Snippets from COVID-19

Tanya Caldwell 1982-86

Hello everyone from the pandemic hotspot that made international news for having the most inept leader: Georgia, USA. I’m Tanya Caldwell and I was at Rangi from 3rd form to 7th form in 1982-86. I’ve been teaching English at Georgia State University in the heart of downtown Atlanta since 1996. I was poised to take ten MA and PhD students on a Spring Break Study Abroad to the Scottish Highlands when the pandemic broke and the university cancelled all international and then national travel. Since then, I’ve had a crash course in teaching online—and helping my 15-year-old daughter finish up her school year from the isolation of our home within the city of Atlanta. I’ve loved hearing the international praise for NZ’s PM (girl power, yeah!). For me, the hardest part of all of this is not the isolation (I’m an introvert anyway) but feeling angry and frustrated watching NZ’s swift and decisive leadership as well as that of Canada (where I lived for five years in the 90s) in stark contrast to the craziness and irresponsibility here at federal and state level. I’ve been coping by mentoring students through this (so many Zoom meetings), working in my garden, building a firepit with my daughter, and running daily. I’m including here a picture of one of the signs that people in my neighborhood have been putting up in solidarity. Stay safe everyone.

Jenna Ingram 1998 – 2002

I've been entertaining a toddler while finding the time to continue to run my business - Fiksate Gallery, located in the heart of Christchurch city. While my son napped, I created a 10min DIY Art Print video for Neat Places, you can find it on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NAwvoTaYK0&t=8s (it's familyfriendly!)

I'm also an artist and have been working on several projects, such as writing and illustrating my first children's book, making Frank (my son) a castle out of a cardboard box and toilet rolls, doing my own art (you can find me on Instagram under @jen_heads), and reinvigorating my realism charcoal portrait drawings I began while at Rangi Ruru in Kate Rivers, then Miss Sheehy's art class circa 1998!

We take daily walks to the beach and have been baking a lot, while also finding time to do the odd jobs around the house that needed to be done! (Aka, clearing out the wardrobe, sorting cupboards and rearranging rooms!) I have also been involved in supporting other small businesses with various collaborations.

I'm in North New Brighton, Christchurch, around 500m away from the beach. It's been such a blessing living so close to so many open spaces that are filled with other nature lovers like my husband, son, and I. I have enjoyed the quiet roads and working from home with the chorus of birds to listen to while painting outside.

I try to make it fun! Letting go of plans and structure, clean floors and surfaces, and a generally tidy house at all times, was very hard to adapt to at first, but taking a step back and enjoying Frank's company over what needs to be done, has helped me a lot. There is always time to tidy and clean, and that will always be there, but this time with our children will not. It's a good mantra. "Let go and have fun".

You can find my urban art gallery - Fiksate - here: https://www. fiksate.com/ // https://www.instagram.com/fiksate_gallery/ // https:// www.facebook.com/Fiksate/

Marie Michael (Ludemann) 1960 – 1962

My name is Marie Michael nee Ludemann and I started Rangi as a boarder in 1960. Level 4 Lockdown!! I finally found out what the strict life as a boarder in 1960 was all about – it was preparing me for 'lockdown'. The first week was interesting, the iron blew up so it has been the crumpled look ever since. I missed a vital hair appointment so six weeks later the look is not good! It was the end of the summer harvest and our garden seemed to decide it needed to provide. Masses of apples, pears and peaches not to mention the 30 pumpkins appeared, ensuring we would not go hungry. After four weeks of dealing with all this fruit I had great delight in standing at the back door and hurling the last slightly rotten fruit, down the hill to the bottom of the garden. I actually decided this virus was let loose by our children to lock up their parents and make them clean out their cupboards and garages and get rid of the rubbish so they did not have to say when we finally leave this earth “What did they keep this for”. Actually, living in the country all my life we have survived very well with plenty of phone calls from family, friends and the wider Rangi family.

