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A Letter Received from Kilpatrick House
Kirkpatrick House was started in 1926 as a result of a bequest from the Estate of the late Samuel Kirkpatrick. At the time of his death in 1925 Kirkpatrick was managing director of S Kirkpatrick & Co canning and jam factory in Nelson. As a Freemason, W.Bro Kirkpatrick held the rank of Past Deputy District Grand Master, Westland Nelson District, United Grand Lodge of England.
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The remainder of Kirkpatrick’s considerable estate was to be used to fund a residential home to support and educate the daughters of deceased Masons. This home was established at his residence in Mount Street.
The Public Trustee is responsible for the Estate assets and a Board of Governors manage the Trust. This Board consists of representatives from Southern Star Lodge, Trafalgar Royal Arch Chapter and the four Masonic Constitutions operating in New Zealand. Over the years, the Board has widened the terms of eligibility to include girls from solo parent and dysfunctional families. All girls must be sponsored by a Masonic Lodge.
Kirkpatrick House originally catered for up to 22 girls at one time, and hundreds have passed through its portals. A change of Government policy saw subsidies for this type of home withdrawn in 1991 and the Board had to reappraise its operations. This resulted in a winding up the boarding establishment, selling Kirkpatrick House, and placing the girls into CJ House as boarders at Nelson College for Girls.
These days the Trust supports girls from Year 9 through to Year 13. This support provides school uniforms, educational aids, travel costs and pocket money. The KH girls are encouraged to participate fully in school activities and develop any special talents. The cost per girl (2021) is in the order of $15,000 per year.
Over the past 30 years, more than 70 girls from all over New Zealand have been accommodated by Kirkpatrick House. In all, some 400 young women have received the benefit of the House’s support since 1926. This equates to (roughly) a total of 1600 school years or $24,000,000 in today’s money.
The Public Trust manages the investments from Kirkpatrick’s Estate and the Trust receives the income. The Trust also has income from bequests received since 1926, and annual donations from Lodges around NZ. The income from these two sources, is sufficient to cover the cost of six girls per year.
The Board is always interested to hear about potential candidates for the KH program.
