C l i e n t s    C o r n e r                                                                      

NEWSLETTER

 

May 2010

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  • Annual Exchange with Stewart Centre @ EIT - Photos

  • Graduation Day - by Ian Johnson

  • Apple Picking - by Gloria Shaw

  • Bike Ride to Taupo - by Michael Webb

  • Bowling Tournament Success - Kerry Tofts

  • Experience of a Lifetime - Jonathan Kan

  • Introducing Roger Squires

  • SWOT Day


February 2010


POEMS

Changes - by Philip E Larking


POEMS


Changes

I was sad,

The nights get longer,

The trees start changing,

Trees losing leaves,

I lost my power,

Those leaves though, are still beautiful,

I am sad but I can still garden,

There is beauty in me,

The seed within me is the promise of new life to come,

Sad, sad, sad,

There are glimpses of good times,

What will there be for me?

by Philip E Larking


NEWSLETTER


Christmas at Valentines

The Stewart Centre Christmas lunch for 2009 was celebrated in style at Valentines Restaurant.  The venue is popular with several of us because it has a wide selection of good food at a very reasonable price.  Everyone I spoke with said they had a wonderful time.

The selection included soups, salads, hot meats and vegetables,  seafood dishes and desserts as well as tea and coffee.  We arrived back at the Centre with very full stomachs and ready for a little sleep—which I think is a good indicator that we all enjoyed ourselves!

In the afternoon there were more Christmas festivities with some of the family  members joining us for afternoon tea and sharing Secret Santa gifts together. I am very impressed with the sense of family the Stewart Centre provides, especially at special times of the year, like Christmas.

By Gavin Read


Special Olympics Summer National Games 2009

I was a competitor in the Special Olympics Summer National Games, that were held in Palmerston North from the 2nd to the 5th December 2009.  These Games are held every four years and bring together teams from all over the country, participating in a variety of events such as ten-pin bowling, athletics, aquatics, basketball, soccer, indoor bowls, bocce, golf, equestrian and power-lifting.

I represented Manawatu at the Special Olympics Ten-Pin Bowling Regionals in June,  where I was able to win a gold medal in the ‘Pairs’ and a bronze in the ‘Fours’,  so it was a real privilege to be able to represent Manawatu again in  several of the Ten-Pin Bowling events at the National Games.

Our team was given accommodation at Massey University, which became our home during the Games. We stayed in Egmont Court along with Manawatu Swimming and Ten-Pin bowlers from Howick/Pakuranga.

The Opening Ceremony on the Wednesday night was an opportunity to meet all the other competitors. Altogether there were 1085 athletes; 43 teams; 10 sports; 379 coaches and 967 volunteers.

We had an early 5 am start the next day in order to get to Bowlerama in time for the start of the day’s events. 

My bowling partner Hamish, and I played  Counties in the ‘Pairs’ on the Thursday morning and we won all three games that we played. On Friday we played in the ’Fours’  against Southern Tarakani who beat us in all three games.

On Friday Hamish and I played Canterbury in the ’Pairs’ final and we won 1 game and lost the last 2 games, but we managed to achieve a silver medal for the  effort and I am happy with that.

I really enjoyed Nationals even though I was nervous at the beginning. There was a great spirit at the Games and I think everyone had a great time. I look forward to competing again in the future.

By Ian Johnson


Art Trip City Gallery Wellington

Clients and Staff from the Stewart Centre  recently went on an Art Trip to Wellington.  

It was a beautiful day that started off really well. On the way we stopped at Lindale for morning tea which we enjoyed very much. We then continued to central Porirua where we had lunch sitting outside in the sunshine. We then went to see the “Mirrored Years’  exhibition by Yayoi  Kusama at the City Gallery.

The outside of the Gallery had been coated in multi-coloured round dots which looked impressive!Inside, her art works also used dots and one room appeared hallucinatory, surreal and unique. It was all in yellow with black dots with large inflated shapes!

 

 

One small room was darkened with mirrors and small hanging lights and gave the effect of space.  The last room at the exhibition showed several pictures each one showed a repetition of black shapes on a white background. It was very effective.

The whole day was fabulous and thoroughly enjoyable.

 

By Gloria Shaw

 


Art Trip Shona Moller Paraparaumu

Whilst we were travelling back from the exhibition in Poneke (Wellington), the Stewart Centre Art enthusiasts called in at Shona Moller’s Art Gallery in Paraparaumu.  The gallery couples as a working studio which enables one to observe first-hand the various stages in the lifecycle of a piece—from initial inception to finished work. Shona uses a visual diary to plan and organise each project. She documents her ideas, draws sketches, uses symbols and includes  photographs in the planning stage.

The walls of the Gallery are lined with her works—predominantly the theme being local flora and fauna, shoreline and distinctive Kapiti landscape. The colours are vibrant and striking. Her blending of shades and tonal variations enhance the perspective, as does her use of texture to add a third dimension.

I was particularly taken with three of the pieces. One   captured the flow of the grass caught by the wind and  wonderfully highlighted by vivid flecks of sunlight on some of the blades. Her self-portrait also inspired me, particularly the way she had captured that inquiring facial expression. Another note-worthy piece was of a festive  pohutukawa. The pallet work was stunning, causing the metrosideros excelsa to leap out at one. Awesome!

By Lindsay Cox

 

 



Visit to Ashhurst Domain and Te Apiti Wind Farm

I couldn’t remember a lot about the recent Stewart Centre trip to Ashhurst Domain until one of the staff reminded me, and I saw the photographs.

What did you enjoy most about the trip?

I really enjoyed preparing the BBQ. I took on the responsibility of doing all the cooking for the group that day, which included sausages, meat patties and onions. It was also my job to see that everyone received their fair share and that it was well cooked and nice and hot.

Why did you enjoy cooking the BBQ most of all?

I have always found great satisfaction in helping others. Even when I was a young boy I was known as a helper. Helping others makes me feel really good about myself.

Is there anything else about the trip that you enjoyed?

I enjoyed visiting Te Apiti wind farm in the afternoon. The turbines are a lot bigger up close. They are an amazing piece of technology!

From an Interview with David Ngatai