A Diamond for a Jewel
And a small dose of nostalgia..
It seems like only yesterday we celebrated 50 years of research at Lauder with a series of lectures at Central Stories. But it was nearly 10 years ago now. Our Diamond 60th is just around the corner.
They don’t make years like they used to … And in my early years at Lauder, Mike Collins, who became the Director General of DSIR, always described the place (to us at least 😊) as his “Jewel in the Crown”. Those were the days …
Here’s the title page of my presentation for that Jewel’s 50th. I see the celebrations extended over two days at the end of April, 2011 (I wonder what project the time was charged against?)
Another “old mug” made its first appearance the same day … It’s a pretty resilient one too. This is one of two at our place that remain unchipped after a decade of regular use.
Our celebrations in 2011 were about 3 weeks late. The real opening date was April 7, 1961. Here’s an excerpt from the first page of the Lauder Visitor’s book.
Those first few names are interesting. J.H George (John Hannibal George, no less, but known as Jack) was the National MP for Otago Central in opposition to Walter Nash’s Labour Government of the time. The second is his wife, whose name I can’t decipher.
Next on the list is W. M. Hamilton (William Maxwell Hamilton -variously known as Bill or Max), who was the Director General of DSIR at the time. Coincidentally, his son David now lives in Alexandra - with his wife Judy. Her sister was married to a local farmer from the Lauder area.
Third ranking (only! - looks like the Georges jumped the queue a bit - or maybe the age of chivalry was still alive then) is E Marsden. I’m pretty sure that’s Sir Ernest Marsden, the famous atomic physicist who in his younger years in the UK had worked under New Zealand’s most famous scientist, Ernest Rutherford. Marsden was the founder of DSIR, in 1926.
Lauder’s first Officer-in-Charge was Bob Unwin who had moved up the ladder to be Divisional Manager - based in Christchurch - by the time I arrived in 1979. But he remained a great friend of Lauder, and in 1981 he and wife Margaret retired in nearby Wanaka.
His obituary writer was my old Lauder boss (and current tennis mate), Gordon Keys, who also lives here in Alexandra, with his wife Rima.
I’m proud to note that Bob Unwin’s son (Martin), W.M. Hamilton’s son (David), and Gordon Keys all subscribe this column. 😊 So if you’re reading this, you’re in good company!
We’re just starting to think about ways to celebrate Lauder’s 60th anniversary. A diamond for a jewel seems most appropriate. I hope we can do something to mark it - few partnerships last that long.
But my guess is it will be a little late. And I doubt if we’ll be able to conjure up such a star studded cast as at its opening in 1961!
Thanks for listening. I’m working on a brief history of Lauder, which I’ll post here in the next few weeks. Please click below to subscribe for more occasional (free) postings on ozone, uv, health and climate.