Les Cleveland, the engaging, songful, and extremely personable senior businessman and retired company director, experienced in the transport sector, a multimillionaire and philanthropist, long-serving Dunedin Opera Company president, Rotarian, former Otago Regional councillor, and former chairman of the Otago Conservation Board was not the sort of man to seek recognition for his efforts.
Sadly, the self-titled “Mr Daffodil” left us yesterday, after a short illness.
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Named as the Otago Gardener of the Year in 2010, Les Cleveland was the man responsible for donating more than two million daffodil bulbs and 8000 rhododendrons that grace many of Dunedin’s public spaces.
In an interview by Debbie Porteous, Les said he inherited his father’s passion for the daffodil, but also confessed to a love of every plant on this good earth, even the gorse.
“When you look at plants and work with plants, it gives you a sense of joy.”
He grew plants because he wanted to make sure something that was slowly being lost from the world in other places – vegetation – would at least remain in his patch.
On their 100ha Saddle Hill property the Clevelands have an extensive garden around their home, as well as blocks of daffodils and smaller native plantings interspersed with blocks containing families of trees, including at least one of every type of New Zealand beech, eucalyptus, kauri, maple, rata and protea.
The blocks were registered under the QEII National Trust, so there was a covenant on them, meaning they would exist in perpetuity, even if the property was sold.
When they arrived there 26 years ago, the whole place was covered in gorse, Mr Cleveland said. He was driven by a desire to future-proof plants.
“I watch people slowly but surely raping and destroying the vegetation of the world and I realise that humans need to have a long-term vision of what we are doing to the planet.” ODT 27.9.10
. . . Snippets
(1967) The Dunedin Opera Company, led by Les Cleveland, purchased the (now Westpac) Mayfair Theatre at 100 King Edward St, South Dunedin. The opera company converted the original cinema, reducing the seating capacity from 862 to 413 by removing the ground floor stalls and advancing the proscenium into the auditorium to achieve a greater stage depth. It has since been operated as a live theatre, particularly for opera.
(August 2008) Operation Citrus. Trevor Croot, Peter Jackson, Les Green, Andrew McKinlay and Les Cleveland. Rotary Club of Dunedin delivered nine tonnes of fresh produce to foodbanks, charitable societies and pensioner accommodation around the city. ODT 18.8.08 Photo: Craig Baxter
(February 2010) Cleveland family siblings Les, Bernie, Ian, Sherwyn and Doug in Dunedin for the last of 57 family reunions, which started with a promise made to their dying mother Agnes. More than 100 members of the Cleveland family travelled from throughout the world – some from as far away as Egypt, England and Scotland – to attend a family gathering at the Saddle Hill home of Les Cleveland (79). ODT 8.2.10 Photo: Gerard O’Brien (re-imaged by What if?)
(May 2011) Gale-force winds hit parts of the forest canopy at Woodhaugh Gardens. The gardens received massive damage, but thanks to Les Cleveland and the Dunedin Amenities Society thousands of dollars worth of new native trees [more than 7000 trees] were planted to restore and enhance this section of the Town Belt reserve. ODT 6.7.11 Photo: Peter McIntosh
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### ODT Online Thu, 16 May 2013
Les Cleveland dies at 82
Dunedin philanthropist and businessman Les Cleveland has died, aged 82. Mr Cleveland, an Otago Regional councillor and 1998 Dunedin Citizen of the Year, died at Ross Home yesterday morning after a short illness. His funeral will be held on Monday. An obituary will follow.
ODT Link
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
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### ODT Online Wed, 22 May 2013
Front page NEWS @!&^#$%
Received from Grahame Sydney
Friday, 17 May 2013 5:35 p.m.
Just in case you were nursing some warm notions that our proudly independent local newspaper slaved to keep a balanced, objective approach to the day’s news and its presentation, a glance at today’s dominating front page story by Dene Mackenzie on yesterday’s National Party Budget might prove instructive.
Under the banner headline “It’s a Win for the South”, Mackenzie begins the story as follows:
“Budget 2013 provides plenty for the South” (my italics) then goes on to state “Most attention was directed towards the Budget’s focus on the lack of housing in Auckland and on the rebuilding of Canterbury – but there was certainly something for those in business south of the Waitaki.”
Given the statement that “most attention” was directed at Auckland housing and the rebuilding of Canterbury – by which single stroke Christchurch now becomes Canterbury – it’s hard to see where the “Win for the South” emerges triumphant, unless of course you’re in business south of the Waitaki.
Tough bikkies if you’re not in business…
The article then goes on to state that “Mr English’s Budget was reasonably exciting for the South”, listing at the top of its illustrations the allocation over the next four years of money for an additional 20 places at Otago Medical School, though not necessarily in Dunedin. Exciting indeed !
Further evidence of the “Win for the South” apparently lies in the additional money for aged care and dementia services, because “the South has an ageing population (and) regional medical services should be in line for some of that money.” Hmmmmmm.
I suppose Mackenzie would also claim a significant win for the lower latitudes in the $19 million taken from the general education allocation to fund John Banks’ charter schools project. That’s what you get with cynical coalitions.
However the best comes mid-way in the lead story, Mackenzie plainly stating the ODT’s biased position as follows:
“The major disappointment of the day was the failure of the Opposition to land a significant blow on what was Mr English’s fifth Budget.”
and
“Labour leader David Shearer resorted to cliches, calling it a “blackjack Budget”"
and
“Green Party co-leaser Russel Norman demonstrated again his inability to read a balance sheet.”
and
“Apart from the three leaders saying National was, in various ways, catering for its “fat-cat developer mates” there was nothing for the Government to worry about from yesterday’s Opposition statements and speeches.”
Hey, here’s a bold idea:
Why not try keeping the front page news stories to reporting the facts, with some effort at balance, and let readers make their own decisions on matters of interpretation ? The Op Ed columns are the place for heavily-weighted opinion like this.
Grahame Sydney
Cambrian Valley, Central Otago
{ODT Online says –Editor: The article was clearly marked ‘Budget Comment’ in the ODT print edition. That it was not marked as such online was an error which was rectified.}
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
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