Carols in the Park

In the above photo, a flute teacher leads three of her pupils. They are playing for about 600 people who sat in the park to listen to items with a Christmas theme here in Alexandra. Led by the local Baptish Church, it turned out to be a very full program, with plenty of variety. And when you consider that about 10% of the town's population turned out to watch and listen, you could regard it as a great success. We live in a very talented community.

Profiter Roll Tower

Chef asked me to take a photo of this Profiter Roll Tower.
This is made with many Cheux pastry balls filled with cream and custard. They are stuck together with chocolate, with spun toffee over the top to hold it all together.
It looked very impressive.

Sutamam

This photo was taken on Christmas Day. We went to my brother in laws place for Christmas dinner, and I took this photo not far from his house.
These little things are known as Sutamam. They are native of New Zealand and they are very rare. They are mostly found in the parts of this country where the Lord of the Rings was filmed. (So much of New Zealand was covered during these movies that Middle Earth is also known as New Zealand.) Anyway, I can not remember if these wee guys appeared in the movies or not, but maybe they should have.
These guys make no sound at all. They have a coat that is so thick and coarse that it is difficult to tell one end from the other, and very hard to see any features. When you look at them, they do not move, but rather freeze on the spot. I have in my life time seen very few, and this was by far the most I had ever seen in one place. A group of them is called a 'gully', and there is no plural of the name. In some areas of the country, further north from here, they are sometimes called 'Mealamu' and I am led to believe this is because they operate very close to the ground.
If you see any of these sutamam, you should get in touch with your local Dept. of Conservation office. They are always pleased to see them.

The Value of Photos

With the advent of the Digital camera, many archivists and historians warn that there will be a gap in the recording of the human story. Less than 1% of photos taken are printed these days, many not lasting longer than a few seconds as the 'delete' button is pressed. There have always been gaps in the human story, and before photography came along there was a very big gap. Only the famous and wealthy were recorded. Mind you, an artist who could paint a fairly accurate (or at least flattering) portrait in an afternoon was in great demand and usually made a good living.
The above photo was taken about 1889. The original was made of tin, a daguerreotype. It was taken at Otter Ferry, on the shores of Loch Fyne, Argyle, Scotland.
At the time, some one thought it was a valuable thing to have. The children were cleaned up and dressed in their best, hair done etc. It was not a casual or every day event.
Sometime later, someone has thought that it was valuable, and carried it all the way from Scotland to New Zealand.
Many years later, I have found it so valuable that I have photographed it many times over, to distribute around my family.
Now, my children think it is priceless.
In the above photo, my great Grandfather Robert Lamont holds his son, Donald, and sitting beside him is his daughter Jessie, and then his wife Margaret McCallum, who is holding my Grandfather Archibald. On the right are daughters Maggie-Anne and Amy.
Get your family photos printed. Then your great great grandchildren will know what you looked like, and who they look like.

Small Schools

Over the last week I have been busy photographing the last of the schools I do for the year. It means I do a bit of traveling, and see some parts of the country that I get to only once a year.
The above photo is the complete roll and staff of the smallest school I visited during the year. I have been coming here for some years and have seen the roll change up and down depending on who owns the farms in the district. I think the most I ever saw here was 27, and the least 5.
Because I am one of very few photographers who will do some of these very small schools, I tend to get them all, which is not really in the best interests of my bank account. On the other hand, why should small remote schools miss out on the services other schools take for granted.
For a few years in the late nineties, I had the feeling that the Ministry of Education was following me around, and closing schools I had just photographed. Over a two or three year period I think I lost 13 this way, and did not always get the 'new' bigger school that resulted from consolidations. On the other hand I did not try very hard, as I always seem to have plenty to do. The real question is though, have these consolidations been good for the children in the system. There is no objective way of answering this, but what I can tell you from my own experience is 'no, these consolidations are not in the best interests of the students, or their communities'. And I will stick to that. As time goes on, and transport becomes more expensive, I will be able to say that the 'savings' earned will be wiped out as well.
The parents of the above students just know that though they are very isolated, their children are getting the absolutely best education possible. They tell me that. Does such a thing have a price?

The Twenty First 3

This cake, made by the Chef, is a Mississippi Mud Cake. But the reason I did this close up photo is to show the colour and design of the fruit used to decorate it. The trick is, according to the Chef, is to get the chocolate icing warm, but the fruit slices cold. When the fruit is pressed onto the icing, it goes hard and holds the fruit in place.
This seems to work just fine, but Chef does admit to sometimes using jam to glue the fruit on.
This cake was used as the 21st Birthday cake by the Central Otago Regional Orchestra, and was very popular. It is very rich, so you do not need a big piece, so there was even some left over.

