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.

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