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IOL News
25-07-2025
- General
- IOL News
Kanjikeerai, a marker of acculturating identity
Children being fed on board Ships of Indenture early 1900s. Image: 1860 Heritage Centre Kanjikeerai is a staple meal in the homes of many descendants of Indian Indentured workers living in South Africa. A delicious meal blending a cacophony of flavours from pungent to sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, it is further embellished with a crumble-like tactile texture of crispy fried dried fish. Made with the water-lily type Itebe herb, which is popular among the AmaZulu culture in KwaZulu-Natal, kanjikeerai is a marker of acculturated identity. The food culture of the system of indenture makes for interesting reading. It is an area of focus that marks a lacuna in the historiography of indenture. Professor Ashutosh Kumar of Banaras University fills this gap with a seminal study called Feeding the Girmitya: Food and Drink on Indentured Ships to the Sugar Colonies. Kumar's paper gives phenomenal insight into the food of the indentured passengers on the sea voyages during the 18th and 19th centuries, drawing on archival records of food rations found in the ship logs as well as oral testimonies of girmitiyas' autobiographies by Baba Ramchandra and Totaram Sanadhya from Fiji and Munshi Rahman Khan from Surinam. Itebe herbs Image: Supplied Professor Kumar notes that 'by the 1880s, many labourers traveling on the colonial ships had begun to complain to officials about the foods they were issued on board. For instance, some of these emigrants demanded rice, while others insisted that chapatis be provided to satiate their hunger during the long sea voyage. The colonial office investigated this debate over starch and sustenance. Such dietary negotiations positioned the labour ship as a unique space within Indian colonial society; yielding to individual tastes and regional identities, this new space was free from the caste rules that typically governed dining practices in the subcontinent'. In his biography titled Jiwan Prakash, Munshi Rahman Khan, an indentured labourer in Surinam, maintained that it was not possible to maintain the caste hierarchy of eating under the indenture system. Kanjikeerai with Karuvadu (dry fish) Image: Supplied Khan gives a detailed description of the food that indentured workers received during their journey from the countryside to Calcutta, at the port of embarkation, and then on the sea voyage. He acknowledged that until reaching the central coolie depot at Calcutta, indentured laborers received raw food material and prepared their own food, maintaining all caste and hierarchical differences; once they reached the Calcutta depot, however, they had to forget caste and hierarchy while dining. Khan writes: 'Till we reach here [Calcutta], we were allowed to cook our own meals as we pleased, as we were given raw food materials. Everyone followed his own rituals and systems. They wore their Janeu (sacred thread), tikka (forehead mark), Kanthi Mala (sacred necklace), etc., according to her/his caste and religion, and followed the system of caste and creed. They had managed to preserve their religious sanctity.' Sour Dhall, green beans and potato. Image: Supplied Beyond the kala pani (dark ocean waters), the study of food culture on the plantations where workers were indentured receives even limited scholarship, except for writing on Murungakkai keerai and its entangled human connectivity with a study titled Greener on the other side: tracing stories of amaranth and moringa through indenture by Pralini Naidoo. On the plantations, dhall, rice, and salted dried fish were the agreed ration for Indentured labourers while they toiled on the sugarcane plantations. In Natal, plantation owners substituted rations with cheaper ingredients that were foreign to workers. Mielie meal was substituted for rice, and more than often, food rations were withheld for the slightest infringements, leveraging power for increased labour production. Khichdi with potato curry. Image: Supplied Learning to adapt to a foreign land, these labourers learned how to incorporate African food ingredients like maize meal and amadumbe to make their meals palatable. For them, little was enough for a feast. Immediately after the beastly exercise of quarantine, indentured workers were shepherded to plantations very often fifty to a hundred miles away. The terrain and vegetation were different from those that they encountered in either the Southern or Northern parts of India. Their basic meals came in the form of rations that included dhall and rice or mielie meal. Rations sometimes arrived late or not at all, forcing people to forage in the forest, picking all varieties of herbs, fruit, and tubers. The tasty yam called amadumbe was boiled, roasted, or curried. Similarly, green bananas became fritters or grated as a curry. Mangoes could be curried either sweet, sour, or pickled. Gem squashes take