Alison Oxnam is the epitome of a true Murchison local.
She’s lived in the sleepy Tasman District town for 86 of her 96 years “because it's home”, raised three children who still live nearby, and has been formally recognised for her service to the community she describes as “wonderful”.
Her childhood was on a Tutaki Valley farm beneath Mount Murchison and she attended the nearby sole-charge country school which had a roll of five pupils.
“At the school I always remember the one that used to play the piano for the hymns. He always had to be gently nudged awake for the last hymn,” she recalls.
“Quite often we walked home four miles, and there was one house on the way that had a refrigerator, which not many people had because we didn’t have power.
“It sounds silly now, but you would walk slowly past hoping they’d invite you in for ice cream, which was a real treat.”
She later moved to Nelson and Christchurch for further education and qualified as a teacher.
But Alison returned to Murchison in 1948 following the death of her half-German mother, and worked as a housewife on her husband’s family’s 20,000-acre Matakitaki Station.
The station ran Hereford cattle, Perendale sheep and red deer before later converting to dairy.
The Nelson Lakes Hops farm operates on a part of the original site today.
Like many rural towns, volunteering is ingrained in its ethos, and Alison has had her fair share.
She was a foundation member of the local Rural Women division, a long-serving secretary of the local Plunket, and a volunteer at the Murchison Museum.
She also served as a Cub Scouts leader, taught line dancing, and was involved with the Murchison Pony Club.
As a member of the local health committee, Alison assisted with the campaign to convert the former maternity hospital into what is now the Murchison Hospital and Health Centre.
Her dedication was recognised in 2020 when she received a Tasman District Council Outstanding Community Service Award.
She’s probably cut a few birthday cakes in her time, and will be doing just that to mark her town’s 150 years at its anniversary celebrations held over Easter weekend.
“It's a big honour, it's a bit unbelievable,” she says.
“Murchison is a wonderful place to live, and it's a wonderful community.”
