Longtime Wellington HIV campaigner, activist and social scene fixture Daniel Fielding has died after a brief illness. Fielding, 49, suffered a massive stroke on Wednesday which left him severely incapacitated. He died last night in Wellington Hospital after a series of smaller strokes and without regaining consciousness. Fielding was amongst the earliest New Zealanders diagnosed with HIV in the mid 1980s and, following his HIV diagnosis, immersed himself in HIV prevention, education and activism, particularly in the early days of the epidemic when hard information was difficult to come by. He was, in equal measures, a passionate and articulate supporter of HIV services in New Zealand and an outspoken critic of those initiatives he felt were misguided. He was also involved in many of the capital's gay rights, social and fundraising events, including the initiation of the Glammie Awards and the iconic Devotion parties. He was an ardent leatherman and in the mid 1990s co-owned the Sanctuary cruise club. “Daniel was intense, committed, mouthy, energetic and an inspiration to many glbt people,” says close friend and one-time business partner Jay Bennie. “He was one of the gayest people I have ever known in terms of his wholehearted immersion in the lives and needs of glbt people in Wellington and further afield. He had a wicked sense of humour and an easy way with people which quickly turned new acquaintances into friends.” Daniel Edmund Fielding's funeral will be held at Old St Pauls in central Wellington this Wednesday 19th October at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Chrissy Witoko Memorial Trust.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Sunday, 16th October 2005 - 12:00pm