MEDIA RELEASE 20th November 2003
War Hero is Senior Achiever
At an outstanding function held in the Grand Hall, Parliament Building, Arthur Edmonds of Putaruru was named as the Age
Concern Gold Senior Achiever for 2003.
Arthur's voluntary achievements and dedication to his community over many years underscores his service in Greece behind
enemy lines over a considerable period of time. He is the author and publisher of the book "With Greek Guerrillas" which
documents a history of the two years he spent inside occupied Greece working with and alongside the local resistance.
Garth Taylor, Chief Executive of Age Concern New Zealand, stated that "Arthur's voluntary work, particularly in the
field of diabetes has been outstanding and he is truly an unsung hero in his community. In addition to his involvement
with the diabetes society, he has found time to be active in the teaching of Yoga, President of the Putaruru Home and
School Association, joint founder of South Waikato Senior Net and is currently, at age 88, working on a new community
health project, truly an exceptional older person".
The Age Concern Senior Achiever's awards, sponsored by MASS Healthcare Ltd, were conducted for the second year in
succession and culminated in the presentation, by the Hon Ruth Dyson, Minister for Senior Citizens, in the Grand Hall
yesterday. Six regional awardees were selected from throughout New Zealand with the national judging panel selecting
Arthur from amongst his peers to receive the gold award, a culmination of decades of voluntary work throughout the South
Waikato community.
Further information and a photo are available from Age Concern New Zealand.
ENDS
Age Concern is a not-for-profit, charitable organisation promoting the quality of life of older people, and encouraging
healthy, positive ageing for people of all ages, since 1948.