The Weekend Lifestyler, April 12th 2024

For Kat Grace, living in Mangawhai, amongst nature, where she can help others with their personal inner healing, is a dream come true. With many years of yoga and other natural therapy experiences, Kat’s mission is to be available to facilitate others to gain inner healing, the natural way.

u by Ann van Engelen

The team at the Mangawhai Museum have been working hard to provide an enjoyable experience for the younger visitors to their premises.

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“From step-stools by the sinks to a step-stool by reception to boost the little ones, the museum is about interacting and engaging with people of all ages,” says museum manager Angela Cook.

“Parents, grandparents and caregivers can rest assured that their children’s visit will be easier. The Bell Tea tram is a dream playhouse that sparks the imagination, seeing children immersed in pretend play for extended periods.

“The adjacent long drop’s surprise delights the young and young at heart. You have to experience this one for yourself.

“We love seeing children engage with the stories of Mangawhai and Kaipara, and we’re steadily adding interactives and kid-focussed elements. Our ‘fishing’ display now has two robust, wooden fishing rods handmade by Northland creators Needle and Nail.

occasionally find toys have migrated to the boat from the cafe play area.

“Cafe operators Alex and Shanika Brown have added a play house, a market and toys to entertain children while parents catch their breath. They have kid-sized seating and tables along with Mangawhai-centric colouring sheets for older children and a baby changing table in the restroom.”

Breastfeeding is welcome and encouraged anywhere in and around the museum, with more comfortable seating being added.

“We’ve always had carefully crafted scavenger hunts and special events for children and regularly host schools and camps. Visits are often customised for children’s particular interests and each school holiday programmes fill up at lightning speed.

“This year in one corner of the store we’ve gained a wooden boat”

“The rods are fixed with magnets for hooks allowing children and playful adults to have a race fishing from a tub. To our delight, we often find the fish in a tram-house fry pan.”

The museum shop has a wide range of educational toys and activities and has long served as a great place to purchase children’s gifts.

“This year in one corner of the store we’ve gained a wooden boat. It’s complete with port holes, a cabin fitted with carpet, cushions and a collection of children’s books. Kids can play while parents browse, chat or wait for their coffee from Kōtare Cafe.

“The cafe is also keen to appeal to little ones, and like the fish migrating through advanced imagination play, we

“The popular Diving Bell is currently getting refitted and updated to make this tribute even more popular with children. The Daring Trust has also designed stunning interactive activities that teach children about boatbuilding and boating.”

Angela says the tween and teen volunteer base is also growing.

“We’re eager to support young people learning about museums, retail, history, curation, event management, hospitality, collections, genealogy, the Daring and any other area we work in.

“Volunteers have access to experts in many fields and gain valuable experience and education alongside these willing mentors for free. Anyone interested in becoming involved in the museum can email manager@mangawhai-museum. org.nz to learn more.” ¢

There is a wide variety of child-friendly activities at the Mangawhai Museum waiting for children to enjoy

Art in the village

at the Bream Bay Combined Arts Group between the hours of 10am and 4pm.

“This art exhibition will contain, arguably, some of the best quality and selection to be found in the north, including Auckland,” says spokesperson Colin Coutts. “We have had a great start to the year with a good number of people involved in the art group. On Tuesdays from 10am to noon, we have our potters’ group meet, and on the night, people come along as well. Painters are also on-site on a Tuesday, which is lovely for them to get together.”

The artists meet at The Art Cottage, 35 Lakeside Park Rd, Ruakākā.

“On Wednesday from 10am the fibre group meets for felting and anything to do with wool. They are our political group and sort out all the world’s problems together, and every second Thursday night, our photography group has their session. They are turning out some very good work.

“Graham, our tutor, has been an inspiration to us all. He has been an amateur photographer for 45 years and is a lovely guy. Our photographers have lots of day trips, including recently going to the Ruakākā races, where

they were able to work with the official photographer. It was a great day photographing the horses and people for those who went along.

“We are excited for our upcoming show. This year, we are having our May sale first and then three more on the first Sunday of October, November and December. We’re very happy with our artists’ achievements. The venue for our art exhibition and sale will be held at the Art Cottage, our group’s headquarters. Full directional signage will be installed prior to the event beginning at the

Ruakākā Shopping Centre, and we will have Eftpos available on-site.

“There will be an excellent selection of both decorative and functional feltwork and pottery along with modern and traditional black and white photography, paintings mounted and ready to hang or unmounted.

