Kennedy

This kea was banded in August 2019 in the Arthur's Pass village, sponsored by the Canterbury Mountaineering Club (CMC) and named after W.A.Kennedy (1865-1950). Kennedy was one of the first bach owners at Arthur's Pass and a school teacher at Woolston school for most of his working life. He was renowned as an early advocate of outdoor education and learning, taking his classes to Arthur's Pass and advocating for the conservation of NZ's indigenous flora and fauna. He was a passionate mountaineer with first ascents of Mt Broderick and Mt Sibbald among many others (especially in the Godley valley of South Canterbury). He helped promote the reestablishment of the New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC) and was vice president, and then president of the CMC from its inception in 1925 until 1940. He built up a photo library of over 20000 glass plate images from mountain users which is now stored in the Canterbury Museum as an unparalleled reference collection. The iconic Kennedy lodge situated on Brake Hill in Arthur's Pass village, was first built in 1936, destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1986. Since then it has provided comfortable accommodation for climbers and trampers in the Arthur's Pass region, often been watched and accompanied up close by our local kea.

Sponsor

Canterbury Mountaineering Club (CMC)