Peninsula Trust life memberships

11/5/2009

Two Old Boys were among those made life members of the Otago Peninsula Trust last week.

Ben Naylor (1937-41) and Laurie Stewart (1949-53) formed part of a quarter which met on Tuesday for afternoon tea at Glenfalloch Woodland Gardens, an appropriate place considering it was one of the trust’s first major projects.

New Otago Peninsula Trust life members (from left) Laurie Stewart, Richard Skinner, Netta Noone and Ben Naylor at Glenfalloch Woodland Gardens last week

The trust is the oldest private charitable trust in New Zealand, and some of those awarded life memberships are tied to its establishment in 1967.

Chairman John Jillet described them as ‘‘exemplary’’, very deserving people who had made a longstanding commitment to the trust.

Laurie was part of the group that formed the trust and served on its first board. Among other things, he organised the tracks on private land leading to Lovers Leap, and in recent years he had been ‘‘very much involved’’ with Fort Taiaroa.

Ben had made a major contribution to Glenfalloch Woodland Gardens through fundraising and volunteer gardening. He had also served as chairman of the board and was central to reducing the trust’s debt after it built the Royal Albatross Centre.