“The painting mediums include oil, acrylic and watercolour, in a number of different styles. People can follow us on the Bream Bay Combined Art Group Facebook page for more details, and new members are always welcome.” ¢

p Elaine Wilburn is a regular potter at the Art Cottage p Painter Annie Hemsley takes pride in her watercolour work

A darling celebrated

u by Ann van Engelen

Born on April 3 1919, at her family homestead in Kāretu, Northland, Mrs Isey Cross, the star of the James and Isey movie, celebrated her 105th birthday with friends and family last Saturday night.

Possibly New Zealand’s oldest living actress and one of the nation’s oldest Maori wahine, Isey lives with her sons James and Gavin at the farm she bought with her husband Charles. Another son, Digger, lives nearby, and her daughter Lorraine is based in Mangawhai.

“I enjoyed making the James and Isey movie celebrating my 100th birthday — we had a lot of fun with our movie director Florian Habicht,” says Isey.

“We arrived at my 105th party in a pink 1959 Cadillac just like Elvis Presley had. It was a great ride. Even my sons Gavin and Digger loved the experience. Digger was like a little schoolboy sitting in the front seat with Gavin and the

driver. James and Lorraine were in the back with me.

“Florian came and did more filming. It was lovely. We also had Ruwani Perera from TV3’s The Hui come along.”

Ruwani is presenting a documentary about Isey turning 105 years old on The Hui on Monday, April 15.

“They filmed me with my hairdresser Janet from Hair Affair and my nail lady painting my nails duck egg blue to go with my beautiful Italian-designed dress. I felt like a real princess, and people said I reminded them of Katherine Hepburn.

“I told Ruwani that she had to have Jim Beam shots with me because Kate Rodger did in the past. It was a good

laugh. At my party my favourite thing was singing ‘Que sera sera — Whatever will be, will be’.

“I appreciate all the nice things people did to make my day happen. The Bay of Island College kapa haka group welcomed me in, and they were the best. Their new tutor was one of the performers and a student for my 99th birthday.

“My nephew and nieces flew over from Australia, and I got some beautiful gifts. I appreciate everything I received. When Ruwani was interviewing me at home, Matilda and Mary arrived with some kānga wai, which is fermented corn, and I enjoyed it with plenty of cream.

“I’m enjoying my life as it is and love being at home with James caring for me and Gavin close by. I’m looking forward to continuing being myself, enjoying myself and having fun with my family and friends.

“I’m also looking forward to fishing with my buddy Richie, so we’ll pinch Gavin’s boat for the day soon and catch some fish.

“To the younger generation, I say: ‘It’s up to you to think about life. Be yourself and enjoy yourself. The story is, ‘Don’t worry, be happy’. To me, being 105 is just another day, and I’m still enjoying being myself.” ¢

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p Isey and her son James, with her daughter, Lorraine, grandson, John Walters, and greatgranddaughter Desire Alexander

p The Bay of Islands College kapa haka group welcomed Isey and her family into her party at the Waitangi Golf Club

A trio of artists

u by Ann van Engelen

Jeanette Vickers, Donna Shadick and Leslie Cleary are three artists bound by friendship, along two shores bound by ocean and sea, who together, create the Three Artists, Two Shores exhibition opening at the Mangawhai Artists Gallery this Friday, April 12.

“The trio are long-standing friends who work well with each other and have the ocean as a common theme in much of their work,” says Mangawhai Artists chair Belinda Vernon.

“Donna paints using fine oils on both boards and stretched canvas. Her bespoke jewellery features precious and semi-precious stones, pearls, sterling silver and gold. Pottery is Donna’s new medium.”

It is not the first exhibition for the trio.

“We’ve done a few exhibitions together, and in this latest exhibition, I wanted to explore some ocean-themed works, in particular, the mystery and fascination that surrounds many of the large mammals that inhabit the deep,” says Donna.

“This show includes marine-themed ceramic pieces, several fantasy pieces and some fun paintings of the land and the water.”

Photographer Jeanette only prints one of each photograph with inks on archival canvas, stretched over a wooden frame, ready to hang.

“I’ve always looked for different entities to photograph and had a ‘thing’ about abstract art,” says Jeanette. “Back in 2005, my work was strongly motivated by my desire to photograph what the eye could not see, in part to show the world what was on their doorsteps, but outside of their

awareness. This resulted in my work focussing on mushrooms or fungi.