The Twenty First 2

Nan Brownlie, John Wilson, Sheila Kerr and Bette Wilson are Life Members of the Central Otago Regional Orchestra, and here they are pictured cutting the Orchestra's 21st Birthday cake. I think they are enjoying themselves.

The Twenty First

The group of people in the above photo are having a 21st. They are the members of the Central Otago Orchestra, and the Central Otago Training Orchestra. Today, they invited quite a few to join the party, and for nearly two hours played a great variety of music they have covered over the last 21 years. The Training Team put on their own show, and made a very good job of it. Some of these performers are very young, but that does not seem to bother them.

Logo or Shield

Today one of the local Primary schools was blessing it's new logo. Or that is what it was being called. I am not sure it is a logo, which I always thought of as a drawing in the corner of a letterhead, next to the print. This work of art deserves to be called something better.

Carved by local artist Tim Riwhi, from what appears to be one piece of timber. It represents all the things the pupils say is special about their school.

I went only because someone told me that it was an impressive work. Now there is something else really special about this school .... it's shield.

First Communion

Yesterday the Church of St. John the Baptist in Alexandra was packed for the First Communion of 15 children from our area. Fr. Pat McGettigan officiated, and not shown in the above photo are several adults who helped these young people get to this point. Those pictured certainly did everything with a great deal of confidence, the young lady who started the offertory procession was almost running. All the readings were well read, and an air of 'I know what I am doing' was obvious.
Well done everyone involved. And thank you Carmen for asking me to be there again this year.

Long Lunch 3

The Long Lunch mentioned in previous posts has now taken place. I will write out the menu....

The lower photo is of the entree, which is .....

- Shredded Rabbit in Cherry Port with creamy spinach in rice paper roll.

- Small tomato tarte with hummus and olives.

- Hare salami on sour dough (bread) with quince and fig relish.

The upper photo is the mains. They were...

- Poached lamb and thyme sausage on Puy lentil with walnut, beetroot and goats' cheese salad.

- Filo rabbit rotolo with fresh tomato and thyme sauce.

- Salad of green bean, asparagus, almond and roasted red pepper with red current and shallot dressing.

- Honey mustard coleslaw with a garlic and parsley aioli.

The desert, as mentioned previously, was gooseberry and mint pie.

The Chef seems pleased with the way it all went.

This event marked the end of Thyme Week, which is timed to happen when the thyme growing wild on the hills around Central Otago is in flower. All of the ingredients used are available locally, except maybe the lentils, as there is reputed to be something special about them. There is certainly plenty of rabbit available in the district.

I know Chef will tell me that I should have cleaned up the plates before taking the photos, but frankly there was just not time. While I was taking these the helpers were waiting to take the food to the tables, and I figured that those at the tables had a greater need than I.

And, just for a change, there were some leftovers.

Sunshine Golf Classic

Each year at about this time, I am invited to be the photographer at the Alexandra Golf Club 'Sunshine Golf Classic'. This two day contest attracts lady players from all over the country, and always has a full field. My job description is 'photograph the winners, but do it on the first day', which means I have to photograph everyone who turns up to play. So I do them all in groups of four, during the first day's play. Some years ago a lady told me, after she had finished, that her golf got much better after her photo was taken. So I tell them all that "now you have had the photo done, your golf will improve". For some reason, it seems to be true, though some of them deny it. We do not always get Sunshine for this contest, but I think the word refers more to the state of mind, rather than the weather. Sometimes, if I am not booked for something else, I go back to the Club for the prize giving, and I must say the prizes are worth getting.
The above photo is of this years winners. These two ladies come from the Owaka Golf Club, and have been playing in this contest for some years. This was their first win.
Well done ladies, I will see you again next year, I hope.

Lions

This photo was taken recently in Dunedin. It is a Lions Cabinet. Lions International is a service organisation started in America many years ago. It is administered in a layered fashion, with each District led by a District Governor and a Cabinet. This is the Cabinet for District 202J, which is one of 7 or so in New Zealand. 202J extends up the east coast of the South Island, from say Ashburton to Balclutha.
I am not a Lion myself, but I do sympathise with their cause, and they are well organised to provide all sorts of aid to the wider community. One of the best known is "Sight First" where lots of money is raised, helping those who for some reason are losing their sight. Some years ago they collected literally tons of unused or redundant reading glasses from around New Zealand, and sent them to somewhere in Africa to be distributed free of charge to any one who needed them.
We have friends who had a child who needed major surgery in Sydney. The local Lions Club in his area arrived at his door with a voucher for a free rental car in Sydney for as long as it was required. Though our friends told them the car would probably not be needed, the Lions insisted they take the voucher, saying it would be better to have it and not use it, than not having it if it was needed. Our friends say that within a few days in Sydney, they were so pleased to have the car they could not understand why they had tried to turn it down.
This sort of thing happens all over the country, usually not reported or noticed by any one.
Next time you see a Lions Club BBQ, go and buy a couple of steaks. You get something, and someone else will too.

