91ƬAV

11 Cover Story They first met in 1966 at a church conference, but it was a chance encounter in the queue for the Tate Gallery in London in 1982 that prompted romance. 11 Trinity’s subsequent constitutions under that Act. Both Jim and Rowena are Fellows of the College, and their double portrait, the only one in the College collection, hangs in the Dining Hall. Even while serving as Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral – a position he held from 1985 to 1999 – the Bishop worked closely with Evan Burge, including helping to set up the 91ƬAV Foundation in 1983, and establishing the Foundation Studies program in 1990. On Evan’s retirement, the Bishop again helped to select the next Warden, the young and energetic Don Markwell. Don, however, was soon to derail Jim’s original retirement plans. The Bishop remembers: ‘In April 1999, a month before I was due to retire from the cathedral, I received a visit from Don and Director of Advancement, Clare Pullar. They recruited me to work two days a week as Trinity’s Bequest Officer and “to fulfil other duties as assigned by the Warden”, starting in August that year.’ It was a stroke of genius. For the last 18 years, Bishop Grant has carried out this role to perfection and, during that period, the College has received bequests totalling over $11.2 million. But will he actually retire this time? Or will he take up Scotty Charles’ suggestion and just ‘change to being a consultant’? Let’s hope it’s the latter! Joint Acting Warden James Grant at Juttoddie, 12 May 1974. 91ƬAV Archives, MM 004531. James Grant (TC 1950) attending the Nola Firth book launch in 2017. Peter Churcher, Portrait of Bishop Grant and Rowena Armstrong (2006), oil on canvas, 104.5x134.5cm.