2006 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: TREVOR GELDARD

Trevor Geldard has possibly done more to foster New Zealand’s renowned excellence in sailing than any other person.

Epiglass, the company he headed for many years, sponsored huge number of both sailing and powerboat events and many of our very successful sailors and powerboat racers first competed in an event which he helped sponsor. Geldard was also responsible for the marine industry’s first million-dollar sponsorship and was instrumental in New Zealand’s first challenge for the America’s Cup in Fremantle in 1986 & 1987..

A former Chairman of the New Zealand International Yachting Trust and a life member of Yachting New Zealand, Geldard began his working life on the land and originally planned to make farming his career.

As a young man he travelled the country selling the newly launched Epiglass products and quickly became a huge fan of grass roots sponsorship. As he rose to become chairman of the company, Epiglass became sponsor of a truly massive number of events, both power and sail; events that would have really struggled without that support.

The events he helped sponsor are far too many to list but some of the most important include:

• Many years support of the Epiglass International Grand Prix racing at Karapiro
• The creation of the Secondary Schools Yachting Competition
• A $300,000 sponsorship of the 1984 Olympicsail, resulting in Russell Coutts winning a Gold Medal in the Los Angeles Olympics.
• A $500,000 sponsorship of the 1985 Admirals Cup team

And a whopping $1 million sponsorship of that famous Black Magic America’s Cup challenge in Perth.