Fifty Years

This photo was taken at the end of July, but it is definitely worth a mention. These people are standing outside St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Alexandra. They are celebrating two events.
The first is that it is 50 years since the church building was completed. This was not the first Catholic Church built in this town, I think there were two before it, but it is by far the biggest in the town. While this photo shows nothing of the building, it does have the important stuff.
Here on this day were several people who helped build this building, the first children to be baptised in this building, the first couple to be married in this building, and the first Priest to say Mass in this building. And, it just so happens that it was his first Mass. So the other celebration was the 50th year since Father Merv McGettigan became a Priest.
After this photo was taken, everyone went up to the School Hall for afternoon tea, with no less than two big cakes. There were several speeches and a good time was had by all.
Father Merv has now retired from being a full time Priest, though we still see him from time to time. Without the likes of him, the building would be just a shell.

Moving House

Literally. Moving house. This would be one of the bigger ones I have seen, even with the truck in the middle of the road, the house still hangs over the edges. The battens on the roof are so they can drive under power wires, they just slide over the house. Now I know why they do not concrete in the road signs.

Long Lunch 2

The above photo is of the Mint and Gooseberry Pie, which, as mentioned in a previous post, is on the menu for the Long Lunch. The photo was sent to me by Louise Joyce. Louise sent other photos of the other items on the menu as well, but since I can not describe what they are, I will not put them here.
There is talk of a mystery Guest at the Lunch, there are rumours, but I do not know who it would be. It is not me, as they want as many people to come as possible.

Vince and Monique

I started photographing weddings late compared with many other photographers. I had been in the industry for 12 years before I attempted my first, and it was really by way of a favour. It could have been better, but since the payment was two sides of mutton, I think it was good value. I learned a lot, and by carefully going over the photos with the new Bride and Groom a week later, I learned even more. They were very pleased with them. I was not quite so pleased, but learned from that lengthy meeting that it does not pay to point out to the couple what is wrong with the photos. Everyone has a different perspective, and my perspective was of a super critical perfectionist, which is not what they were looking for. I shot that first wedding with a Minolta XE5 and a 50mm lens, and an RB67 with 6x4.5 backs for the formals. With the advent of the slower super fine grain films, I shifted to totally 35mm film. I have no idea how many rolls of Fuji Reala I used, as printed on Kodak paper really did produce the goods.
I do not know exactly how many weddings I have done since, but the last count several years ago was 614.
It would be fair to say that I have enjoyed them all. The youngest couple were a pair of 19 year olds and the oldest Groom was 72, with a 53 year old Bride. (The MC at this wedding accused him of 'cradle snatching'!).
On Saturday I was fortunate indeed to be at Vince and Monique's wedding. These two have been practicing the art of being 'laid back' for quite awhile I would say, and Saturday's event was not going to change that. I always try to brief the Groom to 'strike a pose like the Chief of the Tribe' but sometimes that just does not work. In the above photo, which I especially selected to make the point, Vince looks much more like 'the cat who has just got the cream'. And, if you want my opinion, he has every right to have that look.
Good luck, you two. I won't always remember your wedding anniversary, but I hope I have given you something to help you remember it.

The wide view

I am not sure how this will turn out, as I have had to reduce the size of it somewhat. This is three photos welded together, and is the view of "our valley". The town in which I live is just out of sight on the extreme left.

This photo was taken early in the morning during the winter. It was fairly cold, but we were above the frost line. A few minutes after taking this, the sun got to our side of the hill, and every few minutes the view changed with the new light.

I am not much of a photographer when it comes to landscapes. I never seem to get them 'how they should look' and I really admire guys that get it right every time. It does not seem to be that I can't see it, it's just the photo is never what I expect, or hoped for. However, I was quite pleased with this one, and a few others in the series.

This hill on which I stand is for sale. I am not sure if I approve of it's subdivision or not, as the view from the bottom of it is also outstanding. I am not sure that putting houses etc all over it is in the best interests of the landscape. At night this hill becomes a black silhouette, and having lights on it would not be good.

However, if I could afford it, would this be the view that I would like to wake up to each day?

