The Ashburton connection; Sarah Gluyas, Julie Hawke, Charlotte Sloper and Lucy Moore. Photo supplied.There was a distinctly Ashburton flavour to the Highland Dance Company of New Zealand in the Netherlands to perform at the Rotterdam Tattoo.

The company includes Ashburton dancers Sarah Gluyas, Charlotte Sloper and Lucy Moore, with their dance teacher Julie Hawke. They performed at the Netherlands Military Tattoo Festival for three nights and then moved on to Belgium to perform at the Oostende Tattoo this weekend before travelling back to New Zealand.

There are 14 top highland dancers in the New Zealand team and they have joined with Canadian and Scottish dancers to make up the performing team.

The dancers combined with 10 Scottish and Canadian dancers to perform in six shows in Rotterdam at the Ahoy Arena, which seats 3000.

They will perform three shows at the Oostende Tattoo at the Sleuyter Arena, which seats 5000.

In Rotterdam, the team took centre stage in two choreographed dances accompanied by international pipe bands. Broadswords is a New Zealand choreographed dance by company directors

Hawke, who now lives in Christchurch, and Robyn Simmons (Blenheim). The second dance was titled Hellbound Train and is danced to a Red Hot Chilli Pipers live rockband/bagpipe combination, choreographed by Crystel Benton who resides in The Netherlands, formerly from Blenheim.

At their last performance, the audience included the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand.

In Belgium the company will perform a third item in Aboyne costumes.

The dance company is an auditioned dance group and Sloper and Moore were selected over two years ago. Gluyas has been in the company since its formation in 2010. Last year a team of 24

New Zealand dancers performed as guests at the International Virginia Tattoo in Virginia, US.

Next April the dancers will go on tour in the North Island with their stage show Heart of the Highlands. At the auditions this year (held only every two years) Ashburton dancer Milly Christie was successful in being selected to the prestigious group, bringing the Ashburton total to five, including Britney Moore, who was not on the tour due to university committments.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 4 October 2019

Ashburton swimmers (from left) Mitchell Veix, Blake Farr and Hannah King are off to the National Age Group Short Course Championships this week. Photo supplied.Three Ashburton swimmers are heading north this week to take on some of the country’s best.

Ashburton Swim Team members Mitchell Veix, Blake Farr and Hannah King will all be in action when the National Age Group Short Course Championships hit the water at the Sir Owen Glenn National Aquatic Centre in Auckland this week.

It’s set to be a huge event, with five full-on days of racing pitting the country’s best short course swimmers against each other, and the Ashburton trio hope to more than keep pace.

All are looking to make a splash at the event, which will be raced in age groups.

Farr will be swimming in the 15 year age group, competing in the 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events.

Veix is in the 14 year age group and competing in the 50m and 200m butterfly, 400m and 800m freestyle and the 400m individual medley, while King will compete in the 13 year old age group in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle, 100m and 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley.

For all three it’s set to be a lot of racing in a short space of time, but they’re ready for what lies ahead.

The national swim meet will get under way tomorrow, and conclude on Saturday.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 30 September 2019

Amy Stilgoe (from left), Mitch Cushnie, Jessalene Eclipse and Tarquin Kittlety-Williams at the Champions of Change Youth Hui at Ashburton College last week. Photo supplied.Ashburton College students have take the first steps in understanding how they can effect positive change on Mid Canterbury through sustainability.

The first Champions of Change Youth Hui was held at the school on Thursday, which is a collaboration between the school and the Kanuka Mid Canterbury Regeneration Trust.

Trust community connector Angela Cushnie said the hui was about exploring way to build and strengthen the relationship between young people, the communities and the environment.

“We started the day by asking them why are they here and what did they want to get out of the day,” she said.

“We then asked them what they were worried about, what their concerns were.”

Concerns including plastics, pollution, trees, Co2, species and plants and transport.

Cushnie said it was important for the students to focus on affecting change in their circles, through their friends, family and neighbours.

“We also spoke about who is involved with change, councillors, conservationists,” she said.

“We also asked them what they are most proud of in the region, and some things they would like to see changed and why it is important to change those things.”

Cushnie said the idea came about after seeing similar things in Christchurch, and realising there was nothing in this area.

Teacher Carolyn Clough was responsible for organising the hui at the school, and said the event had come about through simple conversations.

“This year the Year 9s are doing a new concept called innovation, and the first topic they will be doing next year in Year 10 is called sustainability, so it all fits in nicely,” she said.

Cushnie said she hoped the hui would give the students the opportunity to engage with things local the local Water Zone Committee and attend meetings to add their thoughts.

By Jaime Pitt-MacKay © The Ashburton Guardian - 30 September 2019