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As a sponsorship deal, it had to be one of the more unusual. In 1983, Roy McKenzie offered the cash value of a service by his stallion Arndon to the Auckland Trotting Hall of Fame. This gesture netted the organisation at least $4000 annually.
Unusual to many people, perhaps, but trotting was a passion for Roy McKenzie (later Sir Roy) and he knew the value of his gift would increase. Arndon stood his first season at stud in the United States that year, after becoming the fastest trotter in history, clocking 1.54 for the mile.
Arndon was just one of the great horses to come out of Sir Roy's stud farm, Roydon Lodge, near Christchurch. Others included Sundon, Roydon Glen and Roydon Scott.
Fred Fletcher, who ran the lodge for 30 years, said Sir Roy's love of harness horses meant more than just making money.
"I can recall that when I won the Auckland Cup for him with Roydon Glen, he donated the stake money to the Wellington Trotting Club to glass in the front of the public grandstand."
Sir Roy was passionate about giving away money, although he preferred to be known as a community volunteer rather than a philanthropist. He felt that word suggested someone who simply made grants and wrote cheques. Sir Roy preferred to get out and see where money could do the most good.
The Sir Roy McKenzie Foundation was set up in 1986 using the social experience of a wide variety of trustees. In an interview in 1994, Sir Roy remembered getting involved with one of the earliest women's refuges, in Upper Hutt.
"I got a couple of the trustees and we went out to have a look and to meet some of the women involved. We could see the real need and gave them quite a bit of help."
Experience of community organisations began early for Sir Roy. Born in Wellington, he was the son of Sir John McKenzie, the founder of a nationwide chain of stores that sold mid-range domestic goods, sweets, fruit and vegetables, and icecreams. Sir Roy attended Timaru Boys' High School and Otago University before serving in the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the RAF's Bomber Command in World War II.
On his return from war, he became a chartered accountant, and joined the board of the J.R. McKenzie Trust, set up by his father. Sir Roy felt that this trust was seen merely to dole out money, a philosophy he disliked. In 1966, he set up the McKenzie Education Foundation, which developed a more hands-on role in the community. This organisation, like others started by Sir Roy, had a definite life span, so that the ideals would not become stale.
"The trustees and I have preferred to see our grants as a hand-up to fresh achievements rather than hand-outs to those affected by poverty or disappointment."
Other organisations to benefit from Sir Roy's experience and benevolence include the Centre for the Study of Families at Victoria University, women's refuges, the Deaf Decade Trust, Birthright and the Te Omanga Hospice in Lower Hutt, whose services he was to use late in life. He served as patron of the Outward Bound Trust and as councillor at the Council for Educational Research.
In his spare time, Sir Roy found time for tramping and tennis, as well as his beloved horses. Always a sportsman, he had captained the New Zealand ski team at the Winter Olympics in Oslo in 1952, but a broken bone forced him out of competition.
Even in retirement, Sir Roy kept an eye out for groups that might benefit from a cash injection.
"You can get so much joy out of giving while you're living. Half a life making money, the other half giving it away - how lucky can you be?"
Sir Roy was knighted in 1988 and appointed to the Order of New Zealand in 1995. He is survived by his wife Shirley, sons Peter and John and daughter Robyn, and nine grandchildren.
- NZPA, staff reporter