Alex Dunbar 2

Today is Rememberence Day, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month. Rather than waiting til next Anzac Day to continue the story of Alex Dunbar, I thought I would try something today. I am going to try and cut and paste an email into this post, and I do not know if it will work. Here's hoping.
Hi DonaldThe only reference to that name in my records is
Alexander Dunbar, wife and five childrenin the passenger list of the Hydaspes which departed from London on 3rd July 1869 and arrived at Lyttleton on 29th September 1869, a bit early for your chap.However, this must be him (from the CWGC site):
No
Surname
Rank
Service Number
Date Of Death
Age
Regiment/Service
Nationality
Grave/Memorial Ref.
Cemetery/Memorial Name
1
DUNBAR, ALEXANDER
Lance Corporal
434423
12/08/1944
22
New Zealand Infantry
New Zealand
VII. A. 18.
FLORENCE WAR CEMETERY
Name:
DUNBAR, ALEXANDER
Initials:
A
Nationality:
New Zealand
Rank:
Lance Corporal
Regiment/Service:
New Zealand Infantry
Unit Text:
22nd (Motor) Bn
Force:

-->
Age:
22
Date of Death:
12/08/1944
Service No:
434423
Additional information:
Son of Robert and Phoebe Dunbar, of Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
Casualty Type:
Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference:
VII. A. 18.
Cemetery:
FLORENCE WAR CEMETERY
Cemetery Details
Cemetery:
FLORENCE WAR CEMETERY
Country:
Italy
Locality:
unspecified
Visiting Information:
The cemetery is permanently open and may be visited anytime. Wheelchair access to the site is possible, but may be by alternative entrance. For further information regarding wheelchair access, please contact our Enquiries Section on telephone number 01628 507200.
Location Information:
If travelling by road, from the A1 Rome to Milan exit at Firenze Sud and continue over the River Arno to the first set of traffic lights. Turn right onto SS67, direction Forli, and continue for 3.2 kilometres to the village of Girone. The Cemetery is signposted and can be found on the right hand side. If travelling by public transport, from Florence Central Station (S. Maria Novella), take the bus line 14A to the terminal at Girone. Florence War Cemetery is in Via Aretina, approximately 100 metres from the terminal.
Historical Information:
On 3 September 1943 the Allies invaded the Italian mainland, the invasion coinciding with an armistice made with the Italians who then re-entered the war on the Allied side. Following the fall of Rome to the Allies in June 1944, the German retreat became ordered and successive stands were made on a series of defensive positions known as the Trasimene, Arezzo, Arno and Gothic Lines. Florence, which was taken by the Allied forces on 13 August 1944, was the centre of the Arno line and the point from which the attack on the German Gothic Line defences in the Apennines was launched. The site for the war cemetery was selected in November 1944 for burials from the hospitals established in and around Florence but the greater part of those buried here lost their lives in the fighting in this area from July to September 1944. After the war, 83 graves were moved into the cemetery from nearby Arrow Route Cemetery, when it proved impossible to acquire the site in perpetuity. Most of these burials were from the fighting in the Apennines during the winter of 1944-1945. Florence War Cemetery now contains 1,632 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War.
No. of Identified Casualties:
1620To see the location of the cemetery click on this link http://fhr.kiwicelts.com/Cemeteries/NZ_Cemetery_Map.html?ID=ITA00016&rld=0.7097713312628713 which will take you to another of my web pages. Select Satellite using the "map" option at the top right and double click the Icon to see a photo of it from the air.
Kind Regards
MurrayChristchurchNew Zealand
Thanks Murray, just brilliant.
It has not copied as well as I hoped, as there is a lovely photo of the Cemetery in Florence, but maybe that will work on the link.
Then I got more from Murray......
Hi Donald - apart from the map (which is mine and Google's), it is all from the CWGC website http://www.cwgc.org/. I'm quite sure that they allow publication. If you go to http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp?menuid=14 and search for him he is the only one you will find of that name in the NZ forces for WW2. I just cut & pasted it. (btw CWGC is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission)The first place I would try for relatives is the Rootsweb / New Zealand genealogy interest group - are you aware of it? If not let me know and I'll show you how to join.
Kind Regards
MurrayChristchurchNew ZealandVisit us at KiwiCelts.com for ...
Now what I have to do is visit all these sites, then we have to find out if he had any brothers or sisters, then I have to find out from Dad what happened to him, then we have to remember him. These things are the least we can do.
He was 22 years old.

The Long Lunch

There is no photo with this post as, foolishly, I did not take my camera. Two of our sons and I have just got back from the meal assessment for the Long Lunch. Once again Chef has been asked to prepare a meal fit for royalty for this event, run by Promote Dunstan. It generally happens sometime during the Thyme Festival, and seems to be organised by author and journalist Louise Joyce and others on the Promote Dunstan panel.
I am quite well known for being a meat and three veg type person, cheap to run and easy to please. However the meal tonight was very good. The only comment I made was that there was to much mint in the mint and gooseberry pie. Need less to say this was not a common complaint, everyone else thought it was fine. It's just that when I have gooseberry pie, I expect only gooseberries. And pie.
Someone else took some photos of the meal so I will rely on them.
I do not know how to get a ticket, but if you google it I daresay something will happen.
Recommended.

Warepa School

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to be in attendance at the 150th Jubilee of the Warepa School. This village is tucked into the gently rolling hills of South Otago, and still offers schooling to local families. I might be wrong, but I think it is the 4th oldest school in Otago.

