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In the past, each year Promote Dunstan has provided financial assistance for a person from our area to attend a community leader's workshop. This project was funded from Wine & Food festival proceeds. Past recipients have attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Workshop or the annual Tonic Conference (which focuses on emerging trends and best practice in all aspects of running a non-profit organisation.) We currently provide funding to assist students from the Burgundy region in France who exchange with young people from our area each year. This funding is provided to the COWA who manage the exchanges. If you are interested in attending any such community workshop or would like to nominate someone please contact Promote Dunstan at 03 449 2119 or [email protected] In 2008 the recipient of the award was Jamie Bell who was Curator at the Central Stories Museum in Alexandra. The 2008 RYLA course was based in Invercargill and included 28 young leaders from throughout Southern New Zealand. After attending the course Jamie reported back to the Promote Dunstan committee and it was clear that he had gained considerable value from the excellent course. The 2009 RYLA recipient was Sammy de Koning The 2010 RYLA recipient was Jamie Bell In 2014 and 2015 Carol Haig (our Treasurer) attended the Tonic conference In 2016 Janine Neville attended the same conference.

Promote Dunstan was nominated in 2011, for the Central Otago TrustPower Awards for the Clyde Wine and Food Harvest Festival and won our category. The following year after we were again nominated for the Festival, we again won our category. In 2013 we entered again, but this time for the Dunstan Gold 150 celebrations. We were honoured to win the supreme award for Central Otago and we represented the region along with the Mayor, Tony Lepper at the national finals in Invercargill in March 2014.

The biggest challenge the group undertook was the year-long programme in 2012 celebrating the 150 years since gold was discovered in the Dunstan. A sub-committee (Dunstan Gold 150) was set up in 2010 and included members from other local organisations. The DG 150 project consisted of 60 events held throughout 2012. Thirty-three community groups were involved, and an estimated 18,000 people took part in activities during the year. Funding was received from Central Lakes Trust and Promote Dunstan also contributed. The Dunstan Gold 150 celebration was launched at Central Stories Museum in Alexandra, the first of 87 events planned for the year to mark the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold by Horatio Hartley and Christopher Reilly in the Cromwell Gorge in the winter of 1862. A 60-page booklet called Gold Rush - Central Otago 1862 , written by journalist Louise Joyce, of Earnscleugh, was also launched. "We all know that gold was the foundation of Otago, and at the height of the gold gold rush there were 67 sailing ships anchored in the [Otago] harbour . . . imagine that. Gold brought 24,000 people to Central Otago and gold was the catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurship," Tony Lepper (Former Mayor) told about 60 people at the celebration launch. Artist Grahame Sydney said Hartley and Reilly's initial haul of gold, 1044 ounces, would be worth nearly $2 million in today's terms, and sparked an "undreamed of rush" to Central Otago. Ms Joyce said it was a joy to research and write her book. "Passion, icon and iconic are three words that are overused, but they really do describe Central Otago for me, " she said. Part of her research involved finding out what happened to Hartley and Reilly in their later years, "but if you want to know where they ended up, you'll just have to read the book." Events planned throughout the year were based in Alexandra, Clyde, Fruitlands, the Nevis Valley, Galloway, Cromwell, Ophir, the Maniototo, St Bathans and Cambrian and included walks, four-wheel drive tours, musicals, a gold mine open day, wine and food festival, gold-panning championship and the unveiling of a sculpture to mark the anniversary.

Promote Dunstan is very interested in ensuring that the old stone building in Matau Street is at least preserved and preferably restored. Some time ago the building had the word 'Hotel' painted on some of its windows for the filming of the Goldfields movie 'Illustrious Energy' and these signs remain today. The building in question is currently behind a shop, which lies between Sunderland and Matau Streets. The bank building on Matau Street has not been used for a number of years, has not been maintained and is currently in a deteriorated condition. We were in partnership with the Alexandra Bridge Club to restore an 1860s stone building in Clyde owned by the club and funded a Conservation plan. The building has since been sold and we are all thrilled that progress is being made on the restoration of the building.

Promote Dunstan is working alongside the committee by providing financial support to improve the main museum building in Blyth St. Two original art works of early Clyde were purchased by Promote Dunstan and donated to the museum and the group paid for the framing of another early picture.

Promote Dunstan has made two donations of $5000 each (2022 & 2023) to support the continuation of the Oral History project set up by the Central Otago Heritage Trust. Central Otago Heritage Trust’s Oral History Project collects memories and personal commentaries to preserve and celebrate Central Otago’s rich heritage. Our volunteer-based project has been collecting interviews since 2019. More than 30 volunteers have completed the two-day training workshops on using internationally recognised standards and best practice to undertake the recording and abstraction of oral histories. The project is managed by Joanna Leigh who is based at the Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery, in Alexandra.

A donation of $5,000 was made in 2022 to assist with the Historic Clyde project which commissioned a sculpture of a giant Karearea for installation at the top entrance to Clyde.

A $2000 grant was made to Ric Oram to help the publication of his book in 2022 on Jean Feraud (An Account of Monte Christo: birthplace of Centra Otago Winegrowing).

Payment of nearly $4000 was made to the Drybread Cemetery Trust in 2022 to cover the cost of a new headstone for the first person (a 20 year-old boy) to be buried in the cemetery in 1870.

To assist the Clyde and District Lions Club run a Family day, we donated $1000 in 2021 and 2022.

A $1500 grant was made towards the printing of a Clyde brochure containing information on accommodation, restaurants, and activities. This was a project by the business-based group, Historic Clyde Inc.

Money was contributed to the Central Otago Arts Trail brochure.