New Hunter Fellows announced
Victoria University has announced its four latest Hunter Fellows, who will be recognised in a ceremony in Victoria’s
iconic Hunter Building next month.
Victoria University Vice-Chancellor Professor Pat Walsh says he is delighted that the University has the opportunity to
recognise the valuable contributions made by Roger Drummond, Léone Harkness, Peter Hughes and William Sheat.
“Hunter Fellows are people who have made a substantial contribution to the advancement of Victoria University through a
variety of activities relevant to the University’s strategic directions and interests,” says Professor Walsh.
The Hunter Fellowships will be presented at a ceremony in the Hunter Council Chamber at Victoria University’s Kelburn
Campus on 18 October.
The following synopses provide a brief background of the 2010 Hunter Fellows:
Roger Drummond
Roger Drummond is Chairman of the Victoria University Foundation, and has contributed enormously to Victoria through his
expertise in legal, governance, financial and investment matters in this role. He joined the Board of Trustees of the
Foundation in April 2006, and was appointed Chairman in April 2007.
In addition, Roger Drummond is a member of the Foundation’s Finance and Risk Committee, a member of the Foundation’s
Investment Committee, and has played a critical role in helping to manage the Foundation’s trust funds in the last two
years of extreme volatility in investment markets.
Mr Drummond has also been an untiring fundraiser for Victoria’s Boyd-Wilson Field Upgrade Appeal, a project which will
transform the 52-year-old field (named in honour of former Professor Edwin John Boyd-Wilson) at Victoria’s Kelburn
Campus into a state-of-the-art sports field and valuable community resource.
Léone Harkness
Léone Harkness made an outstanding contribution to Victoria University as the Chairman of the Friends of Hunter Society,
which she established in 1977 to save the University’s iconic Hunter Building from demolition. The society’s long and
ultimately successful campaign saw the Hunter Building strengthened, refurbished and reopened in 1994.
The Hunter Building, which has been standing for over a century, remains today at the heart of not only Victoria’s
Kelburn Campus, but of the whole University. It is also the most photographed ‘face’ of the University.
Léone Harkness has continued her support for Victoria as a member of the Victoria University Foundation’s Victoria
Legacy Club. As a former Wellington City Councillor, she served on the Victoria University Council and was the
instigator of the New Zealand International Arts Festival in Wellington.
Peter Hughes
Peter Hughes has served as Chair of the Advisory Board of Victoria’s School of Government since 2007. In this capacity
he has worked closely with the Vice-Chancellor, the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Government Relations) and the Head of School to
develop the strategic relationship between the University and the public sector.
He has also taught in the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), of which Victoria is the only New
Zealand member. ANZSOG is an educational institution aimed at promoting public sector leadership and policy.
In addition, he is a member of the Faculty of Commerce and Administration’s MBA Advisory Board. Through his role on
these two Boards, he has made an outstanding contribution to the development of the University’s relationships with two
of its most important stakeholders—business and government.
William Sheat, OBE
Bill Sheat has a long association with Victoria through considerable involvement with the creative disciplines,
beginning with his role as producer and writer of six Extravs (Victoria’s annual capping revue) between 1954 and 1960.
He has subsequently contributed significantly to the strength of drama at Victoria, most notably through his role as a
founding trustee and first chair of the Summer Shakespeare Trust which supports Victoria’s annual Summer Shakespeare
productions.
He was an initiating force in establishing the New Zealand Theatre Archive Trust, and was its founding chair from 1997
until last year. The Trust has a strong association with Victoria’s School of English, Film, Theatre and Media Studies.
The Hunter Fellowship was instituted by the Victoria University Council in 2003.
ENDS