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.