Bay Harbour: April 21, 2021

Bay Harbour News Wednesday April 21 2021
14
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Kids give inspiration
• From page 1
What has it been like working
with children?
So beautiful! I started the class
off by presenting myself as an
artist. They were very excited to
have me there. I rock up with this
presentation. I show them the
Japan mural and the penguin.
And then I showed them a photo
of the tennis court wall and
asked, “What do you reckon?” It’s
bland and has nothing and then I
said: “I’m going to paint a mural
on here and I need you guys to
give me some great ideas so that it
looks amazing.”
This was the interesting point.
They all sat in pairs with a piece
of paper and started drawing
with pencil and then furiously
erasing what they had drawn. I
said, “Guys, this isn’t a piece of art
work. This is the sketch process,
this is the thought process. It
doesn’t have to be perfect.” But
you could see things ticking in
their head, like “This doesn’t look
like I want it too, I’m not sure if
it’s good.”
So I ended up going around
and asking them to tell me what
they were drawing and I also
asked them, “What does that bird
eat, what does it do, what kind
of fun things can you imagine it
could do?”
When I started going around
on the second lap, kids started
throwing out ideas of moons that
were disco balls. It was cool to see
them gain some confidence.
Then at the end I asked them
if they had any further ideas. We
heard about trains flying through
the sky with birds hanging out of
the windows.
After the class, I spent hours
going through their designs and
ideas and then drawing them
myself to put together the design.
You can see how art sparks
those kids. When the teacher
asked the kids what they had got
out of the class, they all started to
say how it inspired them and how
great they feel and they love the
creativity, and it calmed them,
which is amazing.
I have this little dream, by like
40 years old, to be able to do art
SPARKING CURIOSITY: Bakker at the opening day of the
mural she painted at Yuki Park Zoo in Japan. Children
show Bakker their own drawing creations.
therapy. To go back and study
and learn the psychology behind
it and find more sparks.
Where do you find
inspiration? How does Banks
Peninsula influence your work?
The wildlife is huge. Even just
driving through Little River,
there will be pheasants and little
quail on the road, and I will think
those are beautiful and then I will
get home and I will start looking
at images, and then other ideas
pop up from that.
Also, my art reflects what is
going through my head and what
I’m working through. Like at
the Art Show, some people said;
“Well, you have a bit of a crazy
mind coming up with this stuff.”
And I thought, “I guess I do.”
What does being an artist
mean to you?
I am learning what the steps
are to get there. But for me it has
always been a dream. Like when
people ask what did you want
to be when you were younger, I
didn’t want to be a fireman or
a doctor or anything like that,
I always wanted to be an artist.
What are you if you don’t follow
your dreams? You are lost.
In the meantime, I want to
meet all these other amazing
artists and people that are
involved in art communities and
I want to share my art. Like that
Japan mural and the penguin –
the joy they brought to people
was incredible. So why would you
not do that?
Even the art exhibition last
weekend. It was so interesting,
how some people were like, what
is going on with that art, and
other people just loved it.
In the end, I left thinking that
was really successful. I had so
many great conversations and
met so many amazing people.
The two ladies that were in my
corner as well, like now I’m doing
a collaboration hopefully with
one of them. She does poetry and
I’m going to do the images. It is
opening doors.
How does being creative
enrich your life?
I feel like more of a whole
person when I’m getting creative.
It gives me a purpose and a
positive outlet. Being creative
means I’m doing something with
my thoughts.
What advice would you give to
those wanting to start their own
art practice?
You need to want it. That’s
what it is. And then you give it a
go. Start by factoring in an hour.
People go to the gym for an hour
so why can’t you take another
hour of ‘me time’ where you
decide you are going to create. It’s
the same with writing. Say, “OK,
three o’clock to four o’clock today
I’m going to sit in the park and
just write. I don’t care what I’m
going to write, I’m just going to
write something.”
That’s the other huge thing –
don’t be disappointed when it
doesn’t look like what you want it
to look like. Just do it, tell yourself
you can do it, and make time too.
IT’S DEFINITELY autumn now,
with leaves falling and the night
drawing in.
Anzac Day is this weekend,
and I am looking forward to attending
commemorations across
our communities starting with
the dawn service in Heathcote
before speaking at the Halswell
commemoration and heading to
Sumner for their service.
These commemoration are
recognitions of the sacrifices
made by our defence forces here
and overseas to protect our democratic
system.
They help us remember the
sacrifices made by local residents,
like George Ferguson of
Halswell who enlisted in the
Canterbury Mounted Horse and
was killed in action on the 21st
August 1915 in Gallipoli.
Whole families were affected,
like the Dromgooles of Lyttelton.
Four of the six Dromgoole boys
served in World War 2, serving
in the Royal New Zealand Air
Force, the army and the merchant
navy. Three of them died
on active service as a result of
enemy action.
This year I hope we all also
remember the sacrifices our
defence forces have made to
support New Zealand’s Covid-19
response and the managed isolation
and quarantine systems.
All the staff working in managed
isolation and quarantine
give up so much in order to keep
Tracey McLellan
Member of Parliament Banks Peninsula
Time to remember
sacrifices made
during war, Covid
us all safe. We’ve been incredibly
well-served by our defence force
contribution to the Covid-19
response, and I am very grateful
for their hard and brave work in
difficult conditions.
So this Anzac Day, let’s remember
those who’ve served in
the past and those who’re still
serving today in a different kind
of battle.
And if you do see me about
on Anzac Day, please say hello
as it’s always lovely to make new
connections.
On a different note, you may
have seen coverage in the Bay
Harbour News of the proposed
logging of the Moepuku Peninsula.
I have received letters from
community members and the
residents associations of Church
Bay, Diamond Harbour, and
Charteris Bay. It is great to see
the community being a strong
watchdog for our harbour.
Like them, I am deeply
concerned about the potential
environmental impact of
sediment run-off from the
proposed logging into the
harbour.
I have met with the chair
of the Canterbury Regional
Council, Jenny Hughey, to
raise my concerns and seek
assurances that the regional
council will be taking an active
approach here to avoid any
environmental damage.
Anzac Day services
Banks Peninsula RSA
11.30am – March from Akaroa Fire Station, 49 Beach Rd, to a
service at Akaroa War Memorial, 80 Rue Lavaud
Sumner/Redcliffs RSA
10.50am – Parade march from cnr Arnold St and Wakefield Ave,
Sumner, to lay a wreath at the RSA War Memorial gates,
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