Nor'West News: August 13, 2019

NOR’WEST NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday August 13 2019 5
Painting now a collector’s item
•From page 1
Annette Hamblett was a member
of the association and remembers the
day the painting was donated.
“When they went along to the
assembly, the girls actually laughed,
because they probably didn’t regard it
as a proper painting in those days . . .
we wanted to present something that
was a bit of a challenge,” she said.
Throughout the 1950s and early
60s, many school-leavers went to their
formal old girls’ association debutante
ball, but the Young Old Girls’
Association had no interest in making
a ‘debut’.
And they didn’t want to go to a ball
with no alcohol and ‘stuffy’ old girls,
so they took matters into their own
hands.
The group organised a venue,
popular dance band The Chapta, food,
drink and then advertised the event
everywhere.
“When I think about it now, we
were quite bold, we booked one of
the biggest venues, the horticultural
hall, which used to be on the corner
of Oxford Tce and Gloucester St,” Ms
Hamblett said.
Against all odds, they made a profit
and one of the members, Susan Battye,
suggested they hold another event and
use the other half of the profits to gift
a painting to the school.
Ms Battye wrote to McCahon, one
of New Zealand’s most well-known
painters
To their surprise, they received a
very encouraging reply, saying he
would tell his dealer to give them a
good deal.
“And he did. By October 1970,
we had acquired our McCahon:
North Otago landscape, number 19,
painted with synthetic polymer on
hardboard,” Ms Hamblett said.
The group members said they were
pleased to see each other again after 50
years, and enjoyed seeing the painting
in all its glory.
“It will always be a point of
discussion. It’s not just a placid thing
on the wall. It’s going to provoke
discussion about what is art, and how
can it represent the environment that
we live in New Zealand,” Ms Battye
said.
The CGHS art department now
teaches students about McCahon and
his paintings.
PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER
ART: CGHS principal Christine O’Neill and deputy head girl Helen O’Connor with the Colin
McCahon painting. (Below) – Young Old Girls’ Association members Susan Battye, Robyn
Scott, Jan Hardie, Annette Hamblett, Judi McCallum and Cheryl Roblilliard with the McCahon
painting they donated to CGHS 50 years ago.
School zone
changes
not set to
impact on
north-west
• By Claire Booker
CITY-WIDE SCHOOL zone
changes won’t make much
difference to pupils and
students in the north-west.
Papanui, Mairehau and
Burnside high schools agree the
zone changes which take effect
from January 1.
Burnside High principal Phil
Holstein said
the changes
are mostly to
fill the gaps
which were
missed out in
the “puzzle” of
state secondary
school zones.
He was
pleased schools Phil Holstein
across the city
had worked in
a co-operative
way to achieve
the zone
changes, which
have been in
the works for
seven years.
Said Papanui
Jeff Smith
High principal
Jeff Smith: “Our community
has reinforced that they are
very happy with our current
zone and it essentially will
not change apart from a small
increase on the north east
boundary, which is currently
predominantly green space.”
Mairehau High School never
had a zone before the city-wide
zone amendment began, but
principal Harry Romana said
the change is positive.
“We are confident that the
new Mairehau High School
zone will provide long-term,
sustainable and equitable
learning opportunities for
the young citizens of our
community.”
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