“I then found water and the sea. I created a large body of work showing water ripples morphing into different shapes and colours depending on the wind, tides and bow waves of boats. I discovered a process allowing me to produce abstract patterns and forms while maintaining the vibrant colours I had become known for.”

Leslie has always revelled in the beauty of nature and loves being able to celebrate it through her art.

“I especially enjoy capturing local scenes in oils on canvas, enabling people who have lived in the area and had to move away to take these beloved views with them in the form of art to cherish for many years,” she says.

“Similarly, for those who have visited and been captivated by the beauty of these places. The inspiration for my exhibition works has come from the enjoyment of many happy hours walking along local beaches, chatting with other beachgoers, and listening to the aspects of their seashore experiences that have inspired them.

“I’ve incorporated a number of different ideas of what people loved about their walks or what made a stunning view even more special. I’ve used these ideas and impressions to capture the magical beauty and essence

of those happy experiences, turning them into a series of coastal paintings.”

Three Artists, Two Shores is open from 10am to 3pm Friday, April 12, until

Wednesday, April 24, at the Mangawhai Artists Gallery, 45 Moir Street, with a celebratory opening event at 6pm on Friday, April 12. ¢

p Donna Shadick and Jeanette Vickers are excited about the Three Artists, Two Shores exhibition with Leslie Cleary, which opens this Friday, April 12

A symbol of remembrance

u by Liz Clark

In the spring of 1915, in the battle-scarred fields of Flanders in Belgium and France, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian medical officer, found inspiration in the red poppies growing amidst the devastation.

In the spring of 1915, in the battlescarred fields of Flanders in Belgium and France, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian medical officer, found inspiration in the red poppies growing amidst the devastation.

On the decimated, sterilised battlefields of Flanders, the seeds of Papaver rhoeas or common poppy, disturbed by the artillery shells impacting the soil, caused the seeds to germinate en mass and provide the catalyst for McCrae’s immortal poem, In Flanders Fields.

The first stanza reads:

In Flanders’ fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place: and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

The poem was written after McCrae had presided over the funeral of his friend and fellow soldier, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who was killed in action at the second battle of Ypres in the Flanders region of Belgium on May 2, 1915. In the springtime, red poppies

appeared on and between the graves of the fallen. They were a symbol of hope and renewal in a landscape of destruction and blood.

From that poem grew a movement to use the red poppy as an emblem of remembrance for the fallen and those who served during the wars that followed. Moina Michael, a US canteen worker in the YMCA, New York, campaigned to make the poppy the nation’s symbol of national remembrance. Later, the poppy became an emblem of international

significance, championed by Madame E Guérin, who instigated the first poppy remembrance day in the US in 1919. In 1920, Inter-Allied Poppy Day was established to benefit the women and children of France, who made the artificial poppies so familiar today. It was also to commemorate the fallen.

The New Zealand Returned Services Association held its first Poppy Appeal Day on April 24 1922, to a resounding success. Since 1927, Poppy Day has always been the Friday before Anzac Day — lest we forget. ¢

Keeping seniors informed

u by Ann van Engelen

The Support Your Local Wellsford group is sponsoring the Seniors Expo being held on Saturday, April 13, at The Wellsford Community Centre, 1 Matheson Street, Wellsford from 10am–2pm.

“This is our third expo and we’ll have at least 25 stalls of information and products the older generation may need,” says organiser Tania Hamilton.

“It’s a free event with tea and coffee sponsored by the Local Rodney Board to support our community work. It’s so good because most people hold events for families and little people but often forget people at the other end of the spectrum. Last year around 300 people attended, which was exciting.

Age Concern and Independent Living with disability equipment and information. They have things like walking aids and bathroom equipment that will be available for purchase, and you can get information on things you may need. You can also get discounts at the show.”

There will also be stalls with future experiences that will help people through retirement and later.

“Auckland Council will have a display on groups available through the library,

“The last expo was really successful and I’m hoping this one will be better”

“The idea began when I worked with Plunket and saw a very real need for older people who I came across who did things like donated knitting for families, yet they didn’t have a lot for themselves.

“When Covid came, people were isolated and I felt a gap needed to be filled because isolated people can develop more dementia due to loneliness and not connecting with others. The expo is a way for community members to meet, find out what’s available and discover things to keep them active.

“We will have stall holders ranging from specialists at Dementia Auckland,

the Citizens Advice Bureau team will be on hand and Auckland Transport will be showing people how to top up their travel card.

