Trust shares bounty with community

HAND OVER: Greytown Trust Lands grants chairman Rob Smith (right) hands Cobblestones Museum exhibitions committee chairman John Gilberthorpe the second instalment of the $300,000 grant being paid out over three years. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Greytown Trust Lands has shared out more than $300,000 during the past year, from helping a young Greytown piper buy his bagpipes to handing a second $100,000 to the Cobblestones Museum.

Cobblestones exhibitions committee chairman John Gilberthorpe accepted the $100,000 grant, for which he expressed deep appreciation on behalf of museum trustees, at the Greytown Trust Lands annual general meeting held at Greytown Town Hall last Tuesday.

Trustees, trust management and close to 30 Greytown community members were at the AGM, which Alexander Southey piped open "as a way of saying thanks to the trust" for a $400 grant to help buy his bagpipes.

Mr Gilberthorpe said the museum grant was not only a financial boon for the organisation but also had "got the ball rolling for other grants to come through".

Trust grants chairman Rob Smith said a $1 million makeover of Cobblestones Museum this year was "a great initiative that the trust are pleased to be able to support".

A third of a $300,0000 grant was paid out earlier this year in a disbursement that will span three years. The second instalment of $100,000 will be paid out in November and the remaining amount was due to be handed over in November 2015.

The grant presentation last week was confirmation of the date for release of the second handout, according to trust administrator Helga Perry.

Trust chairman Derek Wilson said, in his annual report presented at the meeting, the trust continued to support Greytown district community groups and individuals and had handed out $320,018 in the past year, which was down on 2013's total disbursements of $580,000.

In addition to bulk funding grants, Mr Wilson said the education sector also received a large portion of grants. Last financial year there had been 102 tertiary grants totalling $68,500 awarded to assist students with studies, the meeting heard.

The Trust also gave rent relief grants to sports and community organisations, including Greytown Rugby Club, Greytown Bowling Club, Cobblestones Trust and Greytown Plunket Society.

Mr Wilson praised his fellow trustees and trust administrators for their commitment and hard work, saying he was grateful to "have a supportive team around me and so to the new and old trustees, I say thanks".

Community groups receiving bulk funding included Kuranui College ($40,240), Greytown Primary School ($27,280), the Greytown Community Sport and Leisure Association for salary assistance ($40,000), and early childcare centres including Greytown Kindergarten, Greytown Early Years and Ladybird Blue School ($3850).

The grants were respectively accepted at the AGM by Kuranui College principal Geoff Shepherd, Greytown Primary School principal Kevin Mackay, Greytown Community Sport and Leisure Association executive David Butler-Peck, and Greytown Kindergarten representative Denise Stone on behalf of the three early childhood centre recipients.

A total of $26,061 in bulk funding was also handed out to Greytown sports clubs over the past year.