Dr Mary Paul, a senior lecturer at Massey University and a stalwart at Kelmarna Gardens for over a decade, has stepped down from the Kelmarna Trust, which she chaired for the past three years in its period of transition.
Mary Paul liked the fact that people who helped out at Kelmarna were not pretentious. No one worried what sort of car you drove, dog you owned or house you lived in.
Mary and I met at Fusion Cafe, along with Michael Graham-Stewart also a longtime Kelmarna Trust member. Michael explained that they both wanted to give something back to their community, and he praised Mary’s contribution to the trust. When framework exited in late 2014, Mary assumed a new role as chairperson of the trust (the trust had only had a secretary and treasurer before that.) Mary is proud of the sense of community she helped to engender, and the fact that in her term as chair she has been able to attract wonderful new and able trustees, and the organisational and structural changes she and they have initiated.
There was a fundamental change of direction in 2014 when Framework pulled the plug on their involvement with Kelmarna. Framework had funded mental health clients who gardened at Kelmarna since 1992.
Money became even tighter than before, and Kelmarna was only able to fund one garden manager, Adrian, to work and that was three months at a time.
Mary Paul has been instrumental in hiring a landscape gardener, Carl Pickens, to draw up plans for a garden makeover. Kelmarna is a large space, and while not wanting to create a pristine, all edges trimmed environment, Mary believed there was space for more activities.
There is no desire to turn Kelmarna into a fully fledged commercial entity, but improving the structure, health and safety, and general management of the trust, convinced Mary that funding could then flow more easily. They live from grant to grant, and it would be nice to have a major benefactor. They are open to enquiries!
Looking after Kelmarna has always been first about survival, but Mary has visions of developments which could add to the mix, as some do overseas, to provide education, entertainment and local festivities at Kelmarna Gardens.
In today’s dog eat dog consumerist society, people wanting to serve and add something to their community are becoming rarer. It is people like Mary Paul who should receive the knighthoods.
Thank you for your great contribution, Mary Paul. You have done your community proud. (JOHN ELLIOTT)