Dear all,
The funeral of Russell and Marian will be held at 1.30 on Monday the 15th of August at Lamb and Hayward, 467 Wairakei Road. The place only seats 250 with another 200 standing in the portico. Please find below an official tribute to Russell prepared by Michael Chick, Chairperson of the Canterbury Electronics Group: Regards James W. Saruchera, MSc Canterbury Development Corporation Group Manager: Electronics South & Canterbury Electronics Group ICT Projects Leader Level 2, Economic Development, 193 Cashel Street, Christchurch www.electronicssouth.org.nz DDI +64 3 3536879 Mobile: +64 21 217 1653 Tribute to Dr Russell Smith If the value of a person's life is best measured by the extent to which they enriched the lives of others, then Dr Russell Smith thoroughly deserves all the respect that has been accorded to him this week. It has been well documented that Russell enhanced the lives of tens of thousands of blind and visually impaired people around the world, with specialist products that helped them to live and work independently. I would also like to reflect on Russell's other great contributions to society because he was a really nice person, with a good heart - an entrepreneur with the most admirable of aspirations. With his managerial and technical abilities, Russell was the driving force behind HumanWare. A humble man, he clearly had that crucial ability to gel people behind his cause. He had a passion for - and thorough understanding of - his technology. Well known for working 70-80 hours weeks, Russell was incredibly committed to the success of his organisation. Russell had the long term future of his 70 local staff in mind when, in January of this year, his company, then called Pulse Data International, acquired a Canadian competitor, VisuAide, to form HumanWare. I worked closely with Russell on the Canterbury Electronics Group. He was a leading light of the local ICT sector, a man who recognised an opportunity - indeed a responsibility - to nurture something greater than his own organisation. Committed to building our collective hi-tech capability, Russell has significantly influenced Christchurch's growth to become the hi-tech capital of this country. He was utterly reliable and very generous with his time, particularly with his strong support of initiatives to help grow smaller businesses. Russell was very aware of the importance of education to our industry, and was a member of the University of Canterbury Council. It is utterly tragic that Russell, and his wife Marian, lost their lives flying - a passion that Russell and I shared and often discussed when we regularly met. Russell Smith should rightly be remembered for his remarkable achievements, founding a company that grew to achieve annual turnover of about $70 million, with exports to more than 30 countries. But I will most fondly remember Russell Smith for his nature. This week we not only lost a visionary hi-tech industry leader, we also lost a very special person. ********************************************************************** This electronic email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. The views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Canterbury Development Corporation. If you are not the correct recipient of this email please advise the sender and delete. Canterbury Development Corporation http://www.cdc.org.nz ********************************************************************** --> via Canterbury Software email forum: Success through Connections Replies will go to the CSForum. Leave or rejoin the list: http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/forum.htm Searchable list archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
