Case W5
- Final Years of A.H. Reed
A.W. Reed. Young kauri, 1875-1975: personal recollections of Sir Alfred Hamish Reed CBE. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed for the Alfred and Isabel and Marian Reed Trust, 1975.
Young kauri is a compilation of personal recollections written by A.W. Reed, who had been intimately acquainted with A.H. for half the span of his long life. It was written in 1974 in A.H.’s 99th year, at the suggestion of the directors of the Reed company and was intended as a tribute to him on his hundredth birthday. A.H. had read and approved of the manuscript in November 1974, albeit “with a whimsical lift of the eyebrows” at a few of his nephew’s statements.
A.W. Reed. Young kauri, 1875-1975: personal recollections of Sir Alfred Hamish Reed CBE. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed for the Alfred and Isabel and Marian Reed Trust, 1975.
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Postcard, A.H. Reed to Florence Williams, Napier, 14 January 1975; accompanied by note from A.W. Reed.
In the early 1970s, Reed had an almost weekly corresponding friendship with Florence and Owen Williams of Napier. The postcard displayed here, dated 14 January 1975, was almost certainly the final letter Reed wrote before his death. It was found on his desk by his nephew A.W. Reed, who forwarded it to Mrs Williams with an accompanying note (also displayed). The Williams family subsequently donated all their Reed correspondence to the Reed Collection.
Postcard, A.H. Reed to Florence Williams, Napier, 14 January 1975; accompanied by note from A.W. Reed.
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A.H. Reed. The happy wanderer: a Kiwi on foot, 1915-1965. Wellington: Reed for the Alfred and Isabel and Marian Reed Trust, 1974. Inscribed by A.H. Reed, 14 January 1975.
A.H. Reed’s final book was The happy wanderer, a compilation of selections from his earlier travel books, most of which had been out of print for some years. It contains his final presentation inscription before his death and the copy was intended for his friend Florence Williams of Napier.
A.H. Reed. The happy wanderer: a Kiwi on foot, 1915-1965. Wellington: Reed for the Alfred and Isabel and Marian Reed Trust, 1974. Inscribed by A.H. Reed, 14 January 1975.
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Promotional material for a walk to the top of Mt. Cargill with A.H. Reed, Festival Week, Dunedin, 1972.
About 500 people completed this walk, following the 96-year-old Reed who was greeted at the summit by the Festival Queen and princesses.
Promotional material for a walk to the top of Mt. Cargill with A.H. Reed, Festival Week, Dunedin, 1972.
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Photograph of A.H. Reed on top of Mt. Cargill with Lions Club members working on the A.H. Reed Track, 1973.
Sydney to Melbourne was Reed’s last epic walk, but he continued to undertake shorter walks into his late nineties. In 1972 a public campaign was launched to pay tribute to Reed by having his name associated with some local landmark. Many ideas were suggested before a short scenic walk to the summit of Mt Cargill was constructed by the North Dunedin Lions Club and named after Reed. It was officially opened in December 1974, and Reed walked to the summit one final time for his 99th birthday.
Photograph of A.H. Reed on top of Mt. Cargill with Lions Club members working on the A.H. Reed Track, 1973.
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Clergyman’s record of Reed’s death, 1975.
A.H. Reed died in his sleep during the night of 14-15 January 1975. On the typewriter beside his bunk, on his final evening, he had typed a Biblical quotation: “In all your ways acknowledge Him / And He shall direct your paths.”
A.H. Reed Track sign in 2025. Photograph by Shiobhan Smith.
