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A Memorial for Stephen Thorpe

  • November Progress Report

      20 November 2024

    Hi everyone

    Many of you mention to me how much you miss Stephen and his presence and helpfulness on iNaturalist. Very sadly it appears that his attacker has very serious mental health issues, and the court case has now been postponed until 5 February 2025.

    I was hoping that I could announce today that the installation of the seat was scheduled. At this stage it's taking a bit longer to get the paperwork completed... Making the bench is under way and I do thank Lily Duval for her help with selecting a few decorations for the back of it. We wanted flora and fauna that Stephen would relate to, but also simple enough images that would translate well into carvings, and easily identifiable by people who were not necessarily appreciative of nature. Adrian Steel from SteelWoodNZ is making and will engrave the bench.

    The fundraiser closes on 26 November but I will keep everyone updated and hopefully we will have the bench installed before the end of December. Thanks again for your support.

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  • October Update!

      19 October 2024
    Main image

    It's been a while since you had an update. Today I met up with Adrian Steel (steelwoodnz.com) a very talented woodsmith who will not only make the seat but will engrave it with a message and some carving. He plans to make the seat out of redwood and engrave it as well. Sometimes he uses a lathe and other times pyrography...

    We were lucky to catch up with him today at his stall at the Silverdale School Fair.

    Progress... Thanks for your patience!

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  • Location of the memorial seat

      6 September 2024

    We have been talking with Council about the memorial seat and as plans develop, here's a video showing the proposed location in the Blockhouse Bay Recreational Reserve.

    In the meantime, we would love to see photographs of examples of seats and park furniture you may have seen that have been installed along special themes. If you have photos or suggestions how we can acknowledge Stephen's work and passion in this memorial, please email them to me, jacqui@nzbutterflies.org.nz I would be very grateful.

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  • Date/time of funeral

      29 August 2024

    The funeral is MONDAY, 2 September (not Tuesday as advised previously).

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  • Funeral arrangements

      29 August 2024

    The good people at the Whau River Catchment Trust and the Blockhouse Bay Tennis Club are organising the funeral and celebration of Stephen's life to be held at the Tennis Club, 36 Rathlin Street at midday on Monday, 2 September. We hope to see many of you there.

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