70 years of community: Hornby Club
For seven decades, this club has been the hub for community in Hornby.
Hornby Club has turned 70, marking seven decades of bringing people together and serving the community at the heart of Christchurch’s southwest since opening its doors in 1956.
Once a small township on the edge of Christchurch, Hornby has become one of the city’s largest and busiest suburbs. Through every stage of that growth, Hornby Club has been a constant presence. Club members who remember its early years describe a very different place. The original clubrooms were simple “like a barn”, with a bar at one end, pool tables in the middle and crates of bottled beer stacked beneath tables. There was a small shop selling cigarettes, lollies and newspapers, a library for members, and even a golf driving range at one stage.
Like many working men’s clubs of the era, membership was originally restricted to men until a vote to allow women to join in 1981. The decision helped shape the club’s future and reflected the changing face of New Zealand society.
Few people have witnessed the club’s evolution more closely than Dorothy Milne, who worked at Hornby Club from 1980 until 2023. During her 43 years there, she saw it transform into a modern community facility.
Long-serving past president Kevin Cole has an equally deep connection to the club. Joining as a 21-year-old in 1974, he later spent 23 years as president, guiding the club through periods of growth, redevelopment, and change. Kevin helped build a reputation for community events, sporting functions, entertainment, and fundraising initiatives.
The club’s most significant transformation came in recent years with the completion of a major redevelopment that delivered modern hospitality, dining, a family first environment and events facilities.
As Hornby Club celebrates its 70th anniversary, president Terry McCullum believes the milestone is ultimately about the people who have contributed to its success across generations.
He reflects on what has most stood out to him, “Just seeing it grow. Seeing where it is today.” It’s a sentiment that captures the club’s remarkable history and the pride shared by the thousands of members who have helped shape it over the past seven decades.
