Past Aids The Future For The Brook

Nelson's past has come to the aid of Nelson's future with a two hundred thousand dollar donation for the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary from the H C Cock Charitable Trust.

H. C. (Hal) Cock was the son of Joseph Henry Cock who was an important figure in the early days of Nelson as the major shareholder of Anchor Steam Shipping Company and one of the backers of the Nelson School of Music. A family connection to the area around the sanctuary goes back even further, to Joseph's father visiting New Zealand in 1864 to advise the Dun Mountain Copper Mining Company.

Sanctuary Chair David Butler said the donation is very important to the project:

"It is particularly pleasing to see another significant local family linked into the sanctuary,² he said. ³We put a lot of value on the historical aspects of the site and the efforts of our pioneer settlers to utilise its mineral and water resources. As the sanctuary develops, celebrating these stories will be part of what we offer to visitors."

Dr Butler said significant donations such as this were a huge help in realising a new vision for the site as a source of wildlife to enrich the lives of the Nelson community and visitors.

"We thank the H C Cock trustees for their faith in us and their support," he said.

This donation combined with the $1 million signalled by Nelson City Council in its future planning and $210,000 already provided by the Canterbury Community trust, takes the sanctuary almost halfway to its target of c$3 million for its key element, the pest-proof fence.

ENDS

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