Jeremy Agar died in December 2022, aged 80. You can read my obituary of him in Watchdog 162 (April 2023) Jeremy was Watchdog's Reviews Editor and a regular article writer for more than 20 years, right up until his death. He was a CAFCA Committee member from 2006 until his death and he was our Chairperson for several years. It would be putting it very mildly to say that he was an unforgettable character.

He was extremely generous with his money and time. He personally bought a lot of the books that he reviewed and declined reimbursement for them (or for the movies he reviewed). In 2019, when CAFCA first asked for members to pay the annual membership fees for other members who were struggling financially, Jeremy was the first and, by far, the most generous to contribute - he came to the CAFCA office (i.e., our home) and handed over a cheque for $200 to pay for ten members if necessary.

By far his greatest act of generosity, both to CAFCA and to me personally, was in connection with my 2014 CAFCA/Anti-Bases Campaign national speaking tour. He volunteered his car, himself as driver (I'm a non-driver) and several weeks of his time. Special thanks are due to him - Jeremy made an effective donation, worth thousands (even buying a brand new Audi for the trip, which led to some funny looks at some venues), paying all car related expenses himself (including inter-island ferry costs) and would not take reimbursement for any of his personal expenses, such as food.

Without Jeremy the tour would not have been possible in the fashion that it took place (all of my previous tours had been by public transport); I could not have transported such a large volume of papers with me, let alone things like a data projector and big posters - more unique features - if not for the use of his car. That was extreme generosity of both money and time - he was on the road, driving thousands of kms, for six weeks - plus another half dozen Christchurch meetings in widely dispersed parts of town.

Latest In A Long History Of Great Generosity

Now, in death, he has surpassed the generosity he showed to CAFCA in life. We knew that we were in his will (his executor contacted us not long after he died to tell us) but we had no idea for how much. Imagine our surprise in February 2024 to discover just how much had appeared in our bank account (the same account for which Jeremy had been one of the signatories for many years).

Now, CAFCA has received bequests before but this is by far the biggest ever in our nearly 50 years. So, what are we going to do with this wonderful windfall? Months before we knew how much it would be, we decided not to use it for operational costs, but to do something special with it. Like what? At the time of writing, we haven't started the process of deciding what project or projects to use it on, but we're on to it. And we'll keep you informed. For the time being, the whole sum is safely parked up in a term deposit.

Jeremy was much more than a colleague to me, he was a friend, we had some unforgettable adventures together (I refer you to my obituary of him, see above). I miss him, and I'm not alone in that. CAFCA, and me personally, say a heartfelt thanks to him for this remarkable posthumous generosity. We'll make sure that it's put to the best possible use.

Watchdog - 165 April 2024