Stuart was born in Colombo Sri Lanka, educated in England, emigrated to South Africa, worked in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), returned to South Africa, and ultimately came to New Zealand in 1999. He was a very active and supportive member of the Friends, bringing with him life and business experience gained from his extensive work experience which he put to good use as our treasurer and in more recent years, the Society’s auditor.

He was a familiar face on the community planting mornings and became the Friends photography archivist, recording many planting activities on the reserve.