After nearly three decades of championing businesses in the region, the Alexandra Clyde & Districts Business Group is winding up.

The group has been unable to replace its chair after Barry Hambleton stood down four years ago, and there has not been an annual general meeting since 2023.

Secretary Stu Millis said they struggled to get people to come along to meetings as they were just too busy, and the group had pretty much become defunct.

Last year the committee of 10 dropped down to just six and then for the last few meetings in late 2024 only four people turned up.

The group had been a staunch advocate for towns south of the Clyde Dam to be able to thrive again like they had in the 1980s.  

The business group was first started by the late Alan McLellan and pharmacist Trevor Sutherland, as the Central Otago Chamber of Commerce.

It then folded and joined with the Otago Chamber of Commerce, but when that did not work out they started their own.

One of the original chairs of the group was involved in the big Arthur Barnett department store when it was in town (now Smiths City).

Over the years they have had experts from many industries come along as guest speakers, and after Covid-19 they even paid for a business expert to fly down from the North Island to share insights on surviving the recession. But only about 15 people turned up, Stu

said.

In the past 29 years, the business group has taken the Central Otago District Council (CODC) to task many times - encouraging staff to make positive changes to economic development, and a petition back in 2011 attracted 1300 signatures.

“We rolled up our sleeves and argued with the council on issues for the town and had several meetings with them,” Stu said.

When the Warehouse first came to Alexandra people started protesting - the business group organised a rally down the main street to show their support for the big box retailer.

Stu Millis has been the business group’s secretary in recent years. PHOTO: THE CENTRAL APP FILES

Stu first joined the group back in the early 2000s when he was involved in council and the community board. He even started campaigning for Mayor once but then pulled out at the last minute.

“I was always keen to see things done properly. There was so much this town had to offer…"

He has been here since the 1980s and business has changed a lot since then.

Stu remembers when freight came into town on a bus from Dunedin and businesses went to the railway station to pick it up.

“And then couriers started and that changed everything.”

Workers from the Clyde Dam and their families shopping regularly in Alexandra pumped money into the local economy which had huge spin offs for local businesses.

As well as offering advocacy and support, the Alexandra Clyde & Districts Business Group gave out annual awards for locals and organisations who had contributed to making the place better - the Central Stories Museum, Jamie's Jewellers as one of the longest family-

owned businesses in the country and also the council for its work on the airport.

 It was the end of an era, Stu said.

“It’s pretty sad because we’ve put a lot of work into it.”

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