Guardian of bygone industry's heritage

Desmond Templeton. Photo / Supplied

Desmond Templeton was excited by the letter he received at his Reefton home telling him he was to receive a Queen's Service Medal.

Sadly, he did not live to receive the award.

Mr Templeton, who is honoured for his services to flax milling heritage, died suddenly on May 25 - a month to the day after he got the letter. He was 79.

"He was very excited that people felt that he should be given this honour and he would have liked to have lived long enough to receive it," said his widow, Jan Templeton.

"He was just so delighted to have been receiving it on behalf of the flax mill people."

Mr Templeton worked at Templeton Flax Mill after he left school in 1947.

He owned the mill with his father and brother until the removal of government subsidies and manufacturers turning to cheaper synthetic fibres forced it to close in 1972.

The last flax mill in New Zealand, which produced fibre for padding and carpet underfelt, ceased operation in 1985 but in 2001 Mr Templeton formed a charitable trust to restore the Templeton mill, which had been built in the 1800s.

He established the Templeton Flax Mill Heritage Museum on the site in 2004.

The dried fibre produced by the mill has come back into demand as a natural alternative to synthetics and its commercial uses are being considered by scientists at Lincoln University and the Scion crown research institute.

Mr Templeton's son, Vaughan Templeton, said flax milling was New Zealand's only sustainable use of a native plant.

Its peak was in 1907, when about 240 mills exported 36,140 tonnes of fibre used mainly for rope-making.