I really do enjoy photographing these events. All the attendees have their childhood in common, and many of the stories they tell are quite amusing. And they come from all over to be there, even a couple from England were there for the weekend. At the get together on the Friday night, I watched as two elderly gentlemen met each other for the first time in 46 years. Within minutes, they had resumed the conversation they had not quite completed all those years ago, one even reminding the other that he was supposed to do something before he left. All find out something surprising about the people they were at Primary School with. Some change more than others.

I could go on, but I want to thank Forbsie for organising me, Maree the mother of the great Rugby players for writing up the board, and current pupils Cameron and Tegan, who went back and forward with the board all afternoon. Greg for the truck, and thanks to the 214 in the big photo for your endurance, it was cold and windy.

Feel free to book me now for the big one in 50 years time.

In the top photo, two ladies in their nineties cut the cake with the youngest pupil and a boy representing the generations who have been to school in this place.

In the bottom photo, all who were there on the Saturday (except the local newspaper reporter), got in the picture. A brief time in a long history.

Alex Dunbar

During the Second World War, my Father served as an anti tank gunner in the 22nd Battalion, in the New Zealand Army. He was in Egypt and Italy, and probably other places I have not heard about. Like many who served in this conflict, he does not talk about it to anyone, except maybe those who were there. For many years he went to Battalion reunions, but because of the diminishing numbers, reunions have not been held for some years. At these reunions, the crosses of those who did not come home were always on display, a reminder I suppose, to those who were charged with remembering them. At the final reunion, the crosses were distributed to families around the country, and where no family was found, the cross was given to a living member for safe keeping. Dad was given the cross of Alex Dunbar because Dad was with him when he died.
A few years ago we traveled to Dad's place on Anzac Day, and there on the front lawn was Alex Dunbar's cross, and it was then we were told his story.
Last weekend, I stayed the night at Dad's place, and while putting some bits out in the garage, noticed the cross in a rack of tools, waiting for the next Anzac Day.
Alex Dunbar had no relations to claim his cross, and Dad has been unable to find any reference to any. I have spent some hours in various genealogy sites looking for any one who may be looking for him, but have had no luck. It is understood that he came from Napier, or some area up that way, but that is all that Dad can remember. I will continue to look.
The next time I mention Alex Dunbar, it will be with a photo of the cross on the front lawn, and I will give you more details then. In the meantime, if you are a Dunbar genealogist, feel free to get in touch.

Prize winning Photo

There is no photo published with this post. There is a photo though.
I do not enter photo competitions. I have judged a few, but never enter them. Mostly the contests around here are for amateurs only, though many are won by people who derive some income from photography. So I was a bit chuffed to get an email today telling me that I had won the 'Rugby photo of the Year' with Leslie Rugby. If you want to know more about the Leslies and Rugby, just type it into google. There is heaps there. Anyway, Leslie Rugby Ltd runs coaching clinics, help for clubs, and supplies balls, tee shirts and equipment for clubs throughout the country. They are based in Dunedin, New Zealand.
To see the winning photo, go to www.leslierugby.co.nz and look at the last page of the November 08 newsletter. The whole Newsletter is interesting to those with an interest in Rugby, so you can read it all.
I had taken one photo of this team already, and had left the camera to adjust something, went back to the camera just as a door to the side opened, and as I took the next photo this happened. It has been edited. If you want to see the original, you should visit the club rooms at the Lawrence Rugby Club. It is on the wall. It would be one of the most 'off the wall' photos I have taken.

Happy Birthday Patrick

Every one has one every year. Some do not know when theirs is and many will not have another one. Many others in the world have not had one yet.

I hope you are as pleasant and bright for the next 14 years, Patrick.

Happy Birthday.

Shirley Club

Over the last weekend I was privileged to be able to take photos at the New Zealand's 2nd Shirley Club mini Convention.The above photo is of a group of people whose first name is Shirley. And if you take a close look at it, you will see that this name is not restricted to females.
Some people travelled a long way to be here, there were a few from West Australia, a bigger group from various parts of Queensland, in fact it would be fair to say that all parts of the two countries were represented. They had a great time, in fact considering that they have nothing in common except their names, they got on very well.
From a photographers point of view, there were a few differences. When I asked Shirley to move a bit to the left, the whole lot went. On the other hand I did not have to learn any other names. As soon as I got them all into position, they burst into song, and were as good as any choir I have heard.
This convention was organised by four local Shirleys, Bell, Morait, McGregor and Marsden. They made a very good job of it.
I am angling to get a free trip to Perth next year for the next convention, and as there may be 200 plus at that, it may well be worth going.
Thanks for having me, Shirley and Shirley etc. Have a good trip home.

