Rachael Comer
16 Dec 2025
An integral part of Timaru’s maritime history is back on Caroline Bay after nearly two years of fundraising.
On Sunday, a large crowd gathered behind the Caroline Bay Soundshell to watch as the 163-year-old Alexandra lifeboat was wheeled into its new shelter by members of the Timaru Host Lions Club and Coastguard South Canterbury, and the building was officially handed over to the Timaru District Council.
The $350,000 building project, initiated by the Host Lions Club to mark its 60th anniversary, means instead of being locked away behind closed doors in a private building, the lifeboat can now be viewed by the public.
The new display, built by Thompson Engineering, also features storyboards, undertaken by researcher Roselyn Fauth, showing the history of the boat and its significance to the area.
The Alexandra had been on open display at Caroline Bay before it was moved to the Landing Service Building in 1996, and then to storage at the Botanic Gardens in 2010, and later to a building off Stafford St.
At Sunday’s celebration, Timaru Host Lions Club president Russell Cowles thanked a host of people who had been a key part of the project, including MP for Rangitata James Meager and Timaru District mayor Nigel Bowen, both in attendance.
“A big thank you to our own members who have worked to raise funds for this, from shovelling compost and delivering it, to marshalling at the New Zealand Car Rally,” Cowles said.
His wife Annie was also acknowledged for the hours of work she had put into the project.
“And a big thank you must go to everyone who donated to the cause, whether it’s been a few dollars in the bucket that we shook at the market [Matariki Night Market] or a $60,000 donor.
“You’ve all assisted in such a good way to reach this goal.’’
A number of donors were also recognised for their contributions to the project, before Cowles told those in the crowd that if they were thinking of joining a volunteer organisation, the Lions would love to talk. “And it’s not all work, there is quite a bit of play,” he said.
Fauth said it was much more than a boat, describing the Alexandra as a monument that helped connect people to the town’s seafaring past.
“There’s so many people that have been involved in it, from the rescuers and heroes to the advocates,” she said. “The lifeboat connects us to 160 years of our maritime past, when our community had to work together to rush to the rescue of others.”
She acknowledged the work of the Timaru Maritime and Transportation Trust, which had formed 30 years ago to take care of the boat. It was wound down in 2024.
“Philip Brownie has been every month to the shed, turning the wheels and giving it a squirt of water, to make sure that we actually had something to put in the shed today,” she said.
He did this with his fellow trustees Bill Steans, who was unable to make the event, and the late Arthur Bates.
She also acknowledged John Cottle who had transported the boat so it could be used in parades along Stafford St, and thanked the Host Lions Club, saying it was no easy task to fundraise.
“They’re just incredible and I’m in awe of what they’ve achieved with their project partners Aoraki Foundation helping them to raise the funds.”
After the building was officially handed over to the council, Bowen said the work of the Host Lions Club was greatly appreciated.
He said the boat was close to his heart, as it had been on display at the Landing Service Building, a neighbour to his own business, and it was fitting it has a permanent home. “I think it belongs here.”
Meager said Prime Minister Christopher Luxon passed on his regards, and remembered seeing the boat when it made an appearance at the Stafford St Matariki Market in 2024 while he was visiting Timaru.
Records showed the Alexandra was ordered from England by the provincial council at the time, at a cost of £300.
The boat’s service as a lifeboat ended in 1885, and in 1909 it featured in a procession for the commemoration of Timaru’s 50th anniversary.