Alfred Hamish Reed

Signboard at the entrance to A.H. Reed Memorial Kauri Park, Whangarei

Sir Alfred Hamish Reed CBE (30 December 1875 – 15 January 1975), generally known as A.H. Reed, was a New Zealand publisher, author and entrepreneur.

Early life and family

Reed was born at Hayes, Middlesex, England, on 30 December 1875, the son of James William Reed and Elizabeth Reed. He migrated to New Zealand with his parents in 1887. After some experience in Northland as a kauri gum-digger, he moved to Dunedin where, in 1897, he became manager of the Typewriter Co. An early childhood leg problem denied him access to active duty during World War I, and he was retained at an army base as a clerk due to his shorthand skills.

Publishing

Reed entered the bookselling trade when he founded the firm of A. H. and A. W. Reed, a leading publisher of New Zealand-related non-fiction and reference works, in association with his nephew Alexander Wyclif Reed. In 1932, he branched out as a publisher and in 1935 he became an author.

Walking and climbing

Reed also undertook walking and mountain-climbing expeditions. He climbed Mount Taranaki/Egmont (aged 80), Mount Ruapehu (aged 83), Ngauruhoe (aged 85), walked from North Cape to Bluff, now known as the Te Araroa Trail (aged 85) and from East Cape to Cape Egmont (aged 86), walked through Marlborough (aged 87) and through Otago, Canterbury, Westland, and the Haast (aged 88).

Philanthropy

In 1938 Reed and his wife established the Alfred and Isabel and Marian Reed Trust for the promotion of Christianity, education, literature and philanthropy for the people of New Zealand. The trust has amassed a collection of rare books and manuscripts for the Dunedin Public Libraries, including one of the most comprehensive collections of manuscripts and early printed Bibles in the Southern Hemisphere.

Honours

In the 1948 King's Birthday Honours Reed was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services in connexion with publication of historical and other New Zealand works.[1] He was promoted to Commander of the same Order (CBE) in the 1962 New Year Honours, in recognition of his contribution as a writer and publisher of New Zealand historical works.[2] In the 1974 Queen's Birthday Honours Reed was knighted for services to literature and culture.[3]

Death

Reed died at Dunedin on 15 January 1975, and his ashes were buried at Dunedin Northern Cemetery.[4]

Honorific eponym

The A. H. Reed Memorial Kauri Park Scenic Reserve, near Whangarei, commemorates his association with the district.[5]

Published works

Memorial plaque dedicated to Alfred Hamish Reed in Dunedin, on the Writers' Walk on the Octagon

As editor

'With Anthony Trollope in New Zealand 1872' - Reed, A. H. (Published in 1969 by Reed Publications Fund of Dunedin Public Library)

See also

References

  1. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38312. p. 3398. 4 June 1948.
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 42554. p. 40. 1 January 1962. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46312. p. 6829. 7 June 1974. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "Cemeteries search". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Julie Crean (Editor) (Oct 24, 2011). "AH Reed Memorial Kauri Park". Plan My Play. Retrieved October 2, 2012.

External links

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