Bob and Vini

In one of my previous posts I said that most of my photos had the human face in them, but this one is not so specific, but it has a good story.
Pictured is a group of children from Clyde School, singing to a group of about 50 adults, while the children from another school sit in the foreground waiting their turn. So why on a Wednesday would 2 schools go to the trouble of taking some singers to a lunch for a bunch of adults?
Kathi McLean is an enthusiastic sort of person, and some years ago she organised REAP to supply adults who had time to go into the local schools at a time that suited all, to listen to children read. A friend of mine has been doing this every Tuesday afternoon for a couple of years, two children, half an hour each, a bit of reading and then a game of something. Or maybe a puzzle. On those Tuesday afternoons when my friend could not make it, he would get me to step in, if I had time. So on several Tuesdays I would go to the school near me, and listen to the reading of Bob and Vini.These two guys were always pleased to see me and keen to show off their latest skills with the language. (I sometimes believe that if I had covered the pictures in the books they would have had no idea, but I will save my opinions about teaching reading to boys for some other time). We would have a game of cards, using the official rules (otherwise they make up their own), or a game of connect four, or even just noughts and crosses. Sometimes the attention strayed a bit, but generally they were good. In the room with me would be four or five other adults, and as many children, doing the same thing. Good fun.
This happens only for the two middle terms of the year, so at the start of the fourth term all the adults involved go out to lunch. That is what is happening in the photo, and the children come and sing by way of thanks.
I did not see Bob and Vini there though. Maybe they were, as Vini would put it, 'grounded again'.

Adam's Cake

Jo, who is married to me, is famous for her cakes. In this blog she will be known as the 'Chef', because that is what she does. The Chef maintains you can't have a party for any reason without having a cake.

The above photo is of the cake she made for Adam's Baptism. It was a carrot cake, and stood about 20cm high.

The Chef does not have a blog, but if you want the recipe for this or any other cake, you should leave a comment here.

Adam will be around for 70, 80 even 90 years, but I can tell you the cake did not last long.

A sharp intake of breath.

On Sunday Adam Jamie was Baptised. It was a real family affair, the service was conducted by Father Brendon, who is Adam's uncle, and family members were the Godparents. Even the photographer is a second cousin of Adam's.
This sacrament was started 2000 odd years ago by some guy known as John the Baptist, who was a cousin of Jesus Christ. Adam's event took place in the Church of John the Baptist, Alexandra. Some one once told me that the Church was called John the Baptist because it was beside the biggest river (for volume) in New Zealand.
None of this stuff was worrying Adam, who slept through the whole thing, except the sharp intake of breath when contacted by the water.
Father Brendon told the story of King Louis the 9th, King of France, who went on to become a Saint. He lived from 1214 through to 1270. For his official seal he used "Louis of Poissey". When he was asked why he did not use the official Royal seal, or the seal of Reims where he was crowned he replied "I was Baptised in Poissey. Though I was crowned in Reims, it is better to be a child of God, than Ruler of a Kingdom".
After Mass most of the Parish went up to the Presbytery for morning tea. Just as well there is a large lawn and it was a nice day.

I did another Baptism later the same day. Though it may not be fashionable, it is certainly very common.

Is it Art?

I have been taking photos for a living since the mid 70's. Before that I had the odd photo published in school magazines and some specialist sport publications, but mostly the subject material was the human face, as this is always what has interested me. So it was really photos of family and friends, pretty much the same as everyone else. When I was getting paid for doing the job, it seemed so easy and natural, I used to say it sure beat work. The more good photos I could take, mostly portraits of children, the more I got paid. As time has gone on, I have done other subjects, but never seem to get the 'difference' between my photos and everyone else's. So maybe I am not a photographer at all, just a 'people organiser'. This means really that the 'art' part of it is getting people in the right place with the right expressions rather than the finished product itself. Though I still believe the human face is the greatest of all works of art, and I am just recording what is there. A recorder. A documenter. There must be some other word for it.
The first photo by Peter Peryer I became aware of was "Dead Steer". He has come across a swollen corpse of a black and white cattle beast somewhere on a road side and took a photo of it. It sort of became famous because someone tried to stop it being published in Europe, as the fear was it would tarnish New Zealand's clean green image, or something. (No mention was made of the thousands of possums, slow hedgehogs and rabbits that daily feed the hawks on our roads around here!).
At Central Stories on Friday night, Peter Peryer launched his latest book. He has had several launches around the country, and this one was probably the smallest, but it was a launch all the same.
This guy is so good that he really challenges me to examine what I have been doing all these years. While I have been trying to get the 'photo that sells', he has photographed what he likes, and makes it work.
The Henderson Arts Trust Residency is a trust based here in Alexandra, that invites Artistic people to stay in Henderson House for a year. They don't have to do anything while they are there, you can't apply to get in, you are selected, and it is a great system. Peter Peryer is the latest resident, and we are very pleased to have him.
The above photo is of Martin Haanen, from the Henderson Arts Trust, Peter Peryer holding his new book, and Brian Patrick, the Director of Central Stories.
Get the book. It is Art.