“Driving Miss Daisy is coming and can discuss the total mobility system. If you fit certain criteria, you can get an Auckland Transport discount through Age Concern. The Warkworth Men’s Shed will be there. They are wonderful for helping the community with many things.”

Rodney local board member Colin Smith says the Senior Expo is something Wellsford needs for its older community members.

“The last expo was really successful and I’m hoping this one will be better. Our population here is ageing and it’s important for the elderly to know what is available to them.

“Tania has done a great job. It takes a lot of work to organise such an event for our community. It’s absolutely a wonderful idea and I’m looking forward to meeting people on the day. I know lots of community members already but there are many new people in town and I look forward to meeting them.” ¢

p Members of the local Men’s Shed will be at the event

LEST WE FORGET

u by Paul Campbell

ANZAC

Day 25th April

‘In Flanders fields the poppies blow, Between the crosses row on row.’ These lines from the pen of a Canadian medical officer, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, in his poem, In Flanders Fields, epitomise the red poppy that forever marks the fallen in battle, especially this April 25 when we celebrate Anzac Day.

Services will be held across the land and in Wellsford, Hakaru, Waipu and Mangawhai.

Many of us will wear the poppy and lay wreaths of the same to remember those who fell in war. In the 1914–18 conflict, the poppy was grown in the Belgian region of Flanders, where McCrae made them an icon after his poem was published in London.

The reason the poppies grew is certainly attributable to conflict, as the artillery shells that churned up the soil and maimed and killed soldiers, but also encouraged the proliferation and growth of the dormant poppy seeds that bloomed on the barren, scarred land and in the cemeteries.

In fact, the poppy so revered in New Zealand has its real origins in the United States after a YMCA canteen worker in New York convinced the American Legion to adopt it as its national memorial flower. The symbol then moved to France, where a certain Madame Guérin became the ‘Poppy Lady of France’, and approached veterans’ groups around the world asking them to adopt artificial poppies used to raise funds.

One of her supporters, Colonel Alfred Moffatt, suggested the idea to the New

Zealand Returned Soldiers Association, the forerunner of today’s RSA in September 1921. The RSA ordered 360,000 silk poppies with Madame Guérin’s French Children’s League.

The poppies went on sale on April 24 1922, and raised the equivalent in today’s currency of $1.35 million and remitted money back to alleviate wartime suffering among French children in northern France. The RSA used the balance to assist needy, unemployed returned soldiers and their families.

The association began producing its own poppies in 1931, with disabled former servicemen in Auckland and

Christchurch employed, and the Christchurch RSA is still overseeing the manufacture.

Today, the poppy is worn most often around Anzac Day and at events such as other major commemorative events, military funerals and war graves and cemeteries. Selling poppies is the RSA’s primary means of raising funds for the welfare of returned service personnel and their dependents, including those who served more recently in conflicts in areas like Bosnia, Timor and Afghanistan. In a year, the appeal typically raises more than $1 million. ¢

Respect for Anzacs

Communities showing respect on Anzac Day, April 25, to those who have fought in past or current wars is an important part of our heritage.

For those who don’t know, Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations, along with the contribution and suffering of all those who have served.

Wellsford, Hakaru, Mangawhai and Waipu areas all host Anzac Day services.

The day’s ceremonies have two major parts: one at dawn and another later in the morning. The Anzac Day ceremony is rich in tradition and ritual. It is a form of military funeral and follows a specific pattern.

A typical commemoration begins with a pre-dawn march by returned service personnel to the local war memorial. Military personnel and returned servicemen and women form up about the memorial, joined by other members of the community. Pride of place at each event goes to war veterans.

A short service follows, with a prayer, hymns and a dedication that concludes with the fourth verse of Laurence Binyon’s ‘For the fallen’ which reads: ‘They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them’. The last post is then played, followed by

a minute’s silence and the reveille. A brief address follows, after which the hymn Recessional is sung. The service concludes with a prayer and the singing of the national anthem.

Another ceremony takes place later in the morning and returned service personnel wear their medals and march behind banners and standards. The veterans are joined by other community groups, including members of the armed forces, the Red Cross, cadets, and veterans of other countries’ forces.

A march proceeds to the local war memorial where another service takes place and representatives of various organisations and members of the public lay wreaths. This service is a more public commemoration than the dawn service. It’s less intimate and less

emotional. A speech is usually made by a dignitary, serviceman or returned serviceman or woman, which often has a theme of nationhood and remembrance.

