January 14 2026 marks 167 years since the Strathallan anchored offshore in Timaru.
While perusing the South Canterbury Museum online collection for a #throwbackthursday photo for social media, a photo of the re-enactment of the Strathallan Centennial Landing came up prompting the first #Onthisday post of 2025.
This photo is from the 1959 centenary when the town re-enachted the arrival of settlers and sailors from the Strathallan at Caroline Bay.
In 1954 a public meeting was held in Timaru to discuss how to commemorate the upcoming South Canterbury Centenary. A committee was formed comprising of mayors from Timaru City and the three boroughs (Temuka, Geraldine and Waimate), the chairmen of the four counties of South Canterbury and members of the South Canterbury Historical Society.
The Strathallan was the first ship to sail directly from the United Kingdom to Timaru.
Centennial of Sunny South Canterbury (1958). Aoraki Heritage Collection, accessed 13/01/2026, https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/76
The South Canterbury Centennial Committee commissioned Oliver Gillespie to write a history of the area to mark the centennial. The first edition was published in time for the 1959 centennial, and a late edition was published in 1971 correcting some errors. You can read the book 'South Canterbury: A record of settlement" by Gillespie at the Timaru Library.
The 150th celebrations took place in 2009 with another recreation of the ship landing with a heavier focus on the welcome party, with Mayor at the time Janie Annear and Timaru District Councillors dressing in period costumes to welcome the small party of 15 recreating the arrival.
An early version of the article said one of the three boroughs was Strathallan, but that council did not exist in 1959. This has been corrected as Waimate Borough Council was part of the celebrations.