In 1978 Hugh and Alison Taylor, senior members of the Hutt Valley Memorial College staff, were killed in an aircraft accident. The Memorial Lodge and the formation of a trust committee grew out of a wish to create a fitting memorial to two active, involved and well-liked teachers.Those that felt the loss strongly were the families of Hugh and Alison, the College itself: pupils, staff and the College Executive. The unanimous and strongly-supported decision was to establish a memorial that was educational, and encouraged experiences that were outside the normal urban environment.

The two bereaved families provided the main financial support for the proposal and the then staff and pupils provided the physical input to bring about the creation of the Lodge, and the executive of the College provided a supportive organisational infrastructure to enable the project to come to fruition.

Staff relief was provided, time allowances given and initially accounting services were administered through the College Registrar. The Trust now administers the Lodge, and organises repairs, maintenance and development with the assistance of the resident caretaker.

The Memorial Lodge was created as a facility for a much broader educational use. Formerly it was an integral part of the College’s programme. The rural and mountain environment was not only an extramural extension of the geography, history, biology and physical education programmes, but also an environment which lent itself to practical experiences in leadership, trip organisation and new and worthwhile experiences not readily available in an urban setting or formal classroom situation.

Time has moved on and change is inevitable. The latterly renamed Petone College, having now been closed, is no longer able to support the Lodge as it used to. What has not changed is the Trust’s raison d’etre: namely to broaden the educational opportunities of young people.