TypeAgencyParallel NameHenderson FundOther NamesMayor of Thorndon AppealLord Mayor of Thorndon AppealDate Range1941-1986DescriptionThe Henderson Trust fund was started as part of the Mayor of Thorndon annual appeal, which was also known as the Blind Kiddies Appeal. Starting in 1941, Bill Henderson ran the 'mayoral' campaign and fundraising appeal that ran in Wellington until 1985, raising funds for visually impaired children.
The Mayor of Thorndon Appeal, was a mock election charity drive to raise funds for 'blind kiddies', which ran 'full-time for five weeks of the year'. In 1956 £5000 was collected, which was an impressive sum given the charity election only cost a penny per vote. In 1957 for example each candidate had a comical single-issue election platform ('so the voters won't get confused'):
- Merve Kenny (Maori, for 'pipi, kina and paua for counter lunches')
- Keith Bartlett (Transport, for 'rubber-filled potholes')
- Frank Miles (Hotel worker, for '10oz beers, 10 o'clock opening & 10 o'clock closing')
- Danny McLaughlin (Wharf, the incumbent, for 'one big happy family')
- Erle Taylor (Hutt Valley motor industry, for 'safety first despite your thirst')
The campaigns were an annual event especially popular through the 1940s to 1970s and involved many of the working class pubs and their patrons, frequently with the watersiders, railway workers and tramways workers each putting up a candidate from their respective drinking holes.
There is still a Henderson fund, but it is no longer part of the appeal. The fund seeks to provide assistance for those who are blind, deafblind or have low vision up to the age of 21 years in the New Plymouth, Whanganui, Manawatū, Wairarapa, and Wellington areas. Funding can also be applied for children who have received assistance from the Henderson Trust Fund and no longer reside in such areas.
