PEOPLE AND PLACES

Te Ao Hou, March 1965, Page 24

PEOPLE AND PLACES when te ao hou went to press, the opera ‘Porgy and Bess’ was still in rehearsal, and it was already clear that it would be a most exciting production. Inia Te Wiata (see photo above) had arrived from London to play Porgy, and the three Negro singers, Martha Flowers, John McCurry and Delores Ivory were here to take the parts of Bess, Crown and Serena. Two well known Maori singers have the other leading parts: the popular entertainer Toni Williams (see photo above, right) is Sportin' Life, and the singer Hannah Tatana (above, far right) is Maria. Here are the names of the singers taking other parts in the opera. All of these people also sing in the chorus. Their usual occupations—which cover a very wide range—are also given here: Isobel Whatarau Cowan, housewife, of Feilding, is ‘Clara’. Mark Metekingi, teacher, of Wellington, is ‘Jake’. Sam Stevens, teacher, of Auckland, is ‘Mingo’. Kahu (Nick) Karaitiana, carpenter, of Christchurch, is ‘Robbins’. Sid Reweti, clerk, of Wellington, is ‘Peter’. Tuta Kainamu, clerk, of Gisborne, is ‘Frazier’. Diana Winterburn, nursing sister, of Auckland, is ‘Annie’. Celeste Barker, housewife, of Rotorua, is ‘Lily’. Don Selwyn, teacher, of Taumarunui, is ‘Jim’. Rangi Hapi, signwriter, of Hastings, is ‘Crab Man’. John Denny, stevedore, of Christchurch, is the ‘Undertaker’. Other members of the chorus are: Thelma Keepa Grabmaier, clerk, of Wellington. Mary Reid, housewife, of Hastings. Peti Rei, housewife, of Rotorua. Margaret Kimura, receptionist, of Foxton. Melva Puki, nurse, of Rotorua. Lynn Wehipeihana, textile spinner, of Wellington. Hira Wainohu, housewife, of Hastings. Lorraine Bristow, training college student, of Wellington. Ngaire Karaka, teacher, of Auckland. Polly Tarawhiti, typist, of Wellington. Anne Baird, housewife, of Waipukurau. Newha Taiaki, civil servant, of Hamilton. Josh Gardiner, clerk, of Rotorua. George Henare, teacher, of Te Araroa. Edward Huriwai, ministry of works, of Rotorua.

Peter Keiha, farmer, of Gisborne. Ross Waters, surf instructor, of Auckland. George Wikaira, training college student, of Te Awamutu. The tour manager for the show is Mr Sydney Crawford of Hastings, who in 1963 was the tour manager for the Arohanui Maori Company during its trip to the United States. a congregation of almost 2,000 Maoris and Pakehas attended the Christmas service at Oihi in the Bay of Islands to celebrate the 150th anniversary of New Zealand's first Christian service, held at Oihi by the Rev. Samuel Marsden on Christmas Day, 1814. At the service (see photo below) the sermon was preached by the Rev. R. E. Marsden, great-great-grandson of Samuel Marsden. He spoke at the foot of the tall cross which marks the place where the first service was held, and chose for his address the same text as that preached 150 years ago: ‘Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy’. Many of the visitors, including the Governor-General, Sir Bernard Fergusson, and Lady Fergusson, and the other members of the official party, made the ten-mile trip by boat to remote Oihi; other visitors made a 25-mile road trip, then walked the last mile of the way. Five hundred visitors from all parts of New Zealand stayed at the Waitangi marae during the three-day celebrations. On Boxing Day there was held in the grounds of the Treaty House a pageant in which the events of Christmas Day 1814 were re-enacted by descendants of Maoris and Pakehas who were present at the original service. It is estimated that altogether 6,000 people visited Waitangi for the celebrations. The Rev. R. E. Marsden is at present on a country-wide tour, preaching at Anglican churches all over New Zealand. Northern Advocate Photo

the photograph above shows four successful students who last December graduated as kindergarten teachers in Auckland. They are, from left to right, Theresa Wi Repa from Hicks Bay, Eileen Pakinga from Three Mile Bush, Kamo, Margaret Wihongi from Kaikohe, and Gloria Thompson from Panmure, Auckland. Miss Thompson gained her diploma with merit, being the first Maori student to do this. She is the recipient of a special award which will enable her to visit kindergartens where there are large groups of Maori children, in the hope of learning ways of encouraging Maori parents to take a more active interest in the work of kindergartens. there were several Maori lads among the New Zealanders who last January attended the Australia Scout Jamboree at Dandenong, Victoria. This photo shows, from left to right, Neville Luke of Lower Hutt, Vernon Winitana of Lower Hutt, and Henare Broughton Tuahiwi, North Canterbury. Two other boys, Bruce Luxford of Turua and Eric Brunger of Taihape, were out of camp when the photographer arrived. The New Zealand Contingent's section of the camp was approached through archways decorated with carved and painted Maori designs, and as their demonstration of the culture of their country, the New Zealand boys performed vigorous hakas and action songs.

one of the many Maoris who has spent a period working in the Islands is Miss Josephine Pryor (see photo above). Miss Pryor, a trained nurse, is the daughter of the late Henry (Gundy) Pryor and the late Taini Teawaroa, both of Te Teko. She is a sister of Albert Pryor, the Maori All Black. After training at the Whakatane and Wanganui hospitals she became a staff nurse and junior sister at Whakatane, later spending a period at St Helens Hospital in Auckland to complete her midwifery course. In 1961 she left New Zealand to take up a position as a registered nurse in Western Samoa. After completing her two-year contract she returned to New Zealand, and has now a position in the maternity section of Middlemore Hospital. Last year she and a friend spent a holiday in Japan, where they saw the Olympic Games. Her photograph was sent in by Mrs M. B. Akuhata-Brown, who writes, ‘Here is a young lady who was deprived of both her parents while still at school, but who nevertheless had the determination and foresight to succeed in her chosen profession. May we all, who are in the same predicament, be as courageous and ambitious!’ mrs mary wi repa (see photo above) lives with her husband, Mr Romeo Wi Repa, at Whanarua Bay on the East Coast. She has always been fascinated by paintings, but while their ten children were growing up she had no leisure time to spend on it herself. Even after the children had gone their different ways, Mrs Wi Repa still hesitated for a while, very conscious of her lack of training as an artist. Then she started experimenting. She remembered a Japanese painting on glass that she had seen, and tried her hand at a similar one. Her painting was entered in a contest at the Opotiki Agricultural Show, and to her astonishment it won first prize; despite its technical limitations, it was warmly praised by the judge for its vividness and freshness of colour. In the seven years since then, Mrs Wi Repa, who is now 60 years old and has many grand-children, has spent most of her free time painting. She does both abstract paintings and landscapes, and is especially fond of painting the beautiful scenery near her home. She has also a special interest in historic Maori places, and scenes from the past. Her work has vitality and freshness, and the sunlight and warmth in her landscapes reflects her natural ability as a colourist. Mrs Wi Repa has sold many paintings, and has had them hung in several exhibitions, including the Kelliher contest. Recently she held a successful one-man show in Wellington.