Jo Dodgshun 1966-1972 Five Old Girls coped without their usual choir/band music-making during lockdown by getting together with a brother, a husband, and two sons to produce an isolation vocal group song called The Ghost of Covid. Sisters, Jo Dodgshun, Gen Long and Sarah Hickey and daughters Anna Bennett and Lucy Laming, took words written by a brother and sang them to Pentatonix arrangement of Simon and Garfunkel's Sounds of Silence.

The four males provided the bass and tenor parts along with the accompanying beat boxing.

A huge amount was learned about technology, voice quality and patience. All five Old Girls sang in the Rangi Ruru chorale during their times at school.

Brigid Shadbolt (Murray) 1977 -1981 Working on the front line as a Nurse /Practice Manager at Akaroa Health. Early days in the lockdown testing out the PPE! Class of 1967 A screenshot of Pamela Cain, Heather Kirkwood (Hobson) and Helen Robertson from the class of 1967 on our weekly zoom and wine catch up.

Victoria Nichols 2004-2008 So I am currently working through the lockdown for a freight company, business as usual! Been working all the way through.

Coping strategies through April were eating chocolate Easter eggs and crocheting wheat sacks!

Haven't had a chance to go for a walk as doing overtime to ensure items get delivered and assisting with customer queries. Keeping my head up but the demand can be stressful during these times.

Decided to take a nice photo without masks and gloves on that we are required to wear on the regular day. Hope everyone is staying strong :)

Jocelyn Wood (Needham) 1945 -1953

I'm lucky enough to live in a bayside suburb of Melbourne so my daily walks to the beach are always varied. Zoom allows connection to friends and clubs. Social distancing at the yacht club!

Miranda Satterthwaite 1983 – 1987 My name is Miranda Satterthwaite and I was at Rangi Ruru from 1983 – 1987 where I loved my time in Science, German and the Ski Racing team.

I have been authoring articles on penguins for projects like the Pop Up Penguin project and teaching Antarctic Studies online to 20 schools in New Zealand and Australia for the Antarctic Academy.

I’ve been locked down near the International Antarctic Centre where we keep a range of penguins alive in the Penguin Rescue by feeding them twice a day.

We have been using video to film special moments of the penguins’ day in lockdown, like the first time they saw each other in eight weeks! They squawked like long lost friends! I have been helping my son with his online learning about Antarctica including designing a base for Antarctica.

Caroline Glen 1946-1948 Here are some thoughts from the ‘lockdown.’ It has had small effect on my life, but thank goodness the number of people allowed to socialise has now been increased. It was rather fortunate that the committee of GCWA asked me to do some editing for a learning member wishing to improve her prose and poetry so that kept me busy – although I have certificates on editing, writing is so personal one has to be careful to keep the writers’ natural voice, and use the best of one’s knowledge. I often refer to poet Peter Libby Waghorn 2001-2005 Second generation is leading from the front

Astrolabe Wines have recently appointed Libby Waghorn Levett as General Manager. Libby is the daughter of founders Simon Waghorn and Jane Forrest-Waghorn. Previously working as a lawyer at MinterEllison in Queensland (Australia), Libby and her husband Peter Levett became shareholders in Astrolabe in 2018 and moved home to Marlborough to take a more hands-on role in the company in August 2019. Libby succeeds her mother, Jane, as General Manager. Astrolabe Wines was established in 1996. It has established a reputation as one of New Zealand’s best regarded wine producers.

‘I’m excited to build on the work Mum and Dad have done at Astrolabe over the last 25 years, and to work alongside my family to make wines we’re really proud to share’ – Libby Waghorn Levett, General Manager

Meinke to read on Google. Have been busy tidying up work for the GCWA and Hunters Valley competitions. Revise, revise! Mother's Day was enjoyable. My son and friend came down from Brisbane and we bought pancakes from my favourite pancake shop and, with puppy, nestled into the sand on Burleigh Beach.

My son brought me a Penguin Book called MEDITATIONS – Marcus Aurelius: translated by a very clever Martin Hammond. The little I have read of it, the more I recommend it to the RROGA. It engages ancient philosophy, which in turn exposes current meanings for our lives today.

Events