You may have heard that Diana Frater passed away last month. The Russell Landcare Trust would like to express our sincere condolences to the whole Frater whānau and Kororāreka community.
Trustee and Founder of Russell Landcare Trust, Helen, has written a short eulogy to honour Diana and her role in shaping the Trust into what it is today.
“The conservation world runs on volunteer time and energy. Some volunteers are occasional, contributing when and where they can. Diana was in another league. Russell Landcare Trust wouldn’t exist today without her early, ongoing and often behind-the-scenes quiet commitment.
More than 20 years ago, before Landcare had its name and trust deed, Diana (with Bob) joined with Lindsay and me to support Lawrence Gordon’s peninsula-wide pest control efforts. Then, as Landcare became a more formalised group, Diana took on the secretarial role. She held this for many years, only retiring as a trustee in 2018. She transcribed every meeting in longhand into books that are now held, I think, in the Russell Museum. A part of her and the Trust’s legacy for future generations. However, Diana was more than the Trust’s secretary; she was an active part of the annual kiwi listening census and multiple weeding and restoration plantings.
Diana’s love of gardening was legendary and crossed with her conservation ethic when she instigated the RLT trophy for “Best Use of Native Plants in Your Garden”. And arranged for Terri Cottier to make the beautiful kauri tree clock trophy, now presented at the town’s annual Flower Show.
Many will remember Diana’s lovely smile. Even after she lost speech, her double thumbs-up was a visual memory of her bright and cheery nature. We’ll also remember with fondness the brilliant bacon and egg pie which she’d bring to our annual landcare picnics. These may seem like small, insignificant memories, but as Napoleon once famously declaimed, ‘An army marches on its stomach.’ An even more well-known local, Joe Cotton, also a person of few words, kept reminding us to ‘Feed the troops.’ Diana, you certainly did that when you hosted meetings at yours and Bob’s home when no other venue was available, always providing refreshments and great kindness.
Some of you may be wondering about the korowai cloak lying with Diana now. Named Rangimarie Tumanaako (Hoping for peace). This korowai belongs to Kororareka and honours those that call this place home. She, the cloak, was created by Teri Cottier, from flax harakeke grown and harvested locally and woven with kiwi feathers from birds of this peninsula. Maybe birds that Diana counted on those long cold winter nights when she sat with Bob under the stars. Diana, may this korowai keep you warm.
Diana is still with us. For me, Long Beach Oneroa is one of those places where I see her. The successful dune plantings she helped restore are keeping Long Beach the sandy place we all love. How better to remember her than by taking a walk along Long Beach looking out across the waters to Opunga, also known by some as Fraters Bay.”