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Forest and Bird, Issue 312, 1 May 2004, Unnumbered Page

Part of the Matuku Reserve ~ foing egacy In 1992 Mary and Bill Cole from West Auckland died within a few Nature Heritage Fund, were used to purchase an additional adjoining months of each other: Both were longstanding members of Forest 20 hectares of native forest and wetland. The enhanced reserve is and Bird. They shared a keen love of the outdoors and, in particular of significant ecological value. School groups, scientists, branch of the native forests of the Waitakere members and others all frequent the trails developed in the reserve Ranges. and enjoy today the native forests and birds Bill and Mary had cared for SO passionately: In their will, the Coles MATUKU RzSERVE made a generous bequest Their legacy lives on beyond Matuku, however: The Sociery' S ToTAEprotECiDLiFE to Forest and Bird to assist Auckland branches formed a committee in 1993 to determine the the Society' S conservation best way to allocate the remainder of the bequest funds. A memo work in the Auckland area. calling for project proposals from the Society'$ then northern They requested that the conservation officer; Jacqui Barrington (who has since died, leaving enhancement of Forest and Bird' s Matuku Reserve in the Waitakeres Forest and Bird her own bequest) , noted it was the Coles' wish that be one of the projects funded by the bequest: the money be spent wisely on conservation projects benefiting nature in the Auckland area. Enthusiastic supporters of the branch' S Matuku Reserve project, the Coles had watched it grow from the original 50 hectares of goat- Since then the Cole bequest has helped fund the purchase of infested native forest and wetland alongside the Waitakere River; Whakanewha Reserve on Waiheke Island, now a regional park purchased in 1979. Led by John Staniland, the branch further managed by the Auckland Regional Council. Other Cole Bequest extended the reserve and actively managed it for conservation The projects have included fencing of the Colin Kerr Taylor Reserve in goats were removed, possums trapped and invasive weeds Waitakere and the initiation of the proposed Te Matuku Marine eradicated. Reserve at Waiheke Island. The Coles and other branch members enjoyed the spectacular Bill and Mary Cole have indeed left a living legacy that has made regeneration of native plants and the flourishing of native wildlife. a significant and lasting contribution to the protection of the native Funds from the Cole Bequest; supplemented by 835,000 from the plants and wildlife that had enriched their lives_ You too can leave a living legacy by remembering Forest and Bird in your will To receive a bequest pack contact: Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society PO Box 631, Wellington New Zealand phone: 04-385 7374 fax: 04-385 7373 email: office@ forestandbird.org: nz South Auckland Forest and Bird FOREST Branch members a rest 6 BRD stop 1n the Matenjoyiregea ve