Fellowships passes on.
David Beattie, who died suddenly early last month at his Upper Hutt home, after suffering a heart attack, was not only a popular former governor general and Supreme Court judge, but a passionate believer in higher learning. Educators, as well as business and political leaders, were joined by diplomats, service personnel and everyday New Zealanders, in farewelling Sir David at a state funeral held in Wellington on February 10. The funeral procession, with full military honours, left the steps of Parliament House and travelled to the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, where more than 1,300 people packed the church to pay their last respects and remember his notable achievements. One of those achievements was Sir David's involvement in the New Zealand Harkness fellowships selection committee that he had chaired since 1992. In 1995, Sir David approached then prime minister Jim Bolger with the idea to establish a reciprocal fellowship.