Jo Hooper has been the keeper of Party People’s store of costumes for years, but she’s about to hand on the job to someone else. Photo Sue NewmanJo Hooper’s wardrobe is one to envy.

It covers dozens of hanging rails and contains thousands of garments, some worn often, others rarely, but all are well loved and well cared for.

Unlike most wardrobes this one has been cared for by her family for decades, from mother to daughter, but finally, her family is calling time on caring for other people’s clothes as Hooper hands over the reins as boss of Ashburton’s Party People clothing store.

For 10 years she’s been the person who could meet every request for a fancy dress outfit, who could find a one-off garment hidden in a dusty corner.

She knows who’s hired what, when it should be returned and if it hasn’t been returned, she knows where to go looking.

Add to that an earlier three-year stint in the wardrobe store and Hooper reckons it’s time to step back.

“I’m here every time Party People is open and it’s my job to keep track of everything and to make sure everything is clean and ironed,” she said.

She’s supported by a team of volunteers.

Mum Yvonne Harrison is her right-hand seamstress, mending whatever needs mending and long-time Variety Theatre wardrobe supporter Nancy Winter, at 91, still pops in regularly to do the ironing.

In many ways the huge clothing store is a place of dreams and untold stories, Hooper said.

Many of the garments come when people clean out homes of elderly people and donations always bring surprises.

The wardrobe’s origins go back to the earlier days of the Ashburton Operatic Society when costumes had to be created for every show.

Sometimes those were made from scratch but as often they were a remake or reuse of something already in storage.

Today many shows come as a complete package with costumes included that only need adjustments made to fit the cast.

From the huge stocks of accumulated costumes, Party People was born and has now become a business in its own right with its huge clothing stocks in constant demand for parties and theme events.

Clothing that is rarely hired is often sold and a $5 rack sits at the front of the shop.

Just because she’s stepping away from running the costume hire business, Hooper admitted she won’t be bowing out completely from under the Variety Theatre umbrella. She and her mother will still be part of the wider crew.

When you’ve been part of the team since 1993, when she started out as a raffle ticket seller before graduating to backstage assistant during shows and year round costume hirer, it’s difficult to walk away, Hooper said.

She was recognised for her contribution at the Variety Theatre annual meeting when she was presented with a merit award.

By Sue Newman © The Ashburton Guardian - 9 December 2019

Nola Smitheram, calling time on her life as part of the Ashburton College network, first as a student and then for most of her working life as a member of staff. Photo Sue NewmanIn 1967 as a 13-year-old Nola Smitheram started her secondary school life at Ashburton College; 52 years later she walked out the school gates for the final time.

Over those years she’s been both student and member of staff, working across a range of roles.

She’s married, raised two children, tutored hundreds of children highland dancing and been a top performing triathlete.

But the time has come, Nola said, when she wants more freedom, more flexibility, when she wants to finally cut ties with the workforce.

On leaving school Nola worked for stock firm Dalgety’s, before winning a job in the college office in 1971.

Two years later she and late husband Murray moved to Gisborne, Nola returned to the college in 1986.

Thirty-three years later she’s left, along the way racking up 35 years and five months on the school’s pay roll.

With her oldest child at intermediate school, Nola was happy to accept a job that offered part-time employment, but that quickly morphed into a full time job.

Over the coming years her workload changed, technology arrived and her job description kept changing – office clerk, registrar, office manager.

Twenty-five years down the track she changed direction, moving back to part-time hours and focusing on the management of the NCEA co-ordinator aspect of her job.

Added to this was the task of the special assessment conditions and reader writer co-ordinator roles.

She retired in July but a replacement couldn’t be found.

“I said I wouldn’t see them stuck and went back and filled in as exam centre manager, but this time that’s it.”

Looking back, Nola said the college office was a vastly different place to the high-tech place it is today.

And it’s not only technology that’s changed, so too have attitudes to working mums, she said.

“When I was offered the job when I returned to Ashburton I was asked what I would do if my children were sick? Imagine asking that today.”

While she’s cut her working hours over the past few years, Nola said she was now ready to completely cut ties with the working world.

Over her time at the college she’s worked with five principals, each with their own style.

During those years, regardless of who was at the helm, regardless of how her job had changed, Nola said the school had been a great place to work, feeling like a second home.

She’s retiring with a bucket list that won’t see her life change dramatically – she’ll continue travelling overseas, continuing cycling for fitness but she says she’ll enjoy the luxury of a life that isn’t fitted in around work.

By Sue Newman © The Ashburton Guardian - 7 December 2019

Ashburton College teacher Claire Bubb (left) hands over the cheque for $10,000 to Andre van Rooyen (centre) and his wife Debbie (right) which was raised through a fundraising concert held at the college to pay for van Rooyen’s rare cancer treatment. Photo Jaime Pitt-MacKayA fundraising concert of former and current Ashburton College students for Andre van Rooyen on Friday night raised $10,000.

The concert, which was organised by teacher Claire Bubb, was held at the Ashburton College auditorium and saw current and former students come together to perform a variety of songs for the former Mid Canterbury tennis coach who is battling a rare form of lung cancer.

“It is an evening that I will remember for the rest of my life,” he said.

“To be able to share it with my kids and family was amazing.

“To see so many of the tennis community and the wider community there supporting it was fantastic.”

Van Rooyen is in his sixth month of fighting the cancer and requires Crizotinib, a drug which costs $10,000-per-month, to fight it.

The drug has had a positive impact on van Rooyen’s quality of life, and his wife Debbie said you can see day-to-day the improvements that he is making.

“It is nice to be able to have quality time with my family,” he said.

One side-effect of the drug is joint pain, but being outside and active with the family dog is helping to combat that.

The evening was MC’ed by deputy principal Ron Creswell, who also took part by singing alongside a line-up of top vocalists including Jack Bubb, who is studying music at Ara, teacher and NASDA graduate Jack Hanrahan, NASDA graduate Libby Higson, Otago University student Lucy Clough, well-known local singer Luke Glendining, and award-winning country music artist Ocean Waitokia.

Dancers included Hannah Wakelin and Carl Cayanan, while there were also bands and drama acts.

By Jaime Pitt-MacKay © The Ashburton Guardian - 6 December 2019