Simmer February 2006
A peerie wird fae da editor
Well here’s
the first newsletter for 2006. Many publications start the year by looking
back at the year that has past and reviewing some of the highlights, that is what we have done this time. Not just looking back at our Society’s activities but at what the other Shetland Societies
in NZ have done in 2005 and also some of the events or news items in Shetland.
Some activities have become imbedded in the annual calendar and have evolved into ‘traditions’. The picnic and Viking Ball are examples of such ‘traditions’ in our Society while Up
Helly Aa activities are regular events in Auckland and Canterbury.
In Shetland Up Helly Aa is a huge tradition but there are other events
which are part and parcel of each year and they all add to the fabric of life in Shetland.
Thank you to those
who contributed to newsletters last year, this is much appreciated. It
has been most interesting to hear from committee members in Meetin wir members.
We hear from Andrew Clark this time. A very big thank
you to Rose Coutts who formats, prints and distributes the newsletter and also contributes many articles and news items, it’s
very much a team effort!
As we launch into
another calendar year we look forward to a group visit from Shetland in March. For some members it will be a chance to meet up with friends or kin folk and for others
an opportunity to met and talk with Shetlanders and this time, Orcadians too.
Over the
years these visits have been highlight, so don’t miss out.
Blessins tae wis aa in da year ahead.
Mary Wood
2005 Shetland Happenings in New Zealand
January
Traditionally,
the time Kiwis go on holiday, at least two Shetland Societies in NZ start their year by celebrating Up Helly Aa at the end
of January. Auckland celebrations are water-based –
around a swimming pool. Members compete in making a model galley, which is then
floated in the water, and this year’s race involved racing around the pool with toy lawn mowers! Could this be a theme for an Up Helly Aa squad!? Canterbury celebrated in great style at Cracroft, where Up Helly Aa songs were sung lustily, accompanied
by Ben Morrison (grandson of our late member George Morrison) on his violin and Nan Anderson on piano. And, of course, there was Tom Morrison’s galley. No mention in Otago’s newsletters, but we
were also intrigued to hear that a Viking galley was burnt in Central Square on New Year’s Eve. This was attributed to the influence from Dunedin’s
sister city, Edinburgh.
It’s hard to imagine that Shetlanders in Otago were not involved in some peerie way!
February
Both Kiwi Fruit Coast and
Wellington chose
the same weekend to start their year’s activities. Kiwi Fruit Coast
members held their summer BBQ on Saturday 12th, and our Picnic was held on Sunday 13th. Several members of the Auckland society travelled to Tauranga to join their Bay of Plenty kith and kin, so there was plenty
of sheeksin that day, as well as great food and company. Held once again at Paekakariki,
there’s no doubt that the picnic held by the Shetland Society of Wellington is the longest established function held
in New Zealand specifically for Shetlanders
to enjoy. Whilst our 2005 picnic didn’t attract the same numbers as the
early picnics in the 1920’s did (up to 300 people!), it’s still a function enjoyed by young and old alike. Hawkes Bay held their first meeting of the year where members were invited to talk about “What Shetland means to me”
and members of the Canterbury society had a regular meeting which featured two guest speakers from the Community
Law office.
March
A quiet month for
Shetland folk in New Zealand, only the
Wellington Society
members got together when they were invited to join Lodge Zetland in their 60th Anniversary celebrations. Lodge Zetland was constituted in 1946, with its membership coming mainly from
the Norse Mariners’ Club, which in turn had been formed mainly from the male members of the Shetland Society of Wellington
two years earlier. And with several members belonging to both organisations,
the link has continued over the years. Part of the evening’s entertainment was provided by our Patron, John Smith (renowned
both here and in Shetland for his fiddle music) and our President and Immediate Past President delighted the audience of their
rendition of “Jannie and Henry”.
April
A much busier month
with both Canterbury
and Manawatu societies holding their AGMs, whilst Auckland
members enjoyed a perfect day cruising on the Kaipara River.
Some Wellington members were brushing up on their dancing skills, in preparation for the Viking Ball in May and Manawatu welcomed Paul Morris, a visitor from Canada,
at their meeting. Canterbury’s meeting featured the station manager of Plains FM as guest speaker. Shetland folk in Canterbury
have been able to enjoy listening to a regular feature on Plains FM for several years now.
