JAMES PG FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP

James Patterson Gardner was due to arrive at St Andrew’s College in 2015 as a fresher, joining family friends from New Zealand who were already at the College to begin his university journey. He was planning to study engineering at the University of Sydney, and major in aeronautical engineering.

TRAGICALLY, JAMES PASSED AWAY in a helicopter crash near Queenstown the day before leaving for Sydney alongside experienced instructor pilot Stephen Combes. No one knows for sure why their Robinson helicopter broke up in flight, and, like many others, a Transport Accident Investigation Commission report concluded if the chopper were fitted with a cockpit audio-visual device, it would have been able to provide answers.

After this devastating crash and the loss of her son, James’ mother (experienced pilot and business owner) Louisa ‘Choppy’ Patterson and her team invented and developed ‘Eye in the Sky’.

The ‘Eye in the Sky’ is an affordable, lightweight data recording device that is fitted inside the cockpit and captures 160-degree, high-definition, wide-angle video and audio; GPS data, and information on speed, altitude and position; pitch, roll and yaw, as well as the nuances of what’s happening in the cockpit. Sale proceeds from the ‘Eye in the Sky’ go to the James PG Foundation.

The James PG Foundation is a registered charitable trust established in memory of James Patterson Gardner to provide opportunities for the youth of New Zealand to reach their full potential. The Trustees of the Foundation are James’ cousin, stepbrother, friend, and lawyer.

One of the objectives of the Foundation is to create opportunities and open doors that may not be normally accessible, to find placement for enterprising young adults from the aviation industry into opportunities that will provide further education, career development and enhance aviation safety.

The Foundation established The James PG Foundation Scholarship at St Andrew’s College in James’ memory to support other young New Zealanders to study engineering and realise their potential. There is a preference for the student to be studying engineering at the University of Sydney, specifically Aeronautical Engineering.

We asked Louisa to share in her own words how the scholarship came to be:

Louisa, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be connected with St Andrew’s College?

James had attended St Andrew’s College in Christchurch for his high school years. His great grandfather was a first World War Otago Mounted rifleman, a doctor and a clergyman. After Gallipoli, he spread the word of God by horseback through the outback of Australia before settling down as a Presbyterian Clergyman in the South Island of New Zealand.

Our family are connected with St Andrew’s through our protestant values and the love of St Andrew’s in New Zealand.

Can you tell us in your own words how this scholarship came about at St Andrew’s College in Sydney?

James’s friend Ed Davies is a trustee of the James PG Foundation. Ed passed on his love of St Andrew’s College to James, who was so excited about attending.

The scholarship came about as a result of the kindness of Wayne Erickson and his staff following the tragic loss of James, and their support in the mandate of the James PG Foundation in finding a high school graduate from New Zealand to take up studies at the University of Sydney (engineering aeronautical) with a residential placement at St Andrew’s as James had intended to do.

Can you share more about James and who he was?

James is often described as someone who had the X factor, someone that had that special magic. Intelligent and hardworking, empathetic, charismatic and humble. He made the most of any opportunities and had been lucky enough to travel the world. He learned from these experiences how to model his life with education and kindness to make a difference.

The James PG Foundation will encourage others and ensure this spirit lives on.

What is the purpose behind the scholarship, and what impact do you hope it will have for the students it supports?

The James PG Foundation will encourage and support New Zealand youth between the age of 17 and 26 to reach their full potential.

James’ life was full of opportunities that he took advantage of, our Foundation’s purpose is to continue his legacy, opening doors by assisting youth and giving them the tools to approach their life with that same dignity and drive.

What would you say to encourage someone to support the scholarships program at St Andrew’s College?

Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Leaders. Scholarships provide not only a meaningful source of financial support but also encouragement for the academic and personal growth of talented individuals that would not otherwise be afforded.

St Andrew’s is a lively university college community with a deep commitment to academic and intellectual excellence and the development of the individual.