Next Meeting AGM1.30 pm Sunday 3rd July |
At the ETC Learning Centre, Broadway, Palmerston North
Talk at 2pmGrowing up in a Borrowed Place. Borrowed Time Speaker: Kate Lau |
Kate is the Coordinator of English Language Partners Palmerston North. She is a migrant from Hong Kong. She grew up at a time when Hong Kong was a British Colony, with British law and Chinese feudal law (like polygamy) running side by side. It was a time when the Japanese Occupation in WWII still had its far-reaching effect. It was also a time when the huge influx of refugees from China created a big headache for the tiny colony.
Kate’s childhood story will take us on a journey through “Borrowed Place, Borrowed Time”, i.e. what Hong Kong was referred to during the colonial era.
Our last Meeting
Fu Yujuan (or Mimi) gave an interesting, well illustrated and lively talk on the Uryghur people of Xinjiang. The Uyghur people are of Turkic ethnicity and although 80% live in the Tarim Basin there are also significant populations in neighbouring Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan as well as other parts of China. Mimi talked firstly about the distribution, language and literature of these people before spending some time describing their food and dress.
Uryghur food is based mainly on pasta and daily they eat nang bread, noodles, pilaf and steamed buns. A variety of meats including lamb, goat, beef and horse meat are also commonly eaten together with Mediterranean-style fruit and vegetables including apricots, watermelons and grapes in season. Both men and women may wear colourful dress including beautifully embroidered flower hats and head scarves.
Both men and women of Uryghur ethnicity enjoy a rich tradition of art, music and dance. Weddings in this part of the world are always a great opportunity for these activities and celebrations often last several days. At the end of the meeting we were privileged to be able to witness an excellent demonstration of Uryghur dance and music by our Fu Yujuan.
Easter Trip to Rewi Alley’s whare Moeawatea Valley
Despite the forecast for heavy rain, nine intrepid branch members left as planned on Saturday morning and arrived at the Moeawatea valley in time for lunch. Cars were left at the top of the Moeawatea Valley hill as a safety measure and we journeyed in by 4WD and farm bike. After lunch we set off for a 3 hour tramp around southern ridge at the back of Rewi and Jack’s old farm from which we enjoyed spectacular views of autumn poplars in the valley floor and rata in flower on the ridges.
On Sunday we visited Ernie Mathew’s old cottage and hand built shearing shed 7 km further down the valley. At that stage Ernie was living with his nephew in the adjacent Waitotara valley and we subsequently learnt that he died suddenly not long after his 84th birthday. On Sunday afternoon we packed up and left just before the rain set in at 3pm.
ObituaryProfessorAlan Williams |
We were saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alan Williams recently at the age of 77. Alan and his wife Bev (Past-Branch President and Secretary) have been stalwarts of the Manawatu Branch for many years and were very active members of the Branch during the 1980’s when the city experienced an influx of state sponsored Chinese students. Alan was a brilliant academic and inspiring teacher who worked tirelessly for international peace and for better relationships with China. Among the positions he held was that of Guest Professor in International Management at the Aetna School of Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, together with similar position in Logistics and Supply Chain Economics in the International MBA Programme at Sun Yat Sen University in Guangzhou. In the last decade Alan taught and wrote extensively on aviation management including texts such as:- “ Contemporary issues Shaping China’s Civil Aviation Policies: Balancing International with Domestic Priorities.”2008. Our sympathies to Bev and her family.
Maurice Alley