Held monthly (every 4th Sunday) April listeners heard Laurie Sinclair reciting his war poem “The Yestermen”
and John Mouat talking about his father’s war service.
May
Otago members were the first to meet in May with their AGM. Kimberly
Cross (grand-daughter of Otago stalwart, Bill Laurenson) spoke about her experiences with Project K which saw her as the only
South Islander and only female chosen to be part of their week-long Antarctic adventure.
A few days later Wellington members once again kicked up their heels at the Society’s Viking Ball, led
by Jarl Ross Mainland. Always popular, people travelled from as far afield as
Canterbury and Hawkes
Bay. Then a week later Hawkes Bay members gathered for a get-together where Rick Leitch shared with them
his experiences and adventures whilst he was living and working in Shetland.
June
June was a popular
month for mid-winter gatherings, with Auckland and Canterbury holding mid-year Christmas celebrations. Kiwi Fruit Coast combined their AGM with a lunchtime gathering. After nine years
as President Freda Irvine stepped down, being replaced by Barbara Thomson. Following the AGM (and some wonderful food) members
were entertained by Greg Brownlees who gave an insight into the life of a tour guide in Europe.
July
Members at Otago’s mid-year function welcomed Susan Nicholson’s parents, visiting from Shetland, and were treated
to an illustrated talk by Jean Nelson on Up Helly Aa and all its accompanying activities.
Wellington members gathered for a mid-winter Foy, which featured a wide range of activities
– including making Viking shields, a “Harry Potter Goes to Shetland” quiz, some dancing and having the Junior
Viking squad parade as everyone sang the Up Helly Aa song.
August
Canterbury members braved the winter weather to meet with the Orkney Group in August,
and Manawatu members met for their Springfest.
They were entertained with a video and tales of a recent trip to Shetland by their President, Mackie Coutts and his
wife Janice.
September
Wellington members were the first to meet in September, where they were bribed
with a combined night of old-time movies following food and their AGM. Kiwi Fruit Coast members followed with a Pot-Luck luncheon, and in the middle of the month Auckland
members were invited to a Pot-Luck meal following a concert by members of the Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club Orchestra. Canterbury members got together for a meeting at the end of the month, where they also enjoyed
tales from members who have travelled recently to Shetland.
October
A games afternoon
for Auckland members at Wendy Turner’s home ended up with them mostly listening to tales
of Lorraine Bruce’s recent trip to South America accompanied by a great selection of
photos.
October was also
the occasion of the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Lord Nelson. The Kiwi Fruit Coast newsletter contained a fascinating excerpt on Nelson and the famous battle, as well as listing
some Shetlanders who served with Nelson’s fleet. There were at least three Shetland seamen who actually served with
Nelson on the “Victory”, with one of them dying in the battle.
November
What a busy month! All the Shetland Societies, except Auckland,
held Christmas celebrations during November. First to celebrate, Otago held their Yuletide meeting mid-week, where they enjoyed Vilma Nelson’s Shetland fiddle music and
an entertaining trivia quiz. Then Manawatu
and Kiwi Fruit Coast both held their celebrations
on Saturday 12th, with Manawatu members enjoying their Christmas dinner in the middle of the day, whilst the Bay of Plenty Shetland
folk waited until the evening to celebrate their Christmas Foy at Daniel’s restaurant. Members of Hawkes Bay had to meet a certain stipulation
for their Christmas barbecue at Colleen Hannan’s on Sunday 20th - they all had to wear a hat! Can we expect
to see a fashion supplement in a forthcoming newsletter? The last weekend of
the month saw Wellington members enjoying their traditional Christmas dinner on Saturday evening, with Canterbury members meeting the following day for their Christmas tea.
In addition, members
in Auckland manned a Shetland stand at the Highland Games at Three Kings on Saturday 19th
and on Sunday 20th both Senior and Junior Viking Squads turned out to accompany the Junior Galley in the Wellington Christmas Parade.
