Mark Orams and Ross Garrett: Hands-on ways to remember a hero

It is always difficult when a person dies in tragic circumstances, particularly when the person is as well known as Sir Peter Blake. The discussion and debate surrounding the most appropriate way to honour Sir Peter has resurfaced with the release of the revised plans for the exhibit of NZL 32 and the creation of a tribute at the NZ National Maritime Museum.

We need a place where people - especially young people - can go to learn about Sir Peter's life and be inspired by it. An exhibit of NZL 32 with modern interactive media at the Maritime Museum is entirely appropriate.

The planned exhibit will be good for families and children, it will be centrally located and accessible, and it will be the kind of modern interactive exhibit which will engage people and help to rejuvenate the Maritime Museum. The proposal has the support of the Government, Auckland City Council and, most importantly, the Blake family and many of his sailing colleagues and friends.

What is not as well recognised is that a number of other initiatives have already been established and are doing exceptional work to honour Sir Peter.

An example is the Sir Peter Blake Trust, a registered charity that was established with an endowment of $3.8 million from the Government and launched in 2004.

It has the blessing and involvement of the Blake family and Pippa, Lady Blake, is a trust board member. The trust is an active organisation which is honouring Sir Peter by continuing his work in environmental education, especially for youth, and in recognising and celebrating the importance of leadership.

The Sir Peter Blake Trust is forward-looking, not reflective or memorial and, thus, is complementary to the proposed tribute at the Maritime Museum.

The Sir Peter Blake Trust is, perhaps, not as well known as it could be because it has deliberately subscribed to the Blake philosophy of "deeds, not words".

In partnership with others, it has established initiatives such as a national youth environment forum, the largest youth yachting regatta in the country, sponsoring young students to the United Nations Environment Programme, an environmental educator's award, a clean up our coast programme, and the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards.

A further example is the Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre (Merc) at Long Bay. Sir Peter was formerly one of the patrons. Lady Pippa presided over a renaming ceremony in 2002 that made the centre, in effect, one of the first tangible memorials to her husband.

Since then it has been enjoyed by more than 30,000 young New Zealanders and several thousand from overseas. It teaches children marine skills such as sailing, snorkelling and kayaking and imparts an appreciation of the environment, just the activities Sir Peter excelled in.

Its constant physical reminder of Sir Peter is a handsome bronze bust prominently displayed in the activities hall. The original clay sculpture was donated by the artist, and an anonymous benefactor funded the bronze casting. Cost to the public, nothing.

Memorials can serve many purposes. An exhibit in a museum serves one. Merc is an active memorial in the sense that people participate there in the kinds of activities for which, at a higher level, Sir Peter became famous.

Participation by children at an impressionable age in the shadow of Sir Peter will produce indelible memories of their role model.

A memorial, by its name, is something that should not be forgotten. In 10 years' time these children will be adults and the memory of their experiences and its association with Sir Peter will not have faded.

Many other ways of honouring Sir Peter have also been established. A number of schools have created "houses" in Sir Peter's name, some schools hold a "red socks day" which raises funds for the Sir Peter Blake Trust, a number of special awards for young people bear Sir Peter's name, Bayswater has a street named Sir Peter Blake Parade, and Tiri Tiri Matangi Island has a takahe named Blake, with red identification bands on its legs.

Many of us who have been inspired by Sir Peter have not been idle. Government, the corporate world, private benefactors, sailing colleagues, children and others have been contributing and doing their part to honour the memory of a great New Zealander and, most importantly, doing things which ensure that his legacy lives on.

The final entry in Sir Peter's log onboard his expedition yacht Seamaster is as poignant now as it was in December 2001. "We have begun, we are under way, we have a passion, we want to make a difference."

Sir Peter is no longer with us, but his spirit and inspiration live on in the many initiatives which have been established in his memory.

* Dr Mark Orams is Executive Director, Sir Peter Blake Trust. Dr Ross Garrett is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre.