Central club steaming ahead with plans
The roof is up, and maybe it was a bit slow, given it was 22 years in the making, but the Central Southland Vintage Machinery Club is now on a roll with plans for new projects.
Planning for a roof refurbishment started in 1995 and club members worked hard every weekend to raise money.
The club started in 1975, and bought the Awarua Dairy Factory in 1995, at Winton, and turned it into a vintage machinery museum, and a base for its operations.
Members are keen to invest in the 94-year-old dairy factory and, now that the roof is done, they are working towards the next project.
Club caretaker Colin Davidson said the club had been saving for years, selling hay, chaff and selling firewood.
‘‘We’ve had some really good community support from the Community trust of Southland, the Lion Foundation and the Heritage fund,’’ Davidson said.
The club said it was grateful for the support but would ‘‘always need more money’’.
The club intends to design plaques for each piece of vintage equipment it has on display at the site and to paint the interior of the building.
The Awarua Dairy Factory, which was one of the last of Southland’s factor- ies to close, is regarded as one of the best buildings still preserved due to its solid concrete construction and care and maintenance carried out by the former Southland Country Council.
The club’s plans were ‘‘all about preserving the building’’, Davidson said.
A harvest day is planned for March, when the club will have demonstrations and displays of the vintage collection.