December
With Christmas
and holiday times fast looming, the calendar for Wellington members finished with
their Christmas Tree party for children held on the first Sunday in December. The
following Sunday, members in Auckland concluded their activities for 2005 with a Christmas lunch at Denny’s.
By then,
many of us had already started to receive cards, letters, or emails from friends and family from Shetland (and all over the
world), renewing the bonds of kinship and friendship that are so important to us all.
As we have looked back on what we did in 2005, we have already started to share another year of fun and friendship
in 2006.
2005 Shetland
Happenings in Shetland
January
Up Helly
Aa
January is the
start of the Up Helly Aa festivities which commences with the Scalloway Fire Festival early in the month. The biggest and best known is Lerwick’s Up Helly Aa held on the last Tuesday of the month. This year fine and unseasonably warm weather greeted the squad led by
Guizer Jarl Peter Fraser who took on the persona of Earl Sigurd o’ Gord. In
a departure from tradition, the galley was named ‘Pete’s dragon’!
February
Up Helly Aa
festivities continue
February sees a
continuation of Up Helly Aa festivals including those at Nesting and Girlsta, Brae and at the end of the month, Norwick.
Shetland
flag sanctioned
At the beginning
of the month the Shetland flag was officially recognized by the heraldic authority for Scotland, the Court of Lord Lyon. The
flag was originally designed in 1969 and it incorporates Shetland’s dual Nordic and Scottish heritage. Although official recognition was a long time coming, the flag has been widely used over the years.
March
Oil flows
from new pipeline
The first batch
of oil from the Clair field flowed into Sullom Voe through a newly laid 47 mile pipeline.
The Clair field is located west of Shetland and although it was discovered 27 years ago it was a complex and difficult
field to extract oil from. Oil from this field will help secure the future
of the Sullom Voe oil terminal.
First
cruise ship for the season
The Norwegian cruise
ship Trollford arrived in Lerwick Harbour
on 22nd of the month. This year saw a record number of cruise ships
in port with 50 ships calling. The last ship Mona Lisa was due on
the 12th September making this year’s cruise ship season the longest yet; usually they visit June to August.
Museum closes
to public
The Shetland Museum closed
its doors to the public at the end of the month. Staff then started preparation
for shifting to the new museum and archives facilities which are being built at Hays Dock on the harbour front. The new complex is scheduled to open in July 2006.
April
Runway
extension
Work started on
a 10 million pound runway extension for Sumburgh Airport. The extension is expected
to improve the reliability of passenger services, allow larger aircraft to use the airport and make new routes possible.
Da Voar Redd
Up
The month long
annual spring clean started mid April. This was the 18th year
Da Redd Up has been held and 3500 volunteers participated, the biggest number yet.
Folk Festival
The 25th
anniversary of the highly successful Shetland Folk Festival took place on the last weekend of the month. 20 visiting performers from as far away as USA,
Madagascar, Australia and Celtic acts from UK
and Ireland, joined around 50 local acts. Over 20 concerts were held in various parts of Shetland.
May
Island Councils
30th anniversary
Celebrations were
held in Orkney on 14th-16th to mark the 30th anniversary
of the establishment of Scotland’s three island councils; Shetland Island Council, Orkney Island Council & Comhairle
nan Eilan Siar (Western Islands). The celebrations included a gala dinner, a
symposium and a thanksgiving service at St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. Convenors, Chief Executives and members of the councils attended along with MPs and MSP’s (members
of the Scottish parliament) representing the island communities as well as other dignitaries.
June
Bikers
Rally
250 bikers from
all over the UK gathered at Vidlin for
their traditional Simmer Dim Rally, the most northerly motorbike rally in Britain. The rally started in 1981 and the only year the rally hasn’t taken place
was 2001, during the Foot & Mouth scare. Barbeques, discos and live bands
provided entertainment on the 4 day event which took place mid month.
Yacht Races
visit
Around 70
yachts taking place in two different races tied up at Victoria Pier when the North Sea Triangle Race and the Bergen–Shetland
Race visited Lerwick. The bi-annual North Sea Triangle Race between the
Netherlands, Norway & Shetland has
been visiting since 1983. Competitors were in port 22nd-24th. The Bergen-Shetland Race is in its 18th year arriving 23rd
and departing 26th.
July
Inter-island
Games
11-16th
Shetland hosted the Nat West Inter-island Games. Athletes from 24 island communities
took part in 15 sports. This was a major event for Shetland with thousands
of people visiting including international media. A highlight for Shetland
occurred on the last day of competition when Shetland won the football (soccer) match in the final against Guernsey,
2-nil.
RAF Saxa
Vord to close
An announcement
that the Saxa Vord radar station on Unst is to close by next Spring stunned the community.
While people knew that the radar, established during the Cold War to provide long range surveillance for Britain, had outlived its operational usefulness, the speed
and severity of the closure was a real blow. 40 civilian jobs will be lost
when the 90 RAF personnel leave. This will have a severe impact on island
life including schools, shops and health services. The base also enhanced
firefighting and snow clearing operations for the island.
August
Shetland Fiddle
Frenzy
The 2nd
major fiddle school and festival, Shetland Fiddle Frenzy, took place 8th -14th August. As well as offering fiddle classes, it explored Shetland’s musical and cultural traditions
with a series of concerts, dances, lectures, workshops and informal sessions.
Traditional music
of Norway also featured this year with
10 young Norwegian fiddlers visiting the event.
Klondyders
return
East European ‘klondykers’
or factory ships came back to Shetland this month after a 10 year absence. They
were a common sight in the 1080’s – 90’s but increasing prices for herring and mackerel and Shetland authorities
concern over the condition of the ships saw the fleet relocate to Faroe. It is
hoped that klondykers will again frequent Shetland ports on a regular basis.
September
Royal
Visit
The Earl and Countess
of Wessex spent 2 days in Shetland early
in the month. Their schedule took them to many places throughout the isles
including Sullom Voe Oil Terminal, the North Atlantic Fisheries College
and Anderson High School. Prince Edward had previously visited Shetland as a 5 year old.
Book Festival
‘Wordplay
2005’ – Shetland Art’s Trust 4th Shetland book festival was held at the Clickimin Leisure Centre. Local and visiting authors participated and the opening night included music,
dance and poetry. A new CD collection of stories in dialect for bairns
was launched at the festival.
October
Shetland Bus
anniversary
The Shetland Bus
operation took place 1941-1945. A number of Shetlanders traveled to Televaag
in Norway to attend a 60th
anniversary commemoration. The Scottish transport minister and MSP for Shetland,
Tavish Scott, hosted a lunch reception attended by local dignitaries, veterans and Shetland representatives.
Shetland’s
Accordion & Fiddle Festival
The Accordion and
Fiddle Festival was held 6th – 9th of the month. 20
visiting artists and bands arrived to perform at the event.
November
Direct
flights to London
The Faroese airline,
Atlantic Airways, confirmed it will operate direct flights from Sumburgh to London’s
Stansted Airport
between 23 June – 4 September 2006. This will be a twice a week service, Monday and Friday and will cost around the price of the current
fare between Shetland and Aberdeen. The airline spokesperson said this is only the beginning and if the new service is well supported the company’s
vision is to eventually fly all year round. As well as increasing tourist
possibilities for Shetland, the service, which also links Shetland to Faroe, will enable Shetlanders to access the airline’s
scheduled flights to Denmark, Norway and Iceland.
December
Electricity
scheme for Foula
Foula will become
self sufficient in electricity during 2006 due to a European grant announced on 28th December. The scheme comprising of wind, water and solar energy had to be carefully designed to take into consideration
Foula’s status as a bird haven. It will be the first time that Foula
will have electricity available 24 hours. Currently a diesel generator
provides very expensive electricity between 7am and midnight.
Xmas bonuses
to be reviewed
Shetland’s
unique Christmas grant’s scheme which gives pensioners and the disabled an annual gift of around 250 pounds is to be
reviewed next year. The scheme was introduced in 1975 to provide a treat
for the elderly from oil funds. The scheme was extended in 1999 to include
those receiving some disability benefits and in 2003 disabled children were also included.
Administering the grant has become a minefield.
Meetin wir Members
Introducing
Andrew Clark
I have been involved
with the Shetland Society for a while now, my first attendance of the Viking Ball was in 1991. I have been on the committee for the last three years.
