Some people leave their mark through what they achieve. Others leave an even greater legacy through who they are. Professor Russell Stone was both. This heartfelt tribute from Tom Parsons reflects on a remarkable New Zealander whose curiosity, wisdom, and love of learning never diminished, even at the age of 103. A truly inspiring role model. This is a special tribute to Professor Russell Stone ONZM born in 1923 and passed 2026. Russell Stone died at the remarkable age of 103, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy as a historian, teacher and scholar. But for those of us fortunate enough to know Russell in his later years at Ranfurly Village, there was another legacy that mattered just as much: the man himself. Russell was living proof that age need never bring an end to curiosity. I would meet Russell, often over coffee, and what struck me was not simply what he remembered but what he was still thinking about. At 103, his intellectual curiosity remained very much alive. Our conversations could range across history, Persia, the Silk Road and the great movements of peoples and ideas that had shaped our world. You did not simply talk to Russell about history. You talked to someone who had spent a lifetime thinking about it. He has been Professor of History at the University of Auckland and became one of this country's foremost historians, particularly of Auckland. Generations of students benefited from his scholarship and teaching. Yet there was nothing remote about the scholar I came to know. He remained interested in people, ideas and the world around him. Russell was also a veteran of the Second World War. That dimension of his life gave our conversations another connection. Here was a man whose life stretched across more than a century of enormous change, and who had not merely read about history but had lived through a considerable part of it. What impressed me particularly was his continuing desire to learn. It is easy to think of education as something belonging to youth; school, university, qualifications and careers. Russell demonstrated something quite different. Learning was not a stage in his life. It was part of his life. Even at 103, there was always another question worth considering, another subject worth discussing and another piece of history worth examining. There is a lesson in that for all of us. Russell's long life was distinguished by scholarship and service, but I will remember something simpler; sitting with an extraordinarily knowledgeable elderly gentleman over coffee and discovering that his mind was still travelling the world. It was a privilege to know him. Farewell, Russell. A scholar, a gentleman, a veteran - and, to the very end, a student of the world. TW (Tom) Parsons MNZM

Council member Julie Shepherd writes about her concerns for the future of Retirement Villages.