form as a deceptive substitute for meat or fish, especially when soured with tamarind or green mangoes. Rice, which is a staple throughout Asia, was in short supply. Indians made amends. Mealies were pounded into fine grains. When slow-boiled, it looked very much like rice with mielie rice Khitchdi being a firm favourite, even amongst present-day descendants of indentured ancestry. Sometimes turmeric or tamarind was added to vary the flavour. With meat either being very expensive or entirely out of reach, salted and dried fish added to a tomato chutney became a routine accompaniment to the mealie rice. In fact, that simple meal has become so sought-after that one can find it on the menu of prime eating establishments like the Britannia Hotel in Durban. A coarser ground mealie grain called samp was an established part of Zulu cuisine. Indians spiced up samp with chilies and other condiments. Curried samp, nowadays frequently cooked with beans or meat, is a prized dish. The grinding implements are also very similar to the Zulu and Indian methods. In Tamil, the 'ammikal' is a flat granite stone that is accompanied by a rolling pin-type of stone. The 'worral' is a standing receptacle in stone, wood, or metal, the contents of which are pounded by a pole-like tool. Variations of the same are found in any traditional Zulu household. One dish that has the same name in both the Tamil and Zulu languages is 'phutu'. Its pronunciation may vary slightly, but in terms of cooking method and taste, it is the same dish. It is commonly eaten with a soured milk called 'amasi' in Zulu, which is hardly different from the curd in Indian cooking. The curd has a cooling effect on the stomach, with the probiotics aiding digestion. The common ground in cooking traditions is potentially a fascinating area of inquiry that demonstrates that there is more that unites South Africans than divides them. Selvan Naidoo Image: File Selvan Naidoo is the co-author of The Indian Africans together with Paul David, Kiru Naidoo, and Ranjith Choonilal. THE POST
The Irish Sun
08-07-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Tiny school on stunning Irish island with clear water, dolphins & turtles issued urgent appeal as it faces closure
APPEALS to save one of Ireland's last Island primary schools have been launched after only three children enrolled for the next school year. Scoil Naisiunta Inis Chleire is a historic Irish-speaking primary school situated on the island of Cape Clear off the coast of West 3 The appeal comes after only three children enrolled in the next school year The 129-year-old It echoes appeals made in 2018, when the school's only two teachers retired. Now fears that Ireland's southernmost Gaeltacht island primary school could close have resurfaced. As a result, the local community development organisation, Comharchumann Chleire Teo, has launched a campaign aimed at bringing READ MORE FROM IRISH NEWS Amenities such cheap long-term rental accommodation and fibre broadband are being advertised in an attempt to draw visitors to the island. A €35,000-a-year tourist manager job is also being offered, in order to manage the Cape Clear Fastnet Experience and Heritage Centre, a site which received €1million from Failte Ireland and Udaras na Gaeltachta last year. While families with a competent level of Irish are considered favourable, the island is also keen to attract families from various backgrounds and nationalities. The island, notably already boasts a varied community, with residents from France, Germany, Ukraine, MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN Cape Clear's island development agency manager, Kevin McCann, and his board are currently offering two low-cost rental properties for September as an incentive for young families to move to the island. Mr McCann said to the Irish Examiner: "We don't expect people to stay forever, although that would be nice. But we do want to encourage anybody with young children and preferably at least one person who wants to be a school principal to come and join our community." NEWCOMERS NEEDED He added: "Island life is not for everyone. But what they will get here is a wonderful sense of community and people do rely on each other here more than in the bigger, more urban areas." Residents like McCann worry that a closure of the school would threaten the island's viability. The island currently boasts a local bus service, a public library, a public health nurse, two pubs, and its own postal service. However, with the number of 3 The 129-year-old school is one of the last Island primary schools in the country 3 The school is currently in need of a new principal teacher, and students in order to remain open
IOL News
04-07-2025
- IOL News
Indian and African marriages during the system of indenture and beyond: 1860 to 1954