I
Grew up in Hastings and after studying technology at Massey University, I worked in Napier and Wanganui
before coming to Wellington in 1998.
My Shetland connection
is through my Mother’s side of the family. My Great, Great Grandmother,
Barbara Innes Cowie, was the fourth child of Isaac and Andrina Cowie. Isaac
Cowie was a surgeon in Lerwick. Barbara Cowie became a school teacher and
married Donald Stewart, a Doctor of English, from Scotland
and had one child, Andrina, who was born 18 September 1867,
in the county of Perth,
Scotland.
The three of them immigrated to New Zealand
in the early 1870’s where Donald taught at schools at Blueskin
Bay, north of Dunedin
and Pigeon Bay,
Banks Peninsula. Andrina also became a school teacher and was teaching in Wellington before marrying William Goodwin from Pigeon in April 1899. Andrina’s third child was William Donald Goodwin, my Grandfather, and he was born in Christchurch in 1905. The
family then moved to a farm in Waipukurau in Hawkes Bay. William first went to Napier Boys High School
but after running away from Napier Boys finished secondary school at Wellington
College. He went on
to study law at Victoria University
and joined the firm of Atkinson, Dale & Mather, barristers and solicitors in Wellington. He married Cecilia Riddell in December 1929 and built a house in Amritsar Street
Khandallah. My mother, Gwynneth Goodwin was born in Wellington in 1932. It was while living at Khandallah
that Andrina died in 1942. William Goodwin then retired from Law in 1944 and
for a short time was involved
real estate, forming
the company Dickason, Goodwin & Chaplin Ltd. He bought property in
Lower Hutt and developed a furnishing business known as The Belmont Furnishers Ltd. This was later sold to Smith & Brown in 1970/71. During this time the family had moved to Masterton where my mother and father, Douglas Clark, met
and married and I was born, the youngest of four, with three older sisters. One
of which, Alexandra Rumbal, is a keen member of the Wellington Shetland Society.
I have yet to visit
Shetland, having got as far as the Orkney Islands, so it is a place that I will be endeavouring
to get to.
Andrew
Clark
Obituaries
Alistair
Miller
It was with a great deal of sadness that we learnt of the death of one of our life members, Alistair Millar,
earlier in 2005.
Alistair, together with Jeanette, has made a huge contribution to the Society, especially in the continued success
of the Viking Ball. Right from the beginning they were involved in the
design work for shields, banners, galley shields and table decorations as well as decorations for the hall. Alistair’s artistic flair was especially evident in the hall decorations, and not content with
seeing the same décor he continually made and designed new murals and hangings to complement a chosen theme. Even after they moved south to Alexandra, Alistair and Jeanette made new murals for us when they
returned to Wellington for the ball.
We know that Alistair will be truly missed by his many friends in the Society.
He will never be far from us, especially as we continue to enjoy and admire so much of his art work at the ball each
year. We have been so fortunate to have known Alistair and we hope that
Jeanette will find some comfort in knowing that we have so much to remember him by.
Our thoughts are with you Jeanette.
Marjory Priest
Our condolences also go to Robert Priest, with the recent death of his wife Marjorie. Marjory (nee Gifford) had suffered ill-health for many years, coping with surgery, much pain and
frequent hospital stays with tremendous fighting spirit and her quick sense of humour.
We know that her family are relieved that Marjory is now at peace, but we also know how much they will miss
her. Our thoughts are not only with Robert, but also their children Diane
and Malcolm and their families, as well as Zena and Laurence, Marjory’s sister and brother.
NZ Sportsman of the Year,
2005: Michael Campbell
How proud we all
felt when Michael Campbell won the US Open! What a great day for New Zealand! Even if we weren’t followers of golf, no-one
could deny knowing about his great achievement in winning one of the world’s most prestigious sporting trophies. But did you realize that Shetlanders can claim a teeny bit of kinship with Cambo? No? Then read on!
