Vale Ian Stephenson

In fond memory of Ian Stephenson and his generous service to the National Trust.

A man in a suit

The National Trust is grateful for Ian Stephenson’s many years of service. He has imparted extraordinary knowledge spanning history, curation, collections, art and culture.

Ian was always warm, welcoming, energetic, and enthusiastic. He was a friend to many, characteristically good-humoured and extremely generous.

Ian’s dedication to history and culture was demonstrated through his 12 years’ service as a National Trust Board Director and as an active member of many National Trust committees since 1994. He gave an enormous amount of time working to conserve our special places and collections. Ian was also a National Trust staff member between 1991 to 2004, bringing his encyclopaedic knowledge to the roles of Senior Curator and Head of Properties. Most recently Ian was the Chair of the National Trust Properties Committee.

Making a significant contribution on several fronts, Ian played a particularly important role in recognising and conserving the heritage of the New England region. Ian was instrumental in the introduction of a restaurant at Old Government House and in the purchase of the Norman Lindsay Gallery café. In 1999 Ian was part of the National Trust team that successfully secured the Centenary of Federation Grant to restore the Tenterfield School of Arts, where he also designed the Tenterfield School of Arts exhibition space.

Most recently Ian had returned from a trip of a lifetime travelling in South America, something he’d been looking forward to for years.

He will be greatly missed.