Year: 1958 - 1962
Occupation: Scientist

Ken started his scientific career at Wallaceville after graduating from Victoria in 1967. He then moved to the University of Edinburgh and gained a PhD in reproductive medicine in 1975. After 3 years of post doctoral study at Harvard he spent two years in the Netherlands as Boerhaave Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology, at the University of Leiden Medical School before returning to Wallaceville and researching reproductive systems for 22 years. He is currently professor of cell biology and biotechnology at Victoria University. Ken has been a speaker at over 70 international conferences and he has organised numerous conferences in both animal and human ovarian and reproductive biology. Ken was Co-inventor of the sheep twinning vaccine Androvax and the fertility drug Ovagen™ – these products have generated over $100 million dollars per annum to the NZ economy. He was leader of the research team and co-discoverer of the BMP15, GDF9 and ALK6 genetic mutations in sheep and the immunisation strategies targeting BMP15 and GDF9 to regulate fertility in mammals. This work led to 6 patents and two new paradigms in reproductive biology. Ken has received many awards and distinctions including the New Zealand Royal Society Pickering Medal (2009) for excellence and innovation in fertility management and animal production; The Shorland Medal from the NZ Association of Scientists (2010) and he is the NZ Representative on The International Human Frontier Science Program Organisation Strasbourg, (2010-2012).

Year: 1958 - 1961
Occupation: Education

Peggy has been involved with research and training in Pacific development issues, in particular family relations, women & gender issues, poverty, youth participation in politics, womens informal sector activities for poverty alleviation and micro-credit systems; and human resource development for more than 30 years. Peggy is coordinator of the Pacific regional report for Beijing and the Pacific Platform of Action for Sustainable Development (PPA) and has extensive experience working with government planning departments, NGOs and the private sector. Peggy has worked with most donor and UN agencies and in most Pacific countries. After 25 years in the Pacific (including 15 years at the University of the South Pacific, Peggy returned to NZ in 2006 to take the post of inaugural director of Va’aomanu Pasifika, the Pacific Studies unit at Victoria University. In 2008 she received the Insignia of an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit for services to research on families. In October 2009 she moved to AUT Auckland to become Professor of Pacific Studies. Peggy also coordinates the very successful national Pacific Post Graduate Talanoa seminar by the KAREN access grid.

Year: 1958 - 1959
Occupation: Butcher

Sir Peter began his working life as a telegrams boy, grave digger and then a butcher’s boy with Charlie Yeoman at Seatoun, and so started a journey that created a NZ icon – the Mad Butcher. Sir Peter began with a single shop and has built up a nation-wide chain that has kept prices and quality affordable to all. In 2001 he won an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the retail category. In 2006 he was inducted into the Manukau Business Hall of Fame and then into the Fairfax Media Business Hall of Fame justly taking his place among astute businessmen like Sir James Wattie and Sir Hugh Fletcher. As his success in business life grew he has always remembered where he came from, and given back to the community. Sir Peter is number 19 for the Vodafone Warriors (he doesn’t play but they have retired the jersey in his honour), he is an Honorary Ambassador of the Vodafone Warriors, NZ Rugby League, Allergy NZ, Diabetes Auckland, Prostate Cancer Foundation of NZ, Macular Degeneration NZ, and a Patron of NZ Rugby League. Sir Peter was awarded a QSM for community work in 1991 and then last year was knighted and became Sir Peter Charles Leitch QSM KNZM. Sir Peter has very recently carried out victim support work for some of those affected by the Christchurch earthquake.

Year: 1957 - 1959
Occupation: Botanical Investigator: Orchids

Gordon Sylvester is a man of many interests and many careers. He has worked at Griffins, been a bespoke footwear maker, forestry worker, tank stand maker, ambulance officer and fireman becoming a Station Officer in Wellington specialising in High rise and diving rescues. He spent some time in the Antarctic restoring historical huts. Gordon is a conservationist and a historian – researching several military events. Gordon began a degree in botany and geology at Victoria. He did not finish it but it led him to his area of excellence. He became absorbed by New Zealand native orchids. He has mapped the distribution of our native orchids throughout New Zealand, and founded the Native Orchid group. He also discovered several unnamed native orchids awaiting formal description in both the North and South Islands. He has had work published in New Zealand and overseas and he has received awards from the Department of conservation and NZ Orchids Society for his work with Native orchids.

Year: 1956 - 1959
Occupation: Structural Engineer

Structural engineer Nigel Priestley is a world expert on seismic design of concrete and masonry structures. After working for the Ministry of works and development and lecturing at Canterbury University he took a professorship in structural engineering at the University of California in San Diego. This was followed by ten years as US Coordinator of a joint US/Japanese research program on seismic design of precast structures and then 6 years as Co-director at the European School for Advanced Studies in reduction of Seismic Risk in Pavia, Italy He is currently Emeritus co-director, “Rose school” Pavia, Emeritus Professor of Structural Engineering at the University of California San Diego and principal of Priestley Structural Engineering specializing in Seismic Design. He has published more than 650 books, technical papers and reports, mainly related to seismic design, and has received more than 30 international awards for his research, the most recent of which is The 2010 FIB Freyssinet Medal (for outstanding technical contributions in the field of structural concrete). He has been a participant, and co-author of reports for many post-earthquake reconnaissance teams, including Chile 1985, Whittier, Costa Rica, Northridge and Kobe. He has been a consultant structural engineer for bridges, wharfs, viaducts and elevated motorways worldwide where seismic activity presents a threat.