In 2004 the Auckland Society March newsletter published an interesting excerpt from Mana Tangata,
giving the background to John Logan Campbell’s (of Auckland
fame) descendants through his two children, Mereana and Alex Campbell. They were born to Te Opetaua and when the relationship
between Campbell and Te Opetaua ended she went to join her cousin, Te Wahataua, on the East Coast. Te Wahataua had married James Mitchell, a crofter and fisherman recently arrived in NZ from, (where else!)
Shetland. James and his two brothers had built their own ship, sailed to NZ and
started coastal shipping work out of Auckland. Their clients
included firms belonging to John Logan Campbell. When one of his brothers took
off with the ship, James found work at Mahia as a whaler where he settled with Te Wahataua, raising a family of several children.
In 1864 Te Opetaua’s
daughter, Mereana Campbell, died giving birth to her first child, a daughter Matekiteuru Harvey, who was raised by Te Opetaua.
Shortly after this James Mitchell also died and James and Te Wahataua’s eldest son David (born in 1846) took over providing
for his mother and the wider whanau (including Te Opetaua and her family).. The families became even more closely linked when
he married his cousin Matekiteuru (Mereana’s daughter). They went on to have a family of 13 children.
After the
relationship with Te Opetaua ended John Logan Campbell married, but none of his children bore any offspring, so that the only
descendants from John Logan Campbell are from his children by Te Opetaua, Alex and Mareana. And as we have seen, Mareana’s
and David’s descendants have a link to Shetland. The arrival of James Mitchell and his brothers in New Zealand must be one of the earliest documented accounts
of Shetland settlement here.
So where does Michael Campbell fit in? He is a direct descendant
from Alex Campbell. Other well known descendants include Wynton Rufer and Philip Tataurangi (also notable NZ sportsmen), as
well as the entertainer, Billy T James. It’s very unlikely that Michael
Campbell is aware that some of his more distant cousins share a Shetland heritage. Perhaps
it’s time to let him know!
Society News
Picnic: For
the first time that we can remember, we had to cancel the picnic. And of
course, the weather cleared as soon as the cancellation was broadcast! However
it has been re-scheduled for Sunday 12 March, same place (QE 11 Park) same ground (our usual, now ground 4) same time (races
start at 2pm) with a barbecue to follow.
Let’s hope the weather is kinder then!
Shetland & Orkney Tour Group
Shetland Tour Party:
We’ve had a lot of enquiries about the group from Shetland and Orkney touring NZ and we’re thrilled to
be able to host them whilst they are in Wellington. They arrive Monday 6 March and depart on Thursday 9 March.
We will be welcoming them at their hotel, The Kingsgate Hotel, Oriental
Bay (entrance off Roxburgh St) from 4.30-6.30pm
on Monday 6 March. Nibbles, tea
and coffee will be provided and a cash bar will be open. If you wish to
stay longer and join our visitors for dinner, then we must have your booking by Thursday 2 March. It is a set menu at $36 per head and the hotel need to know the extra number to cater for. Our apologies for not giving you much notice, but if you would like to join our visitors for dinner,
then please let Jim Coutts know (phone 388-3705) by 2 March. There may
be car parking available in the hotel car park (off the top of Roxburgh St) and if you do park there you will need to notify
reception that you are with the Shetland party and give them your car registration number.
On Tuesday 7 March they have an organised tour of Wellington
and Wednesday 8 March is scheduled as a free day until the evening when they will join us at The Pines for dinner giving us
an opportunity to make and renew friendships. It would help us enormously
if you would use the form at the bottom of the enclosed notice, so that again we can confirm numbers attending in good time. Members, relations and friends are all welcome and we look forward to seeing
you there! Just please return the form or let Mary know.
We’ve always said that keeping the links with Shetland alive is part of what the Society is all about. This is another great opportunity to do just that!
Diary Dates
Picnic re-scheduled
Sunday 12 March, at Queen Elizabeth Park
Kingsgate Hotel
Monday 6 March 4.30-6.30pm
Meet and greet the Shetland Tour Group
Dinner at The Pines
Wednesday 8 March, 6.30pm
Join us in making our Shetland & Orkney visitors welcome to Wellington
2006 Viking Ball
Saturday 20 May
Indian Cultural Centre, Kemp
St, Kilbirnie
Invite your friends and mark your diaries.