Indian African descendants in Reunion. Image: Supplied MARRIAGE between Indian indentured migrants and indigenous women in colonial South Africa has never been the subject of a historical study. Equally understudied are the children born of these mixed unions that challenge racial categorisation and identity in South Africa. In the colonial archive exist understudied examples of intercaste, interracial, and interreligious unions. An intriguing case of such a union, mined from the Natal Native Court Archives files, found Nomgcibelo Hlengwa guilty of murder. Nora Zwane, the daughter of Hlengwa, resided in the Sawoti Police District of Umkomaas. Nora was estranged from her husband, living apart for more than six months. In her testimony, Nora related that she gave birth to a female child in March 1953, revealing that this was an illegitimate child and that the father was an Indian male. Hlengwa was present at the birth of the child and over the following few days had questioned her daughter, Nora, about the ethnicity of the child's father, commenting that the child's hair was not that of a "native". Two weeks later, Nora was questioned by her estranged mother-in-law and the Induna's wife about the nationality of the child, which she explained was Indian. Interracial unions were evident in colonial Natal. Image: 1860 Heritage Centre Nora's mother, Hlengwa, asked her what she was going to do with the child, seeing that its father was Indian. Nora exclaimed that "the child was mine (Nora's), whether it was an Indian or anything else". The accused, Hlengwa, then asked how she (Nora) could say that the child was Indian and that she was going to kill the child. Later that night in the hut, Nora related how Hlengwa (her mother) placed her right hand at the top of my baby's chest and pressed her thumb and index finger on each side of the windpipe. "I turned my back on what she was doing and started to cry." The baby died that morning and was buried in a shallow grave. The post-mortem report concluded on the 24th March 1953 revealed that the child had died of shock and trauma to the heart and lungs. On 20 July 1953, the Native High Court found Nomgcibelo Hlengwa guilty of murder with a penalty of £25 or two months in prison. East Indian interracial unions in the plantation. Image: 1860 Heritage Centre The case of Nora Zwane reveals uncomfortable truths across the colour line in accepting children from interracial unions. Forty-two years after the system of Indian indentured labour recruitment was abolished in South Africa in 1911, descendants who found love beyond their phenotype were faced with prejudice, shame, and murder. Outside of the interracial unions for love, lust, or circumstance, further transcripts in the archive reveal more spurious information on interracial marriages embedded in a letter to the Assistant Secretary of the Native Affairs department dated 8 June 1906. The correspondence focuses on the intermarriage of Indians and Natives, discussing the marriage of Indian David Soloman, who was born in Natal, to a certain Cape woman. The Registrar of Asiatics noted that "from my experience of the lower classes of the Indian Community, I consider that the marriage tie is very lightly regarded, and that it would be extremely dangerous to make any exception to the restrictions provided for in the paragraph which Clause 2 of Law 3 of 1897 in this respect". Law 3 of 1897 in the South African Republic (Transvaal) prohibited marriages between whites and people of colour. In July 1906, a letter addressed to the Honouree Secretary of the Mahomedan Committee of Pretoria by the Protector of Asiatics revealed that "… certain Pathans in the Transvaal have taken as wives, native girls of this country. So far as I am aware, the marriages have not been registered under the laws for coloured persons. The women embrace the 'Mohomedan' faith and their position is, practically, speaking, that of a mistress." Special Mixed Marriage register of Ramsamy and Mtshali, 1954. Image: Supplied "It was further brought to notice that a Mahomedan Indian had applied for a certificate to enable him to marry under the laws in question, a native girl, and as understood that a mixture by marriage with the lower race is repugnant to the feeling of your community." The Protector of Asiatics goes on to ask the Mahomedan Committee secretary, 'I shall be obliged if you (the secretary) will be obliged if you will kindly furnish me with your view on the question (of mixed marriages)." Further correspondence on the reasons for the marriage of Indians with native women is highlighted in file no 4198 from the Colonial Secretary's Office. The minute paper brokered the concern that, under a recent decision of the Supreme Court, property may be held by a Native in the country. This provision will, in all likelihood, be used by a large number of Asiatics to overcome their difficulty concerning tenure of property. They have merely amalgamated (with native girls) to register their property in the wife's name. The secretary writes that "at least half of the Indians in the Transvaal can marry Natives without violating religious custom, and