Interacting with younger persons evokes feelings of amazement at their enterprise, wonder at their ability to absorb new ideas and pride in their achievements while working in challenging situations. NCWNZ Southland Branch has four activities which allow members to revel in these feelings while celebrating the value these young people bring to members’ lives.

Southland Social Science Fair

In the first instance the branch sponsors two prizes in the Southland Social Science Fair. It is open to students from year 5 to year 13, to create exhibits about a wide range of themes. From amongst this year’s 300+ presentations NCW judges had to find ones that featured women’s issues. 

This year’s winner was Yr 9 Tatum Wessel whose topic was Women in NZ Police. The presentation and research involved was outstanding. Tatum was the guest speaker at the Branch’s July meeting.

Southland Branch celebrated Suffrage Day in two parts this year.

The first was our traditional breakfast on 19 September at the Ascot Park Hotel where more than fifty persons mixed, mingled and chatted. They included students from local secondary schools who always respond very positively to the occasion. This year we especially welcomed Josh, Josh and Tom from Southland Boy’s High School, a first for that school. When asked, they said they enjoyed the breakfast, and the speakers and, yes, they would appreciate an invitation again next year. So that will happen.

Our guest speaker was Hannah Pascoe, a local blind athlete, who was accompanied by her cousin Kara Roderique-Wandless and friend and mentor Andrew Morton. The presentation format was Andrew interviewing Hannah and Kara, a process that worked very well. As the introduction said, ”We have a special guest today, Hannah Pascoe. Hannah will share her story of reality, courage, resilience, and success. Hannah is accompanied today by her cousin Kara and friend Andrew who will help with her story telling.”

NCW Southland recently has been privileged to hear speakers from two local agencies.

At the Annual General Meeting in May, Donagh Booth from Age Concern spoke of her role in Elder Abuse Response. Her work in Invercargill has been an eye opener for her. She did not realise the spread of elder abuse within her home town. Examples she gave listed sons who have never left home, sons with issues who returned home, mothers who have become isolated because friends and other family members would not visit while the son was present.

Behaviour of such sons included not assisting with the household chores like mowing lawns or cleaning out spouting; expecting his laundry to be done, his meals to be cooked, not contributing to the household costs. Donagh’s role, when she becomes aware of such issues is to be a listening ear, offering suggestions of mitigating actions. Sometimes such help was not acted upon but in extreme cases, trespassing the son has been initiated.

Media scams are also a growing concern. And not confined to women. Single elderly are targeted by predatory persons, introducing a friendly element then possibly a romantic one leading to the real intention, asking for money. And thousands of dollars have been and are being scammed in this way. Police are not involved because the perpetrator threatens the victim with blackmail.

“Where you are is where you are meant to be,” is the encouragement given by Mordecai to his cousin Queen Esther, wife of King Xerxes during a crisis in Persia around the year 750 BCE.

Those words seemed to epitomise the various stages in the life of Trish Lindsay ONZM, as she related them to a gathering of around fifty women, including a group of secondary students, as the NCWNZ Southland Branch celebrated 131 years of women’s suffrage. Trish said, “I’ve called my talk This Looks like Fun because that’s what I thought every time I was invited to be part of a new opportunity that looked different and interesting.”

Those gathered here for NCWNZ Southland Branch’s Suffrage Day breakfast, held on Thursday 19 September at the Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill, interacted socially and listened to this inspirational speaker.

Trish was a country girl, growing up in Aparima at the foot of the Takitimu Hills. From primary school there she went on to St Philomena’s Secondary School in Dunedin, where the teachers encouraged their students to be open to the issues in the wider community. This was followed by University of Otago, Auckland University and Auckland Teachers’ College. Trish returned south to a position at the then James Hargest High School, followed by marriage to a local farmer/stock agent and living in Waianawa.

“This is where I cut my teeth on community involvement while bringing up four children, working on the farm, doing part-time teaching and running a little music school teaching piano to local children,” said Trish. She added, “This community involvement scenario fits in well with Malcolm Gladwell’s theory about doing 10,000 hours practising for future roles.” During this time things happened that caused Trish to do two pieces of research. The first was Rural Children’s Access to Libraries. After much exploration and lobbying the outcome was the creation for the Southland District Council’s Bookbus, which still runs today.