Omokoroa Boat Club Inc - Omokoroa Boat Club Inc The Esplanade

Some of the notable personalities of the Club throughout the 1950s along with Dick Coulston, Ira Thomas and Gerald Crapp, were David Jack, Harold Roigard, Harry Allen, Bob James, Bro Benson and Warren Harrison who all served a period as Commodore. David Jack was born in 1878 in North Otago and served in the Boer war. He seemed to have a somewhat restless spirit because on returning from the war he went into farming, then auctioneering followed by a spell as a contractor. As a retiree he ended up in Omokoroa in 1949 for about a year during which time he became Commodore of the Boat Club in 1950, but moved on before he had completed a year in that position. Dick Coulston, who was a builder by trade from Hamilton, took over from David as Commodore. He soon became involved with the slipway which was owned by the Crapp family, and also served as Honorary Harbour Master until he died in 1995. Positioned as he was, living on The Esplanade, he kept an eagle eye on the harbour area from his lounge window, not only to be ready to launch his boat and rescue any boaties in trouble, but also to keep an eye on the local residents. Woe betides anyone making mischief or trying to take shells or sand from the beach!

Gerald Crapp farmed the area from the Domain almost up to the main highway until; in the early 1950s he gradually began to sub-divide small parcels of land. In approximately 1952, the land adjacent to the seashore that we now know as the Domain was vested in the Crown eventually to become part of the Queen’s chain.