Nelson City Luncheon Club

One of Nelson's older Institutions - the Nelson City Luncheon Club  voted to cease activity at the end of 2016.  The Club had been active for 72 years but in the later years had seen a drop in membership.

The gavel and bell of the Nelson City Luncheon Club

The Club was founded at the end of the Second World War by a group of Nelson men who were missing the comradeship of being in the forces, the National Reserve or the Home Guard. They wanted to continue the fellowship of the war years.

They decided to meet every fortnight for lunch, generally with a speaker. There were no strings attached and it was not intended for the group to become another "service club".

For many years the membership consisted of men,  and the objectives of "good fellowship, civic pride and an interest in Nelson" have always been paramount.

In more recent years, women have been accepted as members and a woman first took the chair in 2007.

The membership over the years has been a "who's who" of Nelson business and professional men and women and many of the speakers have been not only local, but national and even international, including the Governor General of the day and various Ambassadors.

With numbers dwindling and age precluding people from taking on the necessary duties, it was decided to bring the Club to a close. The assets have been distributed according to the objectives and full and informative archives are held at the Nelson Provincial Museum's archive facility at Isel Park.

December 2016 (updated August 2020)

Story by: Alison Roxburgh