Celebrating the Collections & Archives of Otautau Museum

Brief history of some of Otautau & Districts earliest and most interesting midwives... 1. Biddy McCoy or McLoy (nee Clerkin) In 1847, Mary Anne (or Biddy) as she was known, was tried and convicted at 19 of stealing a goose, in Ireland; this was during the years of the great famine, where 2 million starved to death. She was then transported to Tasmania to serve a 7 year sentence. © Artists impression of Biddy McCoy/McLoy, from her criminal records description; used with permission from family After marrying John McLoy, also a convict and him going missing after arriving in NZ (presumed drowned), Biddy had to fend for herself in the strange new land she had adopted, and ended up becoming very well known as the keeper of the Gropers Bush Hotel (just south of Otautau), from about 1857. Biddy was well known to be an expert sportswoman, with both a knife and a gun. She seems a real character and this is probably what got her through the tough times. In 1870, after ...

Commemorating 100 Years of WW1: Today’s  100 Years of WW1 Commemoration Blog Post is a little different - it combines the Centenary of 125 years of Women's Suffrage with WW1 History! “Farewell To New Zealand’s Sons” – the story behind the WW1 poem by the controversial Mrs (Bessie) Harrison Lee Cowie, of Australia, NZ and the USA: FAREWELL TO NEW ZEALAND’S SONS. (By Mrs Harrison Lee Cowie, Invercargill.) There’s a rushing of feet, a springing to arms, A wondrous response since the war’s wild alarms. Our brave boys are leaving, they’ve heard the loud call, “Lads, come back with honour, or come not at all.” Be noble and fearless, be gallant and true; The women will watch for tidings of you; Protect your own manhood, brave sons of the brave, There are worse things to shun than a patriot’s grave. Be dauntless in fighting the fierce foes within, Tread down, without mercy, temptations to sin, Protect every girl, ne’er cause one to fall, Oh, come back...

The Land, Buildings, Surveys & Township - There have been claims made in some publications, that Otautau was founded and grew during the 1860's, in response to the Central Otago Gold Rush. During the last four years of in-depth research, I have found nothing at all to substantiate these claims, which appear to have originated in a book on the Western Southland area, been repeated in a book which touches on early Otautau history, then copied again and cited in a paper on Otautau in more modern times. However, there are no original citations or sources for this information, and no early sources were found anywhere, that verified it. While ‘The Otautau’ as it was known, definitely had its first building by 1862 – namely the Otautau Accommodation House (built on the 10acre block where the Flour Mill and later Crown Hotel were situated), it was not until 1872 that the township was surveyed. Interestingly, the original survey map shows only the Otautau Accommodation House, it...