After these services, many of the veterans retire to the local Returned and Services Association (RSA) club or a hotel, where they enjoy coffee and rum after the dawn service. The group uses this time to unwind after an emotional time as they remember the past and all fellow servicemen and women who fought for freedom.

At the end of the day, the ceremony of the retreat is performed. Elderly veterans often find Anzac Day physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting. Don’t forget to take the time to thank them for their service and acknowledge the memories and experiences they may have had. ¢

p Anzac Day is a time to celebrate those who have fought in war

Graceful healing naturally

u by Ann van Engelen

Based in Mangawhai, Kat Grace is an artist, teacher, therapist, healer, shaman and friend who encourages others in the community.

“I am a first-generation New Zealander,” says Kat.

“My parents were ‘ten-pound-Poms’ seeking a better life as worker migrants from post-war London. I was born in Ruakākā and raised in Manurewa, Auckland, and was the first in my family to attend university.”

Kat completed university with an arts degree and a post-grad in film production, and then worked in film and television before travelling to Europe.

In the midst of a busy life in the metropolis, Kat decided at the age of 30 to try yoga classes.

“As a keen fitness fan and longstanding gym member, I was nonetheless afraid that I wasn’t ‘flexible enough’.

“In my very first class, we were asked to get into a headstand. I had a deep fear in my body from a childhood car crash and had never dared to stand on my head before. I suddenly popped upside down, as easy as that.

“At the same time, I felt a call to return to Aotearoa. I didn’t understand it, but felt it deeply in my bones. Arriving in Auckland at the start of the global financial crisis in 2008, I found a very different landscape in New Zealand and had to pivot gracefully from architecture to yoga teaching.

“Moving through my own transitions and upheavals in life has taught me how to survive”

“Drawn to the film industry and the art world there, I settled in London for 15 years. I loved the London vibe at that time — it was a vibrant microcosm of arts and cultures.

“I met people from all over the world, and that meant I could also travel the world. Searching for more creative development, I later retrained in architecture at a London University and worked in high-end residential and hotel design.”

“From that moment, my perspective was radically changed, and my healing journey began. Ten years later practising almost daily, I knew that yoga was keeping me sane and well, living in this massive concrete grey city.

“I was spending a lot of what I earned travelling to connect with beaches, oceans and nature. Eventually, I left my job and travelled to India to deepen my understanding of yoga philosophy and practice.

“I slowly found my feet, and soon, my classes became popular and were flowing. I also ran many yoga retreats in Coromandel and Bali. Painting and pottery classes supported the yearning for creative expression, and the call of nature, and a simpler life was still strong.

“Every summer, we camped up north and fell in love with the east coast beaches. Eventually, I convinced my partner to move out of the city to beautiful Mangawhai.

“My dream was to open a pottery studio, become a full-time artist, and teach yoga classes. Then came the pandemic. As many people experienced,

p Kat Grace has travelled the world and appreciates the experiences she has personally had through various healing modalities

“I want to share the wisdom and understanding of meeting life’s challenges and healing trauma from my lived experience”

the way we had been living our lives was no longer viable. It was like a huge highlighter for where change was desperately needed.

“I was very grateful to be living out of the city, but internally and around me, in the wider community, there was a lot of turmoil. Life and home fell apart, and I had to pivot once again.

“I spent two years wandering, healing and wondering where I belong. Part of the healing journey took me to Noosa to learn kahuna, the ancient Hawaiian healing art of temple massage, a spiritual, energetic and physical practice.

“The experience was profoundly lifechanging. The key principles of mana and aloha spirit aligned with similar learnings from years of studying the yoga traditions. It literally saved my life at the time.

“In November last year, I did further advanced training there, and it opened up another level of the journey, taking me through rites of passage and my initiation into shamanic practice.

“The healing was one of the holiest experiences I have had. I knew it was another gift to be shared. There is

a direct connection to Māori rongoā traditions, similar to mirimiri and romiromi, connecting us to body, mind, energy, ancestors and spirit. This work is powerful and compassionate. I have witnessed and held space for deep healing, including my own.

“Alongside bodywork and traumasensitive yoga practices, I am studying Hakomi, a mindful somatic psychotherapy. In each of these modalities, as a therapist, I meet the person in their wholeness, working alongside them as their amazing bodymind heals itself. Since returning to live in Mangawhai just after the cyclones, pandemic and floods, I saw a desperate need for support of mental health and wellbeing of the local population, with a particular focus on supporting women.

