New Zealand Patron to be Celebrated

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand - July 8, 2026 - PRLog -- Born in 1942, Christchurch, New Zealand, Susan Miller Thorpe was a recipient of an Enfield Award for acting & became the Patron for the Friends of the Commonwealth (F.O.C) for a number of years & was recently awarded the Keys to the City of Christchurch & Rangiora New Zealand.

Susan had been closely involved with Alpinism all her life & had recently organised & celebrated Mt Everest Day with the Nepalese community at the New Zealand Alpine Club Library in honour of Sir Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay. Susan had been instrumental in hosting Hillary Trust Mingma Norbu Sherpa who was born in Khunde in 1955 and was one of the first children to go through the school Sir Edmund Hillary built at Khumjung, Nepal.

Mother of daughter school teacher Tamara Mc Gechan & son New Zealand Film Director Samuel A. Miller (Five Kingdoms Trilogy, Charles Luney - Master Builder, The Wizard & the Commodore & Our Man in Cannes - The David Blake Story)

She will be sadly missed by many in the communities of Rangiora, Franz Josef Glacier, Totaranui & Christchurch.

Her great grandfather Sydney Harris moved to New Zealand and started timber milling at Little River in the late 1800's establishing the Jarrah Timber Company which eventually specialised in foreign timbers - they built "Beufort" which is on the hill to the North above the village now called the "Doctors House". (a reference to Beufort & possibly the Carmel Chapel in Wales).

Her fathers family the Baxter's were also an old family in Christchurch having established the Real Estate firm Hillary & Baxter which became Hillary & Marshall, and then Harcourts.

After following in the steps of her mother Nancy, studying painting at the Christchurch School of Fine Arts, Susan escaped society in Christchurch for Mt Cook & then the West Coast & the hippie lifestyle being a founding shareholder of Fox river commune. She eventually ran a B&B and a Horse Trekking business Waiho Stables, where her husband Alexander eventually owned & operated Mt Cook Skiplanes as a team for a number of years.

Susan retired in Rangiora & Christchurch with hydrologist Hugh Thorpe & became an actress & an activist against what she termed the tragedy of "Woke"; she campaigned tirelessly for RCR (Reality Check Radio) the climate change control hoax & was a fierce advocate for conservation, natural medicine & foods.

Friends & family will gather at St Ninnians Church, 5 Puriri Street, Riccarton at 1pm on Saturday the 11th July 2026 for a farewell ceremony.https://f-stopcinema.com/news/