BALCLUTHA is a town in Otago, it lies towards the end of the Clutha River on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand about halfway between Dunedin and Invercargill

Known locally as "Clutha", Balclutha's name - and that of the river on which it stands - reflects the Scottish origin of the town's settlement, and translates from Scottish Gaelic as "Town on the Clyde".

James McNeil from Bonn Hill, Dumbartonshire, Scotland, who is regarded as the town's founding father, arrived in 1853 - via Port Chalmers, NZ in 1849. His farm was on the site of the present town, where he and the Provincial Government established a ferry service across the Clutha in 1857; as a result the town was initially called Clutha Ferry.

The Maori name for the area is Iwikatea, literally "Bleached bones" (a local Māori tribal battle in 1750 left the decomposing bodies of the defeated, their bones whitened in the sun)


taken from the OTAGO WITNESS 20 January 1909

( the names of the ships and the year of arrival are in brackets)

CLUTHA PIONEERS
A PLEASANT PICNIC

A successful picnic was held at the Warepa School on the 13th inst under the Auspices of the Clutha Pioneers' Association. Though threatening weather in the morning prevented the attendance from being as large as it would otherwise have been, there were about 200 present, and the sun shining out in the afternoon, the proceedings generally were of a most enjoyable and cordial nature. Among the oldest of the early settlers present were the

Hon. T. Mackenzie (ship Robenderson, arrived in 1858)

Mr L. Langlands, secretary of the Early Settlers' Association (Victory, 1848)

Mr Matthew Marshall (Philip Laing, 1848)

Mr and Mrs Charles Dabinett (Isabella Hercus, 1856)

David Hudson (Creswell, 1857)

Mr and Mrs Patrick Fahey (Harold, 1862)

Mr S. Young (Mary, 1849)

Mr J. Macfarlane, Mayor of Tapanui (Lady Egidia, 1848)

Mr Collins (Oliver Cromwell, 1862)

Mr J. Dunne, Mayor of Balclutha

Mr J. Waters (Caribou, 1865)

Mr James Christie (Nourmahal, 1858)

Mrs Crawford (Palmyra, 1858

Mrs Gunn (Peter Denny, 1865)

Mrs P. Robertson (Gothenburg, 1863)

Mrs J. Grant (Storm Cloud, 1861)

Mr Robert Ayson (Royal Albert, 1853)

Mr James Robertson (Southern Cross)

Messrs G. B. Somerville, J. A. Somerville, and R. Somerville
(Blundell, 1848)

Mr John Gordon (General Wyndham, 1856)

Mrs T. Gunyatt (Blundell, 1848)

Mrs Newson (Clontarf, 1860)

Mr W. Murdoch (Eden, 1850)

Mr W. Marshall (Aconcagua, 1880)

Mrs H. Robinson (Southern Cross, 1856)

Mrs Matthew Marshall (Larkins, 1849)

Mrs J. B. Yaters (Silistria, 1861)

Mrs T. Latta (Mary, 1849)

Mrs J. Crawford (1862)

Mrs J. A. Somerville (Philip Laing, 1848)

Mrs R. Somerville (May Queen, 1870)

Mire G. B. Somerville ((Nourmahal; 1858)

Mrs Smith, sen and Mrs H. Hogg (Henrietta, 1860)

The Pioneers Association was inaugurated for the purpose of collecting records of the early settlers. Accounts of their experiences have already been received from Mr John Dalzell (Balclutha), who arrived in Australia in 1853 by the Benares, and came on to Wellington in the Thomas and Henry the following year

John Crawford (Toiro), who landed in 1858

Edmond Couston (Strathallan, 1858).

Mr and Mrs Stoddart (Toiro) 1863)

Mr Robert Christie (Owaka, 1853)

Mr Robert Grigor (Balclutha, 1858)

Mr John Johnston (Kaihiku, 1852)

Mr Wm. Hay (Romahapa, 1849)

Mr Archibald Anderson (Stirling, 1839)

Mr James Somerville (Woronui) 1849)

Mr Matthews Marshall (Balclutha, 1848)


... more interesting reading and others names at the above link