Scandinavian Club of Manawatu Inc.
A
History of the
Wellington
Scandinavian Club
(Abridged
from an article in the January 2000 edition of Skandia Quarterly)
After our
recent interest in the history of our own (Manawatu) club, it was natural to
wonder at the origin of our affiliated club. It was not, after all, listed
amongst those established by Mac Larsen. As a result, Jack Olsen has compiled
this history for us:
The Wellington
Scandinavian Club was formed in August 1993, the initial promotion work being
undertaken by the Hullena sisters: Mrs Enuice Coffey and Mrs Joyce Coory. This
family originated in the Bunnythorpe area. Eunice and Joyce were also ably
assisted by Ian Moller, concerning procedure.
The inaugural
meeting was held in the Empire Hotel, Petone and was attended by 32 people.
Within the year, membership had settled at around fifteen people. Unfortunately,
soon afterwards the founding president, Eunice Coffey, had to return to
Taranaki. Joyce and Ian therefore carried on gallantly until the next AGM, where
I (Jack Olsen) was elected President.
A newspaper
report at the time of the club’s founding, listed its aims as being to
“bring together those of Scandinavian descent, and those with a genuine
interest in that part of the world, for social, educational and cultural
activities.”
Joyce passed
away a couple of years ago and membership dropped away to below ten, thus
placing planned events into loss-making situations – or even non-events. It
was at that point (mid-1998) that the club asked the Scandinavian Club of
Manawatu if it could affiliate with them. This proved an agreeable situation,
for which I am extremely grateful. It has opened up a totally new perspective,
and we still exist….
I have been
informed that there was an earlier club, but I am pretty sure that it was the
original Danske Klub, formed in the 1960s. The only other Scandinavian meetings
that I am aware of, were held in the White Swan Hotel in Upper Cuba Street
during the ‘6pm closing’ area. I write from personal experience in the
1930s, and I remember that my mother was most upset with my father taking me.
There is a lot
of Scandinavian history waiting to be told that involves Wellington. Whaling was
New Zealand’s first European industry and the Shell Ocean Terminal at Miramar
and the Vacuum Ocean Terminal at Thorndon were ports to many Scandinavian
whaling fleets. Indeed, they still are to many oil tankers. Most Scandinavian
immigrants bound for Manawatu, Wairarapa, Rangitikei and Taranaki passed through
Wellington, and the old Mount Cook Prison Block was used as transit
accommodation. Wellington was the end of the journey for some immigrants, as
their graves are on Somes Island in Wellington Harbour, which was then the
port’s Quarantine Station.
The Te Aro
Street-Holloway Road area was a Scandinavian enclave, the latter from the 19th
century. Scandinavians in Wellington were harshly treated by the authorities
during both wars, being considered to be aligned to Germany. This situation
would not be tolerated today.
Jack concludes:
So come on Wellington! We need new members with new ideas and a change of
President would work wonders I am sure. - Hilsen
fra Jack (President, Wellington Scandinavian Club)
For the
Manawatu committee’s part, we marvel at the dedication of Jack, who regularly
makes the four-hour round trip up from Wellington to attend our committee
meetings. As much as we are very happy to foster the Wellington club for as long
as it wishes to be fostered, we would of course also be very happy to see it
successfully functioning in its own right once again. – Val.