The Crosby Story

Bernie and Kaye Crosby remember well the dump site that is now Hamilton Gardens.

The couple professes to have inherited the “green gene” from their ancestors and have followed with interest the development and transformation in becoming the world renowned garden lovers’ destination we all appreciate today.

The Crosbys are long-term members of the Friends of Hamilton Gardens. As a member of the Gardenia Club, Kaye recalls making a contribution for the mosaic tiles expertly laid in the Italian Renaissance Garden. One of Bernie and Kaye’s early philanthropic gestures was for the Dragon in the Tudor Garden and they are delighted to continue their support through their latest donation to this wonderful city asset.

Bernie and Kaye have been in business in Prolife Foods in Hamilton for the last 31 years and are very proud of this city and its transformation from a principally rural servicing town to one of widely varied industries, offering a vibrant, contemporary lifestyle. They believe that Hamilton is now a destination city where people choose to live, rather than one people move to by default, and in their minds the next 20 years will be a stellar time for prosperity and development of city amenities. The city has been kind to the Crosbys in a business sense and they now feel they are in a position to give back in a socially responsible way. “Hamilton Gardens and the plans developed by Peter Sergel warrant support to further enhance this internationally recognised amenity,” they explained.

John Dobson, Chairman of Hamilton Gardens Development Trust, was delighted with the generous gift. “This is a fantastic contribution to kick start the Trust's recently launched Legacy Project,” he said. “The Trust encourages the community’s involvement in funding the development of the Gardens, in partnership with Hamilton City Council. The ability for Waikato families to contribute to the Legacy Project provides them with an opportunity to be a part of this community partnership, ensuring the ongoing development of the Gardens.”

Bernie and Kaye said that they chose to utilise Momentum Waikato Community Foundation as the conduit for their gift to Hamilton Gardens as it is easy to write one cheque and know their funds will be released at the time their beneficiary organisation is ready to receive it. The Crosbys also think of Momentum Waikato as an organisation supporting community objectives with great aspirations, ultimately enhancing the lives of people who frequent the Gardens and call this region their home.

As Donor Services Manager for Momentum Waikato, Raewyn Kirkman is delighted that Momentum Waikato could work with the Crosbys to support the development of the Gardens. Raewyn believes it is projects like the Gardens’ Legacy Project that will enable Momentum Waikato’s vision of creating ‘a better Waikato for everyone, forever’ to become reality.

“We welcome the opportunity to work with other individuals, families, trusts or businesses to create an immediate or legacy gift plan,” she said. “This generous gift from the Crosby family is a great example of how Momentum Waikato can work with our donors to ensure their philanthropic aspirations are achieved exactly as they wish.”