he considers that the social effects of such a mixture would be deplorable". "These marriages of convenience were precipitated under laws that disallowed Indians in the Transvaal from holding property, and to evade the law, Indians may endeavour to take advantage of the privilege enjoyed by Natives of acquiring land under their right, by marrying Native women with the object of acquiring title." Beyond South Africa, in unpacking interracial unions during the system of indenture, Daphné Budasz in her seminal paper titled, Brown men, Black women, White anxiety Indian migration, interracial marriages and colonial categorisation in British East Africa argues that unlike South African and even though the colonial administration did not act directly against these interracial relationships, the offspring of these unions represented a potential challenge to the colonial order. 'Besides the fact that interracial couples resisted the colonial division of races and British divide et impera political strategy, the existence of 'mixed-race' children was disruptive, because it made visible the irreversibility of Indian settlement and challenged land ownership patterns in favour of White settlers.' Audra A Diptee argues in her paper Indian Men, Afro-Creole Women: "Casting" Doubt on Interracial Sexual Relationships in the Late Nineteenth-Century Caribbean that "there were structural factors, such as residential separation, for example, which limited social interaction". She argued that scholars have overlooked the perspective that "Afrocreole women had a decisive role in negotiating sexual relationships - interracial or not - and this was influenced by the earning power of potential spouses, existing stereotypes, and cultural differences". Suriname scholar, Madhvi Ramautar, who is presently researching interracial Hindustani (Indian) marriages in Suriname from the period of indentureship in 1873 to the present, writes that interracial marriages are not a strange phenomenon in Suriname. Before the arrival of the Hindustanis, interracial marriages were present in the Surinamese community. After the arrival of the British Indian immigrants in 1873, interracial marriages were also entered into with the other ethnic groups due to the lack of women. Ramatautar notes that mixed Hindustani couples were and still are confronted with rejection and discrimination within their family. Brian L Moore's "Cultural Power, Resistance, and Pluralism: Colonial Guyana, 1838 - 1900 in Guyana' revealed that immigrant Chinese men established sexual relations with local Indian and Creole women due to the lack of Chinese women migrating to British Guiana. More common in his research, Moore expresses that more Indian women and Chinese men establish sexual relations with each other, and some Chinese men often took their Indian wives back with them to China. In Guyana, while marriages between Indian women and black African men are socially shameful to Indians, Chinese-Indian marriages are considered acceptable. "Chiney-dougla" is the Indian Guyanese term for mixed Chinese-Indian children. The term "Dougla" emerged in Trinidad and Tobago to describe individuals of mixed Indian and African descent, highlighting a distinct mixed-race identity that challenged colonial racial categories. During Indian indenture in various countries, interracial marriages and relationships, particularly between Indian indentured workers and other groups like Africans, were common, although often undocumented and stigmatised. These unions were often driven by the significant gender imbalance within the indentured population and the need for companionship and support in a new and challenging environment that deserves more scholarly attention in telling the fuller story of indenture in South Africa as we commemorate the 165th year of the first indentured passengers arriving to South Africa on 16 November 1860. Selvan Naidoo Image: File Selvan Naidoo is the great-grandson of Camachee, indentured no. 3297, and director of the 1860 Heritage Centre. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. THE POST
NZ Herald
02-07-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Society Insider: Martin Henderson's property investment with girlfriend; Kathryn Wilson expands to Arrowtown; Auckland FC goalkeeper Michael Woud's romantic proposal
