In
1979 Alan Stanton was ‘just a kid with a crazy dream’. Today he’s about to
launch his book on the restoration project he initiated - turning Nelson’s
Fairfield House from a demolition-ready wreck, to a publicly owned heritage
venue.
Fairfield House, a two storied villa
overlooking Nelson city, had once been the home of the influential
Richmond-Atkinson mob, including MP Arthur Atkinson and his feminist wife
Maria. By 1979 it had been abandoned and was rapidly being vandalised.
Determined to save the house from
being pulled down, armed with just a primus stove and sleeping bag, Alan moved
in and squatted. He became the honorary caretaker and managed to inspire others
with the seemingly impossible idea of restoring the house to its former glory.
Seven years ago Alan suffered a
major stroke. This prompted a second major project: the writing of
Fairfield’s restoration journey. The completion of this book has been at the
top of Alan’s ‘bucket list’ since he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in
June this year.
Just
as the renovation became a collaborative community effort, getting the book Anything
is Possible to press in time for Alan to see it in print, has turned
into a group affair, with support from local designer Galen King and publisher
Robbie Burton of Craig Potton Publishing.
Project manager Rachael Ennor says Anything
is Possible is an inspirational story:
“Alan describes the many challenges
they faced – lack of money, blocked drains, bees in the roof, dry rot in the
walls, no glass in the windows and bureaucracy all around,” she says. “He
describes how a small, tenacious group of committed people with a common vision
can make a lasting difference.
“While the book touches on the story
of Fairfield House, from its early days as a workman’s cottage to the grandeur
of the Atkinson years, through to its time as a college boarding house and its
abandonment – the book focuses on the 1980’s resurrection, the building of
community, and the appreciation of heritage. Alan’s message is that with
inspiration, determination, love and hard work, anything really is possible.”
Anything is Possible chronicles the adventures of Fairfield’s
resurrection: major house parts are mysteriously returned, the Friends of Old
Fairfield offer their support and with kiwi ingenuity, born of financial
necessity, the project is completed. Along the way there are reflections and
anecdotes about life, sport, employment and politics, which Rachael says are
all written in Alan’s easy, humorous and accessible style.
Alan Stanton was born in Dunedin in
1945, brought up in Auckland and has spent most of his adult life in Nelson.
After training in accounting and a period teaching, Alan successfully ran a
small business making Tree Toys from native woods. He and his wife Christine
live at Silkwood, near Mapua.
Anything is Possible will be launched at Fairfield at
5pm on Thursday November 21, all welcome. The event will include theatre from
Body in Space, inspired by Alan’s Fairfield stories.
Details:
Publisher:
Friends of Old Fairfield
Project
Manager: Rachael Ennor, 021
957515 rachennor@yahoo.co.nz
Media: Jacquetta Bell
Print: Offset print with
photographs throughout, Astra Print Wellington
Size:
Approximately 150 pages
Price: $39.00, all proceeds
of sales to Fairfield House
ISBN: 978-0-473-26748-3
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