Source: Radio New Zealand
Cardrona’s main slopes opened on 14 June. RNZ/Katie Todd
An Otago businessman who founded the country’s biggest ski area is being remembered as someone who shaped his local community over many decades.
Wānaka farmer and entrepreneur John Allandale Lee died peacefully on Sunday surrounded by family,
He was seen as a key figurehead in the economic takeoff of the Cardrona Valley
Lee’s family confirmed the 89-year-old’s passing in a statement on Wednesday.
A second-generation Waiorau farmer, Lee grew up in the tough alpine clime of the Cardrona Valley’s Pisa Range.
“In the late 1960s, the population of Cardrona was in decline, and as things were looking bleak, John got creative – all with the goal of bringing life back to the valley.”
John and Mary Lee, outside the Cardrona Hotel, which they owned in the 1970s. Photograph: Otago Daily Times
Lee and his wife, Mary bought the historic Cardrona Hotel in 1970 and Mt Cardrona Station a year later.
The couple would spend the following years developing a ski area at Cardrona.
Cardrona Alpine Resort was opened to the public in 1980 and now stands as New Zealand’s biggest ski area.
Supplied
The Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds came to life during the development of the Snow Farm in 1984.
The Lees then supported their youngest son Sam in the development of freestyle skiing and snowboarding mecca, Snow Park, in the early 2000s.
Lee was said to be instrumental in saving the Cardrona Hotel from ruin after a local recluse purchased the building during the 1960s, and left it to deteriorate.
“From helping to re-establish the Cardrona Valley as a destination in its own right,, to the bustling Wānaka ski industry, to the cheeky Cardrona Bra Fence – John’s legacy is extensive. Many in the Cardrona and Wānaka communities can trace their careers, homes and livelihoods back to John’s passion to bring a vibrant life to this area,” the Lee family said.
In 2015, Lee was made companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and tourism.
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He was survived by wife Mary, children Rachael, Joanna and Sam, and grandchildren Louis, Regan, Olivia, Anton, Hana, Matthew, Archie and Heidi.
Lee was to be farewelled at a private ceremony on Wednesday.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