Martin Henderson on Great Barrier Island NZ interior architect Penny Hay. Property records from last year show Hay and Henderson made a property investment together north of Auckland, purchasing a coastal sanctuary in trendy Point Wells for an estimated $3 million. The five-bedroom residence was designed by Dominic Glamuzina, of Auckland's Glamuzina Architects, and is nestled in a generous 1260 sq m of landscaped tropical gardens and a pool. The main bedroom has its own wing, featuring an ensuite bathroom and a spacious dressing room. Four additional bedrooms, a study and a media room are situated in a separate wing, ensuring privacy and distinct separation of spaces. The home owned by Martin Henderson and Penny Hay in Point Wells. Henderson and Hay's Point Wells home. Henderson and Hay's Point Wells home. Neither Henderson nor Hay returned Society Insider's attempts to contact them in regard to their plans for the home. Hay has made a successful name for herself, and her work features in design magazines, including Australian Vogue Living and Elle Decoration. Hay often collaborates with her brother Tim, of multi-award-winning Fearon Hay Architects in Grey Lynn, famous for designing some of New Zealand's most magnificent homes and commercial buildings. Fearon Hay's acclaimed designs include Takapauna's City Beach House, The Wintergarden at The Northern Club and The Brancott Estate Heritage Centre in Marlborough. Her business, Penny Hay Design, was founded in 2004, and has completed high-end residential and tailored commercial projects in the United States, Asia, the Middle East and Australia, as well as New Zealand. Penny Hay. Penny Hay, right, with her good friend Liz Huljich. She is said to have been a great help to Henderson with refurbishments for his Great Barrier pad, for which he is estimated to have paid more than $1 million. The home has sweeping views looking out over Whangaparapara Harbour. Hay also did fabulous work on a Great Barrier property she owns with Tim and her other brother, Jeremy, who is the managing director of project management firm RCP. The Hays' home, called Storm Cottage, is in a pristine position on the water in Oruawharo Bay. The Hay house on Great Barrier Island is for sale. Storm Cottage is 50 metres from another property owned by the siblings, the 16-acre Fearon Hay multi-award-winning 2000 square foot, glassy, minimalist retreat, which can be rented for $1500 per night. Storm Cottage is currently for sale through high-end real estate firm, Wall Real Estate, with an estimated value of $3m. Hay's next project is believed to be a fabulous house by Te Arai Links golf course, in Auckland's north. Henderson's last public relationship was with Mexican model Aisha Mendez, which is understood to have ended in late 2020. Since 2019, Henderson has been the star of one of Netflix's biggest hits, the Vancouver-filmed Virgin River, where he stars alongside Alexandra Breckenridge. In the last season, their characters, Melinda Monroe and Jack Sheridan, got married, and there are reports of a seventh season. Last year Henderson was back home to star in the Rachel Griffiths-led Kiwi show Madam and earlier this year he filmed his fifth season of Lucy Lawless' show My Life is Murder. Martin Henderson stars in My Life is Murder. After three decades of living in Australia and Hollywood, Point Wells and Great Barrier are not Henderson's only New Zealand real estate investments. Records show the 50-year-old star has also purchased a luxury apartment in Auckland's Viaduct in a premium building on Halsey St. This year, Henderson has used his social media to hit out at scammers, after reports of women being conned out of money by impostors claiming to be him and asking for money for flights, hospital treatments and legal fees. One woman who spoke to the Herald was scammed out of $375,000. Henderson urged fans to cease all contact with anyone saying they were him. He told the Herald in March it was awful to have his name and likeness associated with something that had caused such harm to someone. Kiwi shoe queen's Arrowtown dream Kathryn Wilson outside her new Arrowtown store. New Zealand's shoe queen, Kathryn Wilson, has fulfilled a long-held dream by opening her first South Island store in Arrowtown this week. Wilson is the latest high-end brand to open on Buckingham St, further boosting Arrowtown's appeal as a destination for fashionable shoppers. After more than 20 years in business, Wilson knows the rollercoaster of the fashion business. She already has retail stores in Auckland's Remuera and Herne Bay, one in Wellington in the Old Bank Arcade, and she was determined to open a store in the South Island this year. 'I thought it would be Christchurch first, but things have come together in very special ways to make Arrowtown happen first,' Wilson tells Society Insider. Her husband Liam Taylor spent 10 years in Queenstown with his business Exclusive Events, before he co-founded high-end marketing firm Dark Horse. Last week, while Wilson was getting her store ready to open, Taylor, director of the NZ Fashion Week Board, was part of a glamorous event at Giltrap Group on Auckland's New North Rd, where the first tranche of Fashion Week designers and partners were revealed for this year's event. Wilson was announced as one of the headlining designers on the programme. Liam Taylor and Kathryn Wilson. Photo / Norrie Montgomery Having a 'flagship' brick-and-mortar presence in the South has been important to Wilson. 