Preschool Education

This photo is of a group of people in rural Southland. The children range in age from 11 days through to almost 5. This is a Playgroup, an almost casually organised group of parents who meet several times a week so their children can 'play' together. The children have a wide range of activities to try, though the paint was not out on the day I was there, as I need clean faces for the portraits.
I find this type of 'preschool education' to be one where the children are very relaxed and busy. Because of the high number of parents present, it becomes a social outing for everyone, with tea coffee and home baking for the adults, and each child has a chance to have morning tea with their friends. It would be fair to say that the children are much 'easier' from the photographers point of view, and the only objection to having one's photo taken is that someone else may get the best bike while the photo is being taken. This is not "bunging the kids in preschool" Jim Mora, this is the true socialisation of the young into a group. They expect to have some 'formal' times like mat time, but mostly they choose for themselves those things that interest them. Over the years I have been photographing the children at this place, I have come to realise that being there is like having a day off, compared with some of the places I go.
Some of them travel some distance to get there, and so do I. All agree it is well worth it.
Thanks for having me again.

Old Sheds 2

This is the Woolshed on Wantwood Station, obviously not in use today. In it's day it would have been a very big shed, and how many times it was added to is unknown. Once again it has the wooden shingles. Evidently inside some dates are stencilled on the walls, so some part of it's history is logged. I do not know what sort of wood it is made out of, but it has lasted well. If you click on the photo you can see a lot more detail, but then I did not have to tell you that, did I.

Old sheds

In my travels, I see many changes to the landscape throughout Otago and Southland. The most profound ongoing change is the conversion of sheep farms to dairy units. This can happen in the most unlikely places, and sometimes I do not altogether like the effect. One of the first things that seems to happen during the conversion is the removal by any means of any apparently redundant building on the property. While this may provide a 'clean and tidy' look, it almost completely removes any of the history associated with the property. The second thing that happens is the felling of most of the shelter trees. On some windswept farms the wisdom of this is to be questioned. After all, grass grows if the temperature is above 8 degrees C, and if you have a gale blowing over it it is less likely to get to that temperature. The people who started the farm learned the hard way how much more pleasant it was to work on a property without the hindrance of thin winds that go straight through everything.
The above photo is of what was (I think) the living quarters for staff on Wantwood Station in Northern Southland. This property is leased by an enthusiastic young sheep farmer, and is most unlikely to be converted, so presumably the building will be allowed to fall down at a natural rate. One of the interesting things about it, is that wooden tiles were used on the roof, and when these started to leak, corrugated iron was put over the top. You can see the slates where the iron has come off.
The message is.... if you are going to knock down an old building for whatever reason, go out and take some photos of it before you do it. If you can't take photos, get someone in who can. At least then there will be some future record of it.
In my next post I will put a photo of the wool shed on the same property. I hope someone will give me the complete history of these buildings.

Anyone for ..... Petanque?

Over the weekend, this town has hosted the New Zealand singles petanque championships. We have quite an active if small club here, and they meet most weeks for a game with whoever turns up. I have always found them welcoming, but I seem to lack the skill and patience for the game myself. When I was getting thrashed by my own children I thought it might be time to try something else, and when they stopped going because of cricket and other stuff, I did not continue going. It is the sort of game that if you practice often, you could become very good. And so it was over the weekend. I watched a few games, and could see that these guys and girls are VERY GOOD at it.
The above photo is of Michael Rocks of Wellington, who over the two days beat all comers to finish up the New Zealand Singles Champion. He was very pleased with his effort, and was very keen to come back here and play again.
All the visitors praised the organisation, and left happy.
Any small organisation that can attract 120 visitors to the town for the weekend should be congratulated.
And, as a final comment, the youngest playing would have been about 13 or 14, and the oldest well into the 70's, so it is good family sport.
My spellcheck tells me that I have Petanque spelt wrong, but I can't find it in my small dictionary. I daresay someone will put me right.

Central Rocks

Last Friday night quite a good crowd of interested and interesting people gathered at 'Central Stories', our local museum. The event was the launching of a book titled "Central Rocks", a guide to the geology and landscapes of Central Otago. It was written by Daphne Lee and Jane Forsyth, (top photo) and is a much needed addition to the basics of geology in this area. We live in an area that is geologically unique, and because I do not know much about it, will not go into more detail here. But being the father of five curious kids, it has always been a source of some irritation that I do not know the answer to 'what sort of rock is this Dad?' type questions. While this little gem of a book does not answer all those sort of questions, it does give me enough information to make my answer at least interesting.

