Te Puke is a long way from Dunedin, but Richard Lord flew in to the city to unveil his brother’s plaque yesterday on the Dunedin Writers Walk.
Robert Lord, a 1987 University of Otago Burns Fellow who died in 1992, was yesterday recognised for his major contribution to the city’s literary history.
About 40 people attended the celebrations next to the Robbie Burns statue in the Octagon and watched Richard Lord smile as he revealed his brother’s plaque. The plaque featured words from a letter Robert wrote in his Dunedin cottage to his mother, Bebe Lord.
After the unveiling, Lord’s first and last plays were performed at the Athenaeum Library. Lord’s plaque was the 24th on the walk, which was established 24 years ago this year. Mr Lord said afterwards the celebrations were bringing back a lot of memories about Rob.
"We didn’t really do much together until later in life.
He was a character and they had a lot of good times together, albeit brief times, he said.
"The plays had a lot of similarity to the aunts and uncles that we had."
Robert Lord was an early New Zealand playwright and co-founder of Playmarket, which was established to encourage the professional production of New Zealand plays.
He bought his first home in Titan St in Dunedin and the house was now run by the Robert Lord Writers Cottage Trust.
Trust chairwoman Nonnita Rees said before he died he said he wanted his house to be available for writers to come and live in Dunedin rent-free.
"It’s 25 years since he died. I have focused on getting the cottage residency embedded in the community."
The house had had 53 writer occupants since Robert, she said.
"It’s been chocker."
The event was part of the Dunedin Readers and Writers Festival.
- Julie Howard