'It's not just for my local clientele, there are a huge number of tourists coming in that I want to appeal to as well,' she says. When Society Insider spoke with Wilson on Sunday, she had finished cleaning the awning and was doing the finishing touches on the exterior paint. A woman visiting from Sydney was her first sale on Saturday night, and shoes were being sold at a steady pace on Sunday. After putting her Arrowtown dream out there in February, Wilson and her family were holidaying at Dame Julie Christie's holiday home in Hokitika, when her dream manifested. 'My friend and stockist Francesca King called me and told me the perfect store had come up for lease on Buckingham St,' says Wilson. 'I was so lucky to hear about the store before it hit the market.' The store is owned by high-rolling Queenstown property developer John Guthrie, and Wilson says when she met with him, she told him about her dream and love for the street. The south-end corner site at 16 Buckingham St was built in 1863 and previously tenanted by former The Block judge, interior designer Jason Bonham of Bonham Interiors. Kathryn Wilson's new store in Arrowtown. Inside Kathryn Wilson's new store. The Block's former co-host and in-demand interior designer, Shelley Ferguson, helped Wilson transform the dark gallery into a light space to show off her shoes to perfection, while Nadia Lim, who has her Royalburn Farm Shop around the corner, connected Wilson with the electrical firm she used for her store. Next door to Wilson's new store is celebrity chef Ben Bayly's popular Italian fine dining restaurant Aosta and accompanying Little Aosta. Further down the lane is the famous Blue Door Bar. Vicki Onions from Aosta, Little Aosta and The Blue Door, with her new neighbour Kathryn Wilson in Wilson's new Arrowtown store. 'I said to Ben a few years ago that I would love to have a little high heels bar in Aosta, and now I am next door.' Wilson picked a good week to open; 150 well-heeled guests are heading to Ayrburn tonight for the annual Winter Wonderland Gala. This year, the gala is taking place at Ayrburn's plush new restaurant, Billy's, doubling as a launch party, two days before it opens to the public. Society Insider is told the black-tie affair with a Chinese twist will be full of surprises, including 'A Bump With Billy' – the venue's signature offering, which entails a bump of caviar and a shot of Chinese distilled wine, Moutai. In two weeks' time, Wilson will host her Arrowtown store's official opening - with Aosta doing the catering. Auckland FC star's romantic proposal Newly engaged Zana Renton and Michael Woud at Cross Bali Breakers Resort Michael Woud was one of Auckland FC's first signings when the club was established and he's been working hard in his role as the A-League club's goalkeeper. But recent events have outshone his performance on the pitch, with the Kiwi keeper executing an impressive romantic engagement proposal last month in Bali. Woud, 26, and his partner of nearly three years Zana Renton, 24, had just spent an amazing day together exploring Uluwatu. 'We stopped for a late lunch where Michael said he had booked a couples' massage for us back at the resort for 4pm, so we had to be back by then,' Renton tells Society Insider. As they were walking back to their Villa at the Cross Bali Breakers Resort, Woud said to Renton: 'You always do surprises for me, so I wanted to surprise you.' 'We walked into our villa and Michael led me around the corner to see the pool full of rose petals spelling out 'Marry Me Zana',' says Renton. Michael Woud's flower petal marriage proposal at Cross Bali Breakers Resort in Bali. She says she cried tears of joy and turned around to find Woud on one knee, presenting her with a beautiful oval-cut mined diamond solitaire from Partridge Jewellers. Renton of course said yes. Zana Renton's oval-cut diamond mined solitaire from Partridge Jewellers. Woud had spent three days planning the proposal, and booked a romantic celebration dinner at Rock Bar, a cliff-top restaurant and bar in Uluwatu known for its stunning sunset views. 'We spent some time taking it all in, having dinner and didn't tell anyone for 24 hours,' says Woud. The St Heliers-based pair met not long after Renton moved up to Auckland from Havelock North for modelling - later working as a talent agent for Unique Model Management. Zana Renton modelling. Woud left Sacred Heart College at age 16 to follow his professional football dreams in the UK and Europe. He was back in Auckland when the pair met through social media in 2022. Their online friendship started hours before Woud boarded a flight to Melbourne, which resulted in a week of non-stop phone calls before they had a chance to meet in person. They later became an item, and when Woud left to play football in Japan at the end of his pre-season with Kyoto Sanga FC, Renton booked a one-way ticket to join him. There, they brought their fur baby, Saki, a Japanese Akita dog. While Woud played for Kyoto and then for Ventforet, Renton, a self-taught artist, was inspired by the Japanese culture. Michael Woud and Zana Renton with their dog Saki. After a year of living in Japan together, Woud signed for Auckland FC and the trio returned to live in Auckland in April last year. Along with being a talent manager, Renton has found success in selling her art and digital designs through commission-based work with her brand Art Houze. 