Brown off to hectic start in trust role

Marcus Brown is passionate about old buildings and the use of traditional materials.

Mr Brown, who lives in Oamaru, was recently appointed the New Zealand Historic Places Trust's heritage destinations project supervisor for the southern region, a job which he describes as "right up my street".

The first two weeks in his new position had been "frenetic" and included a trip around the South Island visiting various properties.

One of the great attractions of his new job was being able to work all over the South Island.

Projects he is involved with include everything from saving a cottage from falling down at Levels and structural work at Totara Estate to viewing platforms and work to the mill race at Clark's Mill and some minor works to the Ophir Post Office.

There was a high degree of project management skills involved and he was excited about the challenge.

He will be based in an office at Totara Estate.

Prior to moving to New Zealand with his family in 2003, Mr Brown had been an estate manager in England, including Kingston Lacy in Dorset where there were more than 300 properties.

He initially worked for the Waitaki District Council as property and parks manager, before moving into the private sector.

Mr Brown described Clark's Mill at Reidston - the oldest most intact mill in the country - as a "gem".

Describing it as "heritage alive", he saw the mill as becoming one of the "great opportunities" for the trust to convey its message but also to increase public interaction.

A visit to New Zealand in 1995 left an "indelible impression", particularly the South Island, although he did not see Oamaru's historic precinct on that occasion.

"Over 70% of people that go through Oamaru never see what Oamaru's really about," he said.

That was one of the challenges for the community because until the precinct and lower end of town became "main street", Oamaru would never achieve its real potential.

Mr Brown, who is deputy chairman of the Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust, was thrilled to see two new businesses open in the precinct in the past week - a wine bar and a carver.

Old buildings were a "green solution" and adaptive reuse was core to the civic trust's work.

With the area coming alive, it would increase demand for premises.

Ultimately, if people were encouraged to live upstairs above businesses in the precinct, it would have a positive impact, he said.