One of our oldest and most disinguished members has recently passed on - Brian Mason. He joined the CMC in 1934, remaining a member for a staggering 75 years.
The CMC passes our sympathy to his family and friends.
See the previous article about his eminence in the area of meteorites and the US space program.
Here is a report on a recent contribution to the club.
Donations Reflect Depth of Feeling for Club Huts
One of the many generous contributions that arrived for the much needed overhaul of Park Morpeth hut was from Canterbury alumnus, Dr Brian Mason, a long term CMC member and pioneer in the study of meteorites and the teaching of geochemistry.
Dr Mason, now in his nineties, studied geology at Canterbury University in the 1930s, inspired by the ‘great hogsback of Oligocene on one side and the mountains on the other,” that was the backdrop to his uncle’s farm in the Puhi Puhi Valley near Kaikoura.
Having examined over 7000 meteorites over his career, Dr Mason’s work has contributed significantly to the understanding of the origin and evolution of the solar system. He revolutionised the meteorite classification system and increased the holdings of meteorite material through successful collection programmes in Antarctica and around the world. He was also the principal investigator of the 1969 Apollo II lunar findings. While much of his working years were spent overseas, Dr Mason returned many times to New Zealand to carry out geological research on his beloved Southern Alps and on the West Coast.
Having endured the rigours of advanced study at Canterbury in an underfunded field (carting a push bike on trains into the countryside, then pedaling to his study site), Dr Mason, later in life, set up a trust to help students doing geological field work in Canterbury, and created an endowment for the Curator of Geology at the Canterbury Museum.
The CMC is very grateful to be a benefactor of Dr Mason’s generosity towards the upgrade of Park Morpeth hut.
