While the general election stole the headlines on Saturday, another important election took place in Wellington at the same time:

Les Molloy was elected FMC patron by member clubs during a General Meeting, after the passing of Arnold Heine last year.

Les is widely considered the ‘father’ of Wilderness Areas in New Zealand. He wrote the Wilderness Policy (the document laying out the purpose and management of gazetted wilderness areas), and was the main architect of the Recreational Opportunity Spectrum concept (the idea of ‘Zones’ to cater for the needs of different recreational users, which is at the heart of all of New Zealand’s National Park management plans).

FMC is proud to have Les as a patron. We cannot think of a person better suited. We would like to thank all the club delegates who attended the General Meeting to honour Les.