Celebrating a Legacy: Marie Guthrie Honored for Decades of Service

Marie Guthrie’s involvement with the Waitaki Society of Genealogists is nothing short of extraordinary. Since the group's inception, Marie has been its unwavering pillar, the only member to have participated continuously throughout its entire existence.

It all began on August 17, 1981, when Marie attended a public meeting organized by Barbara Pullar, gathering local enthusiasts keen on genealogy. The decision to form a local group was made that day, with 18 people in attendance. Of those original members, only Marie and Lex Cochrane remain active today.

A year later, the first AGM was held, and Marie was elected to the committee of the newly named North Otago Genealogical Group. She served as a committee member in 1983 and 1984, and in 1985, she was elected President—a position she held for four years. Over the next decade, Marie continued to contribute as a committee member for six years.

In 2000, Marie took on the role of Convenor, leading the group for the next four years. From 2004 until 2023, she remained a steadfast committee member. In total, Marie has served in various leadership roles for an impressive 37 out of the group’s 43-year history, including two significant four-year terms as the leader.

Marie’s commitment extends far beyond committee work. She regularly attended Mainland South meetings, edited the group’s newsletter in the early 2000s, managed the group’s library, and oversaw the CD Rom collection. Her most significant contribution has been indexing—part of the team that initially indexed early newspapers, school rolls, courthouse records, and more. She pioneered the Otago Daily Times indexes starting in 1998 and contributed to the Oamaru Cemetery Project.