Architect revitalised Greytown

An architect many people credit as being the driving force behind the renaissance of Greytown has died.

Max Edridge, 75, died on Tuesday.

Mr Edridge and his wife, Dinah, moved to Greytown from the Hutt Valley just over 20 years ago in search of a country house and more land, and bought Summerfield in Kuratawhiti St.

He was the son of government statistician Allan Edridge and was born in Lower Hutt in August, 1938, almost exactly a year before the outbreak of World War II.

A pupil at Hutt Valley High School, Mr Edridge went on to Auckland University where he studied architecture, securing a senior scholarship with distinction.

His first wife, Brenda, was a cancer sufferer who became wheelchair-bound and Mr Edridge specialised in designing homes for disabled people needing access. Pioneering in that field won him an Institute of Architecture award and a New Zealand Crippled Children's Society award.

He practised in Lower Hutt and then Eastbourne, leaving a legacy of lovely homes before his move with Dinah to Greytown. There, he started his architectural business in Main St and in the early days had quite a task convincing some townspeople that his vision to reinvigorate the town was the right direction for Greytown.

One public meeting in 1991 on a proposal to close off part of McMaster St at the town-end was particularly stormy and the plan was shelved until Mr Edridge bought the block of land opposite the town hall, relocated two buildings on it and built a third, effectively creating a town centre.

In the succeeding years Greytown's business district changed complexion almost beyond recognition and helped put the town firmly on the tourist beat.

On a personal level, Mr and Mrs Edridge sold Summerfield and built a new home on land immediately behind it. The home went on to win prestigious design awards.

Stepson Jim said Mr Edridge was a very community-minded man. He did volunteer work for Te Omanga Hospice, running programmes on the grieving process for the families of terminally ill people. Jim Edridge said his stepfather had "some battles with cancer" but had largely overcome those until recently when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Mr Edridge is survived by his wife Dinah, their son Sam and his step-children Tom, Emma, Jim, Andrew and Dan. A funeral service will be held at St Lukes Church, Greytown, on Monday.