James Ng
Three Dunedin men were presented with the inaugural
Dunedin Heritage Trust Bluestone Awards last night.
Publisher, journalist and historian George Griffiths, Chinese
historian and retired general practitioner Dr James Ng and
award-winning architect Ted McCoy received the awards at the
Otago Anniversary Day Dinner in the Glenroy Auditorium.
The awards were established by the Dunedin Heritage Trust to
recognise people who have made a significant contribution to
the living heritage of Dunedin.
Bluestone Awards committee chairman Marshall Seifert said the
calibre of the three inaugural recipients had established a
strong foundation for the awards.
Dr Ng was awarded an MBE in 1989 and was made a Companion of
the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996.
He also received a doctorate of literature from the
University of Otago in 1996.
His four-volume work Windows on a Chinese Past took 12 years
to complete.
Dr Ng was the inaugural Chinese Garden Trust chairman, the
founding national chairman of the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage
Fund and spearheads the Lawrence Chinese Camp reconstruction
project.
Mr Griffiths wrote the "Prester John" column for the Otago
Daily Times for many years.
He also penned "Civis" and introduced the "100 years ago"
column.
At Otago Heritage Books, he has been responsible for
countless publications, manuscripts and historical works with
a southern focus, including Dr Ng's Windows on a Chinese
Past.
Mr Griffiths is completing a book on the history of music in
southern New Zealand.
In 1990, he was made a Companion of the Queens Service Order
for services to the community and in 1999 he was named
Dunedin Citizen of the Year and awarded an honorary doctorate
of literature by the University of Otago.
Retired Dunedin architect Ted McCoy's career was marked by
his concern with the retention and enhancement of Dunedin's
architectural heritage.
In 2002, he was honoured with the New Zealand Institute of
Architects Gold Medal award and he was made an Officer of the
New Zealand Order of Merit in 2004.
Mr McCoy has designed some of Dunedin's most notable
buildings, including the completion of St Paul's Cathedral,
the University of Otago Hocken Building (now renamed the
Richardson Building), University College in 1969, the Otago
Boys High School redevelopment in 1982 and the 2000
redevelopment of Otago Museum.
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