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Release: Labour remembers Lady Glen Rowling

Lady Glen Rowling, wife of the late Prime Minister Bill Rowling, will be remembered as loyal, kind, clever and supportive.

“Lady Glen Rowling will be sorely missed by her family, community and by the Labour Party,” Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said.

“She was a solid and unwavering support to former Prime Minister Bill Rowling during a tough period both personally and in politics. She continued to contribute to the Labour movement and her community well after his death.

“Lady Glen gave a lifetime of service. She was a volunteer, giver of advice, caterer – whatever she needed to be. She lent her mana and support to Labour and to her community for a long time,” Chris Hipkins said.

“Bill Rowling and Lady Glen lived in Westport for a number of years, in the Buller electorate which was later split into West Coast and Tasman. They were hugely supportive,” Damien O’Connor said.

“Their son was involved in young farmers with my family. Lady Glen stood out to me as somebody who was highly respected, both as wife to Bill Rowling but also in her own right.”

Lady Glen was a parishioner at Christ Church Cathedral after moving to Nelson, where her funeral service will be held.

“I knew Lady Glen on a personal level through her commitment to the church, the Nelson community and the local Labour Party. She was incredibly bright, and a legendary quiz master who would always include obscure and creative political questions that would frustrate the room, much to her glee,” Nelson MP Rachel Boyack said.

“The Fifeshire Foundation, which supports people who are struggling in Nelson Tasman, was started by Bill Rowling and Lady Glen continued this support after his death. The Foundation helps with things like school uniforms, dental treatment, and firewood.

“In her name, the family have asked that instead of flowers, people send money to a charity of their choice. The Rowling name will live on through the good that she did,” Rachel Boyack said.


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