Post by sky on Nov 25, 2012 7:13:09 GMT 12
NZ NewswireNovember 24, 2012, 11:47 am
Environmentalist and philanthropist Lady Diana Isaac has died peacefully at her home on Friday night in Christchurch, two months after gaining New Zealand citizenship.
Lady Diana, 91, was born and raised in England and worked for the British Army in India for three years in her 20s before settling in Christchurch in 1950 with her husband Neil Isaac and founding Isaac Construction.
Prime Minister John Key said his thoughts were with her family and friends.
"Lady Diana's contribution to Canterbury and New Zealand was truly remarkable. From her early philanthropic work with her late husband Neil, right up until the time of her death, she was an outstanding champion for Canterbury, the arts and conservation," he said.
The plantings they made on their quarrying operations eventually became the 1100-hectare Peacock Springs Conservation Park.
"Lady Diana was also a huge patron of the arts and her legacy will endure through the Isaac Theatre Royal, the Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation and the creation of scholarships at both Lincoln and Canterbury universities.
"Lady Diana will be missed immensely but her decades of philanthropy will be enjoyed for generations to come," Mr Key said.
Despite her six decades in New Zealand, she became a citizen only in September in a private ceremony at her home.
Her personal assistant, Catherine Ott, said at the time the ceremony had fulfilled a long-held ambition.
She was technically a New Zealand citizen because there was a two-year period from 1956 to 1958 when if you were married to a New Zealand person you were given a New Zealand passport.
"She sort of was a citizen already. She was 90 per cent there, but in her mind she was adamant she wanted to be 100 per cent and have that ceremony. She was absolutely thrilled. It meant an enormous amount to her," Ms Ott said.
She was awarded a Queen's Service Medal in 1989 and was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009.
nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/15464658/philanthropist-lady-diana-isaac-dies/
Environmentalist and philanthropist Lady Diana Isaac has died peacefully at her home on Friday night in Christchurch, two months after gaining New Zealand citizenship.
Lady Diana, 91, was born and raised in England and worked for the British Army in India for three years in her 20s before settling in Christchurch in 1950 with her husband Neil Isaac and founding Isaac Construction.
Prime Minister John Key said his thoughts were with her family and friends.
"Lady Diana's contribution to Canterbury and New Zealand was truly remarkable. From her early philanthropic work with her late husband Neil, right up until the time of her death, she was an outstanding champion for Canterbury, the arts and conservation," he said.
The plantings they made on their quarrying operations eventually became the 1100-hectare Peacock Springs Conservation Park.
"Lady Diana was also a huge patron of the arts and her legacy will endure through the Isaac Theatre Royal, the Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation and the creation of scholarships at both Lincoln and Canterbury universities.
"Lady Diana will be missed immensely but her decades of philanthropy will be enjoyed for generations to come," Mr Key said.
Despite her six decades in New Zealand, she became a citizen only in September in a private ceremony at her home.
Her personal assistant, Catherine Ott, said at the time the ceremony had fulfilled a long-held ambition.
She was technically a New Zealand citizen because there was a two-year period from 1956 to 1958 when if you were married to a New Zealand person you were given a New Zealand passport.
"She sort of was a citizen already. She was 90 per cent there, but in her mind she was adamant she wanted to be 100 per cent and have that ceremony. She was absolutely thrilled. It meant an enormous amount to her," Ms Ott said.
She was awarded a Queen's Service Medal in 1989 and was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009.
nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/15464658/philanthropist-lady-diana-isaac-dies/