoenix on the Corner: The Life and Times of the St John's Club 1893-1993. This time, Bev Hogg will undertake the task of updating the book by 25 years.
"January 20, 2018, is the official birthday," says Laurie Harding, although the major celebration will take place later in the year.
"One of the things we've been trying to do for that year (2018) is to get a lot of clubs in New Zealand here in the club," says club President, Royce Tunbridge. "We've missed out on the golf, but we're looking at putting a bid in for outdoor bowls, a thing that was started by Len Moase, the plumber. The first two were held in Wanganui, sponsored by Castlecliff at the time, and we've run a couple or three of them."
About 140 teams participate in the event, but St John's may have to aim for 2019, making that the last official event of the quasquicentennial celebrations.
"We're also looking at having a crack at getting the North Island Women's Indoor Bowls tournament here at some stage during 2018. The crowning glory of the whole thing is that we were at the Chartered Clubs' conference [recently] and put in a bid for 2018 to host the Chartered Clubs' AGM and conference and we were successful. We're looking at more than 300 delegates coming to Wanganui."
The club is looking at an extended celebration lasting at least a year and probably extending into 2019.
The draft programme so far includes an evening event on the actual birthday, Saturday January 20, with a local band playing and the cutting of a cake.
"Then we'll go to March when we have the conference, then we'll look at Queen's Birthday weekend to have a dinner and a big weekend and get this place reasonably full," says Royce. "If we could get the bowls for 2019 that would finish it off nicely. We're going up against Hamilton, though."
The club's long life began after a number of meetings held at various drinking establishments and came to fruition in 1893 when the founding committee - chaired by one John Ballance, former Premier of New Zealand - took over the former St John's Hotel on the corner of Victoria Ave and Glasgow Street and commenced operating as the St John's and Suburban Working Men's Club. The charter was obtained on January 20, 1893, by John Ballance, who was also elected president of the club.
The club has a unique Colonial or Queen's Charter, one of just five issued in New Zealand. Wanganui has the distinction of having two clubs with this rare document; the other being the Cosmopolitan Club, its charter dated three months after St John's.
"It's a privilege, and something we never want to lose," says Laurie.
A big challenge for the club is the revamp of its building, a project that will start this year, most of which will be done by the 125th jubilee.
Royce has been president for more than seven years and is proud of the club's reputation, friendly atmosphere and attraction to a constant stream of new members. The club firmly believes in sponsorship and backs many schools, organisations and sports clubs.
"We're spreading our sponsorship money around and a lot of it goes to kids," says Royce. "After all, where is our future going to come from?"