Dr Alene Wilton: A Legcay Gift for the Future
“I believe in the importance of education and the opportunities it brings to people, whatever their background,” UC alum Dr Alene Wilton says. Having gained her Bachelor of Arts in History with Honours in 1990, she credits her UC education – and her lecturers in the History Department – with laying the foundation for her DPhil from Oxford and her subsequent career.
Since graduating, she’s maintained close ties with UC and has included the History Department in her will to help future students receive the education and opportunities she did. “It’s about being able to give something back, but also leave something for the future,” she says.
Alene particularly appreciates the breadth of learning that UC offers, where an engineering student can take an English course simply because they are interested and without having to narrow down on a subject at the undergraduate level.
“There’s a strength around learning for its own sake, not just for a job,” she says. “Having well-rounded and well-educated people is important to the communities in which we live now and into the future – to be able to understand different perspectives and ideas and to remain open to the wider world, not just our own viewpoint. It helps us recognise and appreciate that there’s more out there – more complexity, more diversity, and more potential for connection.
Dr Alan Happer: A Legacy Realised
Alan Happer, a University of Canterbury graduate and long-time lecturer, left a $1.1 million bequest to support undergraduate chemistry students through the Dr Alan Happer Chemistry Equipment Fund.
A dedicated teacher and much-loved and respected colleague, Dr Happer was known for his passion for chemistry, intelligence, kindness, and genuine care for students – especially those who struggled. “He was a really supportive lecturer and would provide his students with an outline of his lecture right back in the 1980s, before it was a done thing, just to make sure that they got the gist of what he was saying,” says former colleague and friend, Emeritus Professor Murray Munro.
The first in his family to go to university, Dr Happer always understood the importance of a quality education. He made his first gift to UC – quietly and anonymously – in 1998 and continued giving until his death, when, upon the realisation of his bequest, he was willing to be named.
Dr Happer’s endowed fund will support the purchase of lab equipment for undergraduate chemistry students at the University of Canterbury.
Wal McQuarrie: Memorial Gift
While sorting through her father’s belongings, Tracey Limond discovered a 20-year-old copy of his will, marked with handwritten updates, including his wish to leave part of his estate to the University of Canterbury. Her dad, civil engineer Wal McQuarrie, passed away unexpectedly in December 2023 before he could finalise these changes.
To honour his memory, Tracey established the Wal McQuarrie Memorial Scholarship for postgraduate civil engineering students.
“I couldn’t think of a better way to immortalise his legacy,” she says.
Wal, who graduated from UC in 1971, worked as an engineer at Watercare for 53 years and was dedicated to mentoring young engineers. “He was a generous person who had time for everyone,” recalls colleague Shreesh Basnyat.
Tracey says her father valued education, even though university was a challenge for him. “Ultimately, as hard as university was, it got him to where he needed to go.”