'My work is incredibly flexible, helping me mould my schedule around Michael's football career.' Woud says it was amazing to be part of something special with the first season of Auckland FC and being back in Auckland gives him the time to support Renton. 'The ups and downs we experience in our careers are kind of similar,' says Woud. 'She has always been there for me, she's a great listener, doesn't judge the situation, but tries to help where she can.' Michael Woud and Zana Renton. The couple have started throwing some wedding ideas around, but for the moment are still basking in engagement bliss. Renton says Woud is the most loving, supportive, selfless, driven and handsome man she knows. 'The way we love each other is like a heart with a single beat, a united couple that faces any feat together forever,' she says. Michael Woud for Auckland FC Woud will be back at training in the coming days - this season as FC Auckland's premier goalkeeper - while the team gets ready for the start of the A League season at the end of this month. A good week for... Kiwis at Glastonbury Lorde hit the stage at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, last weekend. As well as the 28-year-old Kiwi superstar, artists such as Doechii, Charli XCX, Olivia Rodrigo, Kneecap and Shaboozey also performed, with A-List stars such as Paul Mescal, Margot Robbie, Lily Allen, Lily James and Daisy Edgar-Jones in the crowd. Taika Waititi and Lorde at Glastonbury. Rhythm and Vines founder Hamish Pinkham was there with his wife Roma, and described the festival as 'the best in the world'. The Pinkhams enjoyed the music in the fields alongside South Island festival promoter Mitch Ryder and his wife Steph, and Sydney-based Kiwi photographer Paddy Foss. Roma Pinkham, fourth from left, and Hamish Pinkham, far right, at Glastonbury, with friends. Days after popstar Rita Ora revealed she broke from tradition by proposing to her husband, Kiwi director Taika Waititi, the couple hit the festival partying with celebs including Lorde, Olivia Rodrigo, Alexa Chung, Pixie Geldof and Jack Guinness. Rita Ora and music agent Dom Chung at Glastonbury. When rocking Rod Stewart took to the Glastonbury stage on Sunday night, his daughter with Rachel Hunter, Renee Stewart, was also there with her sister Ruby and brother Alastair. Party people of the week NZ Fashion Week unveiling Fashion industry insiders gathered at Giltrap Group's Headquarters on New North Rd last Thursday evening, to celebrate several milestone announcements ahead of New Zealand Fashion Week: Kahuria 2025. NZ Fashion Week board members Murray Bevan, Liam Taylor and Dan Ahwa at the NZ Fashion Week unveiling at Giltrap Group. Photo / Ruby Hamilton Surrounded by luxury models from all 18 car brands represented by the event's naming rights sponsor, Giltrap Group, guests were treated to the official reveal of the first wave of this year's stacked designer lineup. Also revealed was a preview of the official NZ Fashion Week 2025 campaign, photographed by Mara Sommer and directed by Dan Ahwa, Viva's former creative director and now a board member of NZ Fashion Week. Fellow board member Murray Bevan was also in attendance alongside board director Liam Taylor. Participating 2025 designers in attendance included Juliette Hogan, Kiri Nathan, Liz and Neville Findlay from Zambesi, and Rory William Docherty. Other guests included Rich Lister Michael Giltrap, top model Juliette Perkins, skincare magnates Emma and Andrew Lewisham, photographer Holly Burgess and her designer sister Rebe Burgess, entrepreneur Iyia Liu, and fashion stylist Lulu Wilcox. Holly Sarah Burgess, Lauren Tapper and Rebe Healy. Photo / Ruby Hamilton Olivia Brown and Hunter Kawana. Photo / Ruby Hamilton Zeenat Wilkinson and Portia Prince. Photo / Ruby Hamilton Lilly Fraser and Gracie Hitchcock. Photo / Ruby Hamilton Sarah Street and Zeenat Wilkinson. Photo / Ruby Hamilton Lulu Wilcox and Iyia Liu. Photo / Ruby Hamilton Katherine Inder, Mitchell Vincent, Kiri Nathan, Nichola Te Kiri, Jacob Coutie and Czarina Wilson. Photo / Ruby Hamilton Doc Edge Film Festival Premiere The Doc Edge (The Documentary New Zealand Trust & Screen Edge Limited) Film Festival rolled out the red carpet at Auckland's SkyCity Theatre last Thursday night for its 20th Anniversary Gala. Sir Richard and Linus O'Brien at the Doc Edge Film Premiere at SkyCity theatre. Photo / Deane Cohen Creatives, filmmakers and fans in fishnets gathered to celebrate two decades of powerful documentaries, diverse voices, and unforgettable stories. The night featured the International Premiere of Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror. Director Linus O'Brien and his father, the film's legendary subject Sir Richard