“I want to share the wisdom and understanding of meeting life’s challenges and healing trauma from my lived experience. With that in mind, I offer my kahuna services mainly for women and men by referral only.

“I am also completing my Hakomi therapy study this year and currently offer my services in Mangawhai as a

‘student practitioner’, until I graduate. It is a mindful talk therapy practice, based in-body as the place where healing happens in the present moment.

“Moving through my own transitions and upheavals in life has taught me how to survive, build resilience and selfcompassion. This informs the foundation of everything I create, how I teach, hold space, and offer others therapy, embodiment practices and healing.

“Movement is medicine, nature is my temple, and my body is home. I am learning to live a slower, simpler, more connected life in Northland, where community and creativity are vitally important to me.

“My top 10 lessons for wellbeing and optimal living are to slow down and rest more because rest is resistance to the grind culture all around us. Rest is just as essential as movement.

“We need to ‘pay attention’. Beauty is all around us. Let that move you. Feel it. Everything changes. Life is uncertain. This is the only certainty.

“Life is optimal in a flow state. Doing something that we love brings us into flow. This is the opposite of the epidemic

of attention deficit we are in, and it is vital to our wellbeing.

“Ground in nature. We are nature, and being in nature is the medicine we need. We need to ‘find what brings us joy’ and do that more. We also need to play more.

“Our amazing body is our way of perceiving life around us. Love it, tend it, listen to it, take care of it and make it a safe home. It is designed to heal itself. We all have this innate capacity.

“We are built for connection and community. When we see ourselves as part of everything, we’re never alone.

“I love living here in Mangawhai. I feel incredibly privileged to have this at my doorstep. It is my daily discipline now to plunge into the ocean, to walk the land, to forest bathe. Mangawhai is a powerful healing place. It’s incredibly magical and special. I have travelled far and wide to experience such beauty, and this is all available to us. For kahuna, yoga, and Hakomi therapies, people can contact me through my HAMSA Body Mind Spirit Facebook page.

“It’s my mission to give back to the community that has supported me by offering my support and care.”

p Community and creativity are vitally important to Kat

p Kat would like to create an art space in the future for others to enjoy p Kat and her dog, Maud, can often be found exploring together

p Yoga and mindfulness are a part of Kat’s daily life

Mastering the green

Students showed their style on the course, as they competed at the recent Rodney College Golf Tournament at the Wellsford Golf Club.

“This was our first golf tournament in a few years and it was a very impressive day,” says sports coordinator Maria Northin.

“In the past, our team did very well at Nationals and I was inspired watching this year’s players; it certainly wasn’t a have-a-go day. I went with a junior boys group and was extremely impressed with their etiquette and encouragement of each other.

“They constantly complimented other players’ form and there were some players with really good handicaps. They did extremely well.”

Year nine student Jimmy Hardman won, Eli Heywood came in at second and Levi Dixon took third place on the day.

“I’ve been at the school since the beginning of this year and am enjoying it,” says Jimmy.

“This is my fourth year playing golf. I thought it might be a fun sport to get involved in and it’s very relaxing. I go to the Wellsford Golf Club and Martin Worthington gives me a few pointers and I really enjoy the course.

“You learn to have a bit of strategy with your game and it’s great to play with friends or others your age, as well as older people. You need to practise and play often to improve your handicap. My goal is to become a good golfer but I don’t think I’ll become a professional player.

“When we are out on the course we give each other tips like how to

stand at the right angle and have your shoulders in the correct position. When you swing at the ball you need to hit down on it for most shots and to get the ball to where you want it you need to line your feet and shoulders up to the target that you are aiming at.

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“It is a bit of a technical game. Depending on which club you use, depends on how hard you hit the ball. With time, you get to know how far to hit with each club. My best game for nine

holes so far is 44 and my best 18 hole game was 96.

“At the school tournament, the other students played really well. It was nice to come in first place. My score that day was 99. I also play rugby and tag and encourage other kids to get into a sport because it’s fun and a good way to make friends. Sport also helps you to plan, achieve and better yourself. I like that our school is really supportive of us playing sports.” ¢

p Students at the recent Rodney College Golf Tournament were in fine form at the Wellsford Golf Club on the day

p Rodney College golfers Eli Heywood placed second, Jimmy Hardman came first and Levi Dixon took third place in the golf tournament

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