My connections with Friends started when I found out about the Aigantighe Gallery soon after my arrival in South Canterbury in 1968. I had been appointed as a second teacher at the two-teacher school called Cannington near Cave, and I was boarding out at Cannington.
One weekend I was offered a ride into Timaru by my landlady, and not owning a car, I accepted with enthusiasm. I walked about Timaru to find very little open for visitors, but Aigantighe was open, and I visited, and finding it open prompted me to write a letter to the editor of the Timaru Herald to congratulate Aigantighe on being the “ only place of interest open on a Saturday afternoon to offer entertainment to culturally minded visitors.” The museum and the library were not open!
But despite not owning a car, during the 1970’s I often went to exhibitions at Aigantighe and during the 1980’s I must have officially joined Friends.
A few years elapsed when I was not an active member of Friends or any specialist art group during that time, as I was busy with our five children. But I kept up the membership with my long-time loyalty to art in the community and support of the promotion of art that I have always had and still do.
At present, these years have rolled on, of course, and I am now a committee member of Friends, and I have helped with secretarial work, been Vice President, President, and presently immediate past President.
In 2025, I was the convenor and researcher of one of two support groups that applied for and achieved a heritage listing for the Kate Sheppard National Memorial made by Margriet Windhausen of South Canterbury. This Women's Suffrage relief sculpture is situated on the banks of the Avon River close to Oxford Terrace in Christchurch.
What do I enjoy about being part of Friends? Being a keen advocate for our local South Canterbury art and enjoying visiting exhibitions for what they do to enhance our interpretation and discovery of techniques gives me the most enjoyment. I retired from Timaru Girls High School in 2007, and during my 22 years teaching there, I organized dozens of visits of my classes to go and see exhibitions at Aigantighe. Students were helped by many Aigantighe staff members with their research about art history topics at senior level, and this was always greatly appreciated by my students. On occasions, staff accompanied my classes to visits in Dunedin and Christchurch.
What do I value about Aigantighe Art Gallery? The good choices that have been made by staff and members in selecting works for the art collection of Aigantighe. Their input has been thorough, accurate, and academic. The gallery is nearby and accessible, and on any visit I always learn or discover something new.
Is there a Friends supported project activity or contribution that makes you feel especially proud? I am very proud of the refurbished homestead to show visitors and to drive past or visit. It is a very fine tribute to all who have been involved. It reinforces the established position of art in New Zealand and in South Canterbury in particular, giving credence and accumulated knowledge an apt place.
What would you like more people to understand about Friends? That the membership of Friends all have individual abilities and interests, and no one is more correct or accurate than another. It's an amalgam of people with inspirational interpretations, and freedom of choice is welcomed. There is something for everyone!