O'Brien, joined the audience for a lively Q&A, while Rocky Horror specialists Hot & Flustered Shadowcast had everyone up dancing to the Time Warp. Also featured was the world premiere of Sapiosexy, the Documentary, a playful short film created by Saatchi & Saatchi. Co-founder and executive director of Doc Edge, Dan Shanan, and general manager and festival producer of Doc Edge, Rachael Penman's guests included Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith; broadcasting legend Judy Bailey and her husband, producer and director Chris; broadcaster Neil Waka and his wife, Auckland Girls Grammar Head of Faculty for P.E and Health, Tanya; The 13th Floor founder Marty Duda; Fiona Tarlton; Grand Millennium general manager James Billing and lawyer Alex Lee. Doc Edge runs until August 24 in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and online nationwide. Alex Lee, Chris and Judy Bailey, Paul Goldsmith and Dan Shanan. Photo / Deane Cohen Tanya and Neil Waka. Photo / Deane Cohen Fiona Tarlton and Marty Duda. Photo / Deane Cohen James Billing and Bridget Tarr. Photo / Deane Cohen Tracy Robinson, Catherine George and Sean Ford. Photo / Deane Cohen Brando Yelavich and Madi Schipper. Photo / Deane Cohen Togo Tapsell and Harata Taurima-Thomas. Photo / Deane Cohen Sir Richard O'Brien and Rachael Penman. Photo / Deane Cohen Ricardo Simich has been with the Herald since 2008 where he contributed to The Business Insider. In 2012 he took over Spy at the Herald on Sunday, which has since evolved into Society Insider. The weekly column gives a glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous.
ABC News
18-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Fears for Stolen Generations records as Broome heritage centre closes
Families in Western Australia's north fear they could lose access to the only known records of relatives as the Sisters of St John of God Heritage Centre Broome prepares to close. WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following article contains information about people who have died. In May the Sisters of St John of God (SSJG) announced it would shut the centre's doors in October as the congregation in Australia also winds up. Since 1995, the sisters and volunteers have worked to transform its Broome convent into a museum and archive. While the building is heritage-listed, it remains unclear what will happen to its award-winning exhibition or the thousands of historical photos and documents. Nyikina woman Phillipa Cook said the lack of assurance concerned her and many others. She said the centre contained the history of "just about every Aboriginal family" across the Kimberley — connections the Stolen Generations had threatened to erase. "There's a lot of photographs there that we hadn't seen before." Ms Cook said her grandmother and grandmother's sister were taken from Derby to the Beagle Bay Mission during the Stolen Generations in the early 1900s. "They never saw their mothers again until they were in their 40s," she said. The heritage centre contained photos of her grandmother, and even photos of herself, which allowed them to re-draw a family tree that was intentionally severed. Ms Cook said whenever people who had been fostered visited Broome they also went to the centre. "We bring them up here and we take them there to see the connection between the family," Ms Cook said. Ms Cook said the state government should step in to help keep the centre open. Monash University Indigenous research fellow and Jaru, Kitja and Yawuru woman, Jacinta Walsh, said church archives were not protected under the Commonwealth Archives Act. She said because they were privately owned they could technically be destroyed. "The laws don't protect us and that's a real concern Australia-wide," she said. Ms Walsh said many Aboriginal families lived with the reality their stolen history was privately held. "Many of the places Aboriginal children were taken to were run by church organisations," she said. Ms Walsh studied her family history as part of her PhD research. She was adopted as a child and grew up separated from her community and culture in Melbourne. The Broome centre holds some of the only archival photos of her grandmother, who was taken to Beagle Bay Mission. The heritage centre is yet to respond to the ABC's questions about plans for the preservation and continued access of its photos and archives. A government spokesperson did not rule out whether the state would purchase the historical documents or advocate for them to be made public, but said "future leasing opportunities" were a matter for the building owner, the church. "The state would need additional time to investigate and understand the options relating to storage of historical records and archives," the spokesperson said. For Ms Walsh, the materials held at the centre provided validation to heal from "trauma that runs through families". "When you find a document, that textual record is evidence of what my family went through," she said.
