Jack Illot’s memory will be preserved

Media Release 16 September 1999

Jack Illot’s memory will be preserved

If a hotel is built on Jack Illot Green, a new and probably even more significant memorial will take its place according to Mayor Mark Blumsky.

“I made sure the Green was set up and I will make sure Mr Illot’s memory continues to be fittingly honoured by a monument on the same spot,” says Mayor Blumsky.

The Council’s City Development Committee last week approved the sale of the Green and the old Circa Theatre site to private developers.

“We are not the sort of city that forgets its generous and well-loved forebears. I will personally ensure that something significant and beautiful will be erected to bear the Illot name on the site where the Jack Illot Green now stands.

“It might be an internal park, a foyer, a lobby or a statue within the new building. But whatever it is, the aim will be to not only preserve the memory of one of Wellington’s most significant benefactors but also raise his profile as a role model for others to follow.

“If we do our job right, the name ‘Jack Illot’ will become synonymous with a beneficial new addition to the city and one that will continue his legacy of promoting the interests of Wellington and Wellingtonians well into the new millennium.”

ENDS

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