Tom Hendry appointed as Ballance House treasurer
Tom Hendry, the recently retired Bursar at Friends’ School Lisburn, has accepted the voluntary post of Treasurer with the Ulster New Zealand Trust, which exists to foster and celebrate cultural, business and sporting links between Northern Ireland and New Zealand.
The Ballance House museum, event centre and tea barn at Glenavy Road, Lisburn has been developed by the trust over three decades.
Indeed Tom Hendry has been involved with the UNZT over many of those years as a volunteer and a director.
His predecessor as Treasurer, Fullerton Jelly, served for 9 years with great enthusiasm and meticulous attention to detail.
Ably assisted by his wife Maureen, also a UNZT volunteer, Fullerton played a key role in steering The Ballance House finances successfully through the first major museum upgrade in 30 years and challenging Covid pandemic lockdowns.
Both remain as volunteers and Fullerton continues to serve on the executive committee of the Ulster New Zealand Trust.
The Ballance House museum, event facility and tea barn is open each Sunday afternoon from April until September with group bookings welcome throughout the week.
It is located on the Ballance family farm, birthplace of New Zealand Prime Minister John Ballance.
The Liberal leader, who ensured New Zealand was the first nation where women gained a vote and every citizen benefited from a pioneering welfare state.
Until his death in office during 1893 the Ulsterman played a key role in developing a New Zealand rural society based on viable family farms rather than great estates.
For information and bookings browse www.theballancehouse.com.