Our People: Dentist and community stalwart Stewart Edward

Stewart Edward. Photo/Ben Fraser

He's chaired the New Zealand Dental Association, the Lakes District Health Board, is RECT's present helmsman. Toss in his involvement leading a plethora of trusts and community organisations and we've merely grazed the surface of this man's super-sized CV.

"This man" is Stewart Edward NZMN, who last week hung up his drill after 48 years practising dentistry in the place that's been his home since he was 6 weeks old.

The name Edward is as quintessentially Rotorua as geysers and lakes.

Our People's long contended that, combined, the Edward brothers equate to one of those childhood packs of Happy Families cards. There's Stewart the dentist, Ian the chemist, Harry the lawyer, David the businessman, Auckland-based brother Tony rounds out the hand.

Being out of town means he's only an occasional addition to the Edward Brothers Quartet, a Rotorua entertainment stable linchpin.

But it's not the brothers per se we're here to talk about, it's first-born, Stewart ('Stew' to most) but it takes the next 'bro' down, Ian, to give us the insight we're drilling deep for.

"He's not just our big brother, he's everybody's big brother, a natural leader," the chemist distills.

That's more like it, a X-ray shot at last of the inner workings of such a self-effacing top level achiever. Digging personal details out of the man himself is, forgive the irritable pun, akin to pulling teeth. Rather than spit out his achievements Stewart's willing to open wide just as long as what comes out of his mouth is homage to those he considers have shaped his dedication to the health, education and welfare of others, "my mentors" as he calls them.

Ian believes the genesis of his brother's leadership skills came when, at 16, he took over as head of the family. The boys' doctor father became seriously ill en route to a Swedish medical conference, their pregnant mum Isla (Our People, September 18, 2009) had dashed to his UK bedside.

Subsequently Rotorua High School principal Neville Thornton capitalised on the teenager's ability to 'rally the troops', appointing him head prefect. Undoubtedly a plus factor was that Stewart was a gun cricketer, an ace bowler in the 1st X1 and rep soccer player.

It was Thornton who considered his star pupil a prime candidate for a future in commerce, recommending him for office work with Ford, Wellington, while studying part time at Victoria University.

Stewart's up-front about enjoying cricket considerably more than academia, playing in Victoria's A side and for Wellington's under 20s and 23s.

Three years on in what he calls a "light bulb flash" he saw a new career illuminated, he entered Otago University's dental school.

His leadership was again to the fore, in time he was elected the school's student president.

Cricket continued to dominate, he played in New Zealand Universities teams, Otago's Plunket Shield side and, in 1964, was selected for the NZ Cricket Council's world tour.

For this passionate history buff an off-pitch highlight was visiting Arlington National Cemetery, burial place of the recently assassinated US President Kennedy.

"There was this huge reverence, people were still filing past, armed guards on duty."

Newly graduated, it was back home where local dentist Ian Fowler offered him a place in his practice. That was 1970 and there are those who were his early patients (Our People's hand's up here) who've remained with him through three clinic moves.

"When I started we were in Pukaki St, then an old house where the Citz's Club car park now is before returning to Pukaki St."

There was yet more cricket; he played for the Bay in 1971, the year he married Hamilton teacher Waiki Sinclair, also the child of a doctor. They met at a wedding on Emery's Marae, Rotoiti.

From the outset of his Rotorua return Stewart immersed himself in community and professional responsibilities, heading the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Dental Association as a precursor to his chairmanship of the national body.

Child dental health has long been a personal crusade.

"I guess it began when we (note the 'we' not the 'I' he's so good at avoiding) organised busloads of Ruatahuna children to come to Rotorua to get their teeth seen to and a day on the town."

From that the Well Child dental project grew chaired, of course, by Stewart.

An invitation came to join the Movin' On programme, the genesis of Te Waiariki Purea Trust, initially a Conservation Corp training programme for unemployed youth, now specialising in outdoor education.

The word was out, here was a man who got things done. He became involved in Macess, marae-based programmes for young Maori. Computers were in their infancy, Koutu's Tumahaurangi marae provided training "then the polytech pulled the funding plug just when it was operating really well".

With Stewart as marae secretary-treasurer, a risk was taken, the Construction Trade Training Unit established.

"It was extremely successful, so much so the president of East Timor was brought through, he took that model back to help reconstruct his country."

It was a direct result of his chairmanship of the national dental association that he was invited to head what's now Lakes DHB.

"Minister of Health Annette King was at the formal opening of our [dental] conference. Not long after I was invited to a two-hour interview in Wellington with the Ministry, the first real interview I've ever had, they offered me the DHB chairmanship." He held it nine years.

It's a matter of understated pride that under his tenure the board became one of the country's top three DHBs, financially and clinically.

Stewart of course credits others. "In those nine years there was not one decision that wasn't collective, unanimous."

It was under his stewardship the "new" multi-million dollar hospital facilities were constructed saving Rotorua, many say, from cottage hospital status.

There was no bedding-in period when, in 2016, he was elected to RECT; at its first meeting fellow trustees promoted him to the chair.

So how has he achieved so much for so many?

He insists it's a family trait.

"I guess it's stemmed from the nurturing our parents gave us, the encouragement to care for each other and beyond."

STEWART EDWARD MNZM
Born: Hamilton, 1943.
Education: Rotorua Primary, Rotorua High School, Victoria, Otago Universities.
Family: Wife Waiki, daughters Charmaine, Waitaha, Alexandra; seven mokopuna.
Honours: Member NZ Order of Merit, JP, Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship, numerous life memberships.
Interests: Family, people, history (Maori and European), reading (his comprehensive library spills into two rooms), cricket, music (performed in several local productions, playing lead in Merry Widow), Edward Brothers Quartet, has run two marathons, gardening.
On his life: "I've been very fortunate."
On Rotorua: "It's our place."
Personal philosophy: "Do unto others as you'd have them do to you."