In small towns, the need for places to gather and hold ceremonial occasions was often satisfied by a local pub. In some places halls were built, sometimes by the local military volunteers. This is the Drill Hall in Timaru, where locals are celebrating 50 years since the arrival of the first substantial group of settlers in 1859. A banner expresses a sense of progress over the half century, with comparisons between 1859 and 1909 of exports and imports, and quantities of frozen mutton and wool bales.