In the second photo the book is being held by our Mayor, himself a geologist, Dr. Martin McPherson. To his left are the two authors, Daphne Lee and Jane Forsyth, and to his right is the Director of the museum, Brian Patrick.

I wanted to place the two authors at the bottom of this post, but that is one of the many things I have to learn about this system.

Well done Ladies. I look forward to your next book.

Bye Bye Birdie 2

I have added another photo from this show. The colours were great, and with the brighter lights here they show up better here. There was certainly plenty of action and movement, not in the photographers best interests.
I am still coming to grips with this system, which is easy enough as long as you are not in a hurry.
The next thing I have to learn is how to make links, so you can go from here to another site which may have more info.
D.

Bye Bye Birdie

Each year at about this time, the Alexandra Musical Society puts on a stage show. It runs during our Blossom Festival week. For some years I have been privileged enough to do the photos for the program, and this year the Society did 'Bye Bye Birdie', a musical that with my limited knowledge in the subject, I had never heard of before. I go into the hall and do action shots on stage as well, during the dress rehearsal. The advent of digital makes this much easier, as it gives me access to a wider range of ASA settings, so I can handle the rapidly changing lights. Some scenes were quite dark, and despite what is said on all the forums about Nikon being not so good at the higher ASA ratings, I do get some good shots. I am not sure about this one as it posted itself while I as opening it.
The Musical Society can be proud of it's record over the last 50 odd years, and this year was no exception. I can not find one person who did not describe the show as 'brilliant', and two of my children who went last night were very enthusiastic about it. For a town this size we do very well. We can bring in the odd expert to help, and this year's producer was Karen Elliot, who is very motivating and enthusiastic. Siale Tunoka played one of the lead rolls to a very high standard, and I think this helped settle everyone else into their rolls.
A very funny and enjoyable night out.
D.

Silly photos

Over the years I have done many school photos. One thing that seems constant with school leavers is the demand for the 'silly photo' of the group. In the days of film this used to irritate me a bit as it cost film and no one ever bought them. These days I count down from 10 and at about 3 start taking photos.
These young people are our future leaders, at least one in this group will be at the Olympics in London, and others will succeed and fail just like everyone else, but they don't know that. After 13 years at school they are both concerned and excited about what happens next year. Those that have a good firm plan will do the best, others will get some way and then change direction. All will look back on this year and wonder why they did not do better. That is just in the nature of humanity.
I have been caught. I have a fairly prominent moustache, and a few years ago all the guys in the group pulled out false whiskers for the silly photos. This age group is, if nothing else, very witty.
Good luck you lot.
D.

The Haka

I took this photo while in Nelson recently. The event was the Under 15 years Rugby tournament, and the boy on the right leading the Haka for his school, St.Kevin's College, is one of my sons, Michael. He made a good job of it, and the Haka from this school was the most impressive of all. I am unsure as to why they were allowed to do it only on the last game. While the Haka was impressive, the rugby they played was not of such a standard, and Michael's team did not win a game. However, the team saw some parts of the country they had not seen before, and I am sure they all learned something about attitude and how it affects one's game.
I like this photo as it captures the 'challenge' in the body language, even to the stamping of the foot.
I was hoping to photograph members of this team scoring tries, but that will have to wait until next time.

The Tree

My Cousin has sold her property, and all the family is shifting to Singapore for a few years. She has young children, and I suppose it will give them experience in a different culture. But this photo is the view from the lounge window, and I fear they will miss it. I remember when this tree was planted here, and it was touch and go for a few years if it would survive. It has been climbed over by many small children, including mine, and has lived.
Someone once painted a painting of a scene like this, just one tree in the middle of apparently nothing else. I do not remember who it was, but I know I have seen it.
The Nor'West arch above it is a common cloud formation here, and I am sure my cousin will miss that, too.
Safe travels, cousin.

This is a photo I took recently of the Arrowtown Premier Rugby team. They had pretty much won everything going in the Otago Country competition, except the White Horse Cup, which is held by Alexandra. This team is well led by Aidan Winter, who is the sort of no nonsense loose forward that other clubs dream of having. I notice as well one Hayden Finch. I am sure this guy used to play for the New Zealand under 19 team, in fact I think they won the worlds while he was in the team. Hayden is from the Crescent Club in Kaitangata, where his family have been if not the backbone then certainly the ribs of the Crescent Club for many years. It will be interesting to watch Arrowtown next year, as some of the 'imports' may not be there. They do not have another team to draw from, (except the under eights, and it might be a few years.....)
I was a bit miffed as my big light has reflected on the shield, however they assured me that since this was the first time they had won it, they did not mind how prominent it was.
This type of photo where the printing is on the photo and not on top and bottom of a plain white border are certainly becoming more popular, and they really do look dramatic. The big poster I did for the Club wall certainly looked good.
Well done Arrowtown, good result.
D.