School camp legacy backs visionary lake project
The visionary project to create a public outdoor education and recreation park around the new lake filling a former mine at Kimihia in Huntly is in part being enabled by a trust originally established to build a school camp near Raglan.
The Huntly Karioi Trust was established in 1972 to facilitate outdoor education opportunities for the students of Huntly College. It was incorporated the following year, as camping and other outdoor training classes were getting underway at the College.
By 1976 the Trust had raised in excess of $30,000, a significant amount at the time, achieved with the support of the College’s staff, local farmers and the community at large.
Two significant fundraisers had been a raffle for a new car, and the running of a relay from Wellington to Huntly in just under 44 hours by nine students, including Lynda Topp, and teacher Brian Curle, as pictured below.
From rugged campsite to 7.5ha resort
Grant Kilby has always loved camping. His mum was director of health at the YMCA, and he would attend YMCA camps in the school holidays. “I think it was mandatory that I was there,” he jokes.
He went on camping holidays with his parents, and later, took his own kids.
“Camping’s been in my blood.”
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