George Donaldson competes at the World Under 21 Waterski Championships in Canada. Photo suppliedThe New Zealand Under 21 Water Ski Team, which features two Mid Canterbury skiers, have produced solid results at the World Under 21 Waterski Championships in Canada.

Twin brothers, Hugh and George Donaldson are currently at Edmonton skiing on the Shalom Park site, a man-made lake on the banks of the Saskatchewan River.

The pair have been competing with fellow Cantabrians, Jack Engel and Taine Gibson, coming from a New Zealand winter to compete against some of the best skiers in the world in both slalom tricks and jumps.

In order to compete in the championships, the twins took the last week of their semester off to train with New Zealander Kyle Eade in Florida and with only a short preparation time had to get back up to speed quickly.

Competition started with near perfect conditions and the New Zealand team produced some strong slalom scores.

Hugh was in particularly good form skiing to his personal best and scoring 1.5 buoys on the 12 metre line while George produced New Zealand’s top score of 3880, although lost some points for a fall on his last tricks run.

The jumps event however was the event that the Kiwi team were most looking forward to and were greeted with glass-like conditions.

George produced a best of 48.6 metres while Hugh jumped 51.2 on his second jump, just short of his personal best.

Janeen Donaldson, who is in Canada with the team said the level of competition has been impressive.

We’ve seen some outstanding skiing this week, some skiers are skiing year-round and have come here intent on breaking records.

This is a site where multiple world records have been broken. Skiers are competing for men’s and women’s slalom, trick, jump and overall titles,” she said.

“An incredible five of the eight Under 21 World Records available have been broken, and the men’s world open overall record was also closely challenged.

“Team titles were won by Great Britain, Ukraine and Canada.

“We were thrilled with New Zealand’s 11th placing out of the 22 countries competing.”

© The Ashburton Guardian - 11 July 2019

Former Ashburton College English teacher Denise O’Halloran and former student Steve Carr are looking forward to opening 3BT’s time capsule on August 2. Photo Linda ClarkeA secret kept for 50 years and the self-written dreams of an Ashburton College English class 23 years ago will be revealed at a special school event next month.

The August 2 event will celebrate the college’s $50 million rebuild, due to begin in late 2020, and is being organised by the school’s past pupil group, Ashcoll Alumni.

A time capsule found by alumni co-ordinator Shirley Falloon in the school’s archives will be opened on the night.

The capsule was the work of English teacher Denise O’Halloran and the class of 3BT in 1996.

O’Halloran said yesterday she remembered the lesson, in which she asked her third form (today’s Year 9) English class to profile themselves.

Students were asked to write about who they were and what they were interested in, and what they wanted to do in the future.

The work was bundled up and sealed in a large brown envelope with instructions to be opened at the college’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

That event was held in 2015, but the time capsule had been forgotten.

Ashburton accountant Steve Carr remembers the English class project and will be among a handful of classmates on hand when the capsule is opened.

“I am not much of a writer so I probably only got to three-quarters of a page.

“It was tortuous for me to write.”

He said he would take a couple of minutes to look over the work of his 13-year-old self before reading it aloud at the gathering.

He can’t recall what he wrote and is prepared for a moment of embarrassment.

Carr has been spreading the word amongst 3BT class members and hopes as many as possible will attend.

O’Halloran remembers the youngster sitting between Andrew Baird and Scott McCracken – “three bright boys” – in her class.

They are still friends.

Carr said O’Halloran came to his rescue in his last year at school when he wanted to drop compulsory English for a numbers-related subject.

In those days an exemption was needed.

He was allowed to study physics instead and went on the following year to study accounting and economics at the University of Canterbury, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce.

O’Halloran taught English for 30 years at the college, retiring only a few years ago.

The students of Ashburton College class 3BT created the time capsule in an English lesson with teacher Denise O’Halloran.She misses school life and her students, but continues to observe with interest the evolution of the language and the impact of social media.

Falloon said the August 2 alumni event was being held in the college staffroom, with tours of the college by senior students starting at 4pm.

She said it would be 50 years almost to the day since the prime minister at the time Keith Holyoake laid the foundation stone at the college.

Ashburton High School and Ashburton Technical School merged in 1965, though it was several years before the existing school on Walnut Avenue was built.

Earlier this year prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced $50m would be spent rebuilding the campus.

Principal Ross Preece will speak at the alumni event about how the development will proceed.

The college has a current roll of around 1200 students and the rebuild will provide space for future role growth up to 1600 students.

Falloon said there would also be a “rather shocking but funny” revelation, about the antics of a former student during the Holyoake visit in 1969.

She was a first-year student at the time and said the entire school was under strict instructions to be on their best behaviour during the visit.

But it has been revealed recently that was not the case.

Falloon said she hoped as many former students and staff as possible would attend and share their own memories.

There will be old school photos on display around the staffroom as well as some former uniforms.

People wanting to attend need to register online via the alumni’s webpage or facebook.

The cost of admission is $20, with proceeds going to the school’s Phoenix Rising choir.

By Linda Clarke © The Ashburton Guardian - 10 July 2019

Carmen Lye has opened a sole exhibition in Methven. Photo Susan SandysTurning to Christianity later in life is fuelling a wave of creativity for Ashburton artist Carmen Lye.

The 46-year-old painter has just opened a sole exhibition at the Mt Hutt Memorial Hall Methven.

Lye studied art and design and became a graphic designer after leaving Ashburton College.

She became renowned locally as a prolific painter, with her colourful expressionistic and abstract works popular for their bright and contrasting colour palettes, combining the use of collage.

But when her children were young and she was busy with her graphic design business, she took a break for about 15 years.

Today, mum to 18-year-old Jake and 14-year-old Riley, Lye has only recently got back into painting, and one of her main motivating factors has been her new faith.

Lye said while she had always read the Bible and been interested in Christianity, she had never made the leap into becoming a practising Christian until meeting her husband Michael Lye about eight years ago.

“It’s a subject I have painted since art school, but only now am I painting from the viewpoint of a Christian,” she said.

Lye was aiming to speak to the spirit, “allowing possibilities and wonderment” to enter the minds of those viewing the works.

“I think everyone is searching for the answer to that question – what if there is more out there?” she said.

The exhibition features a range of subject matter including nature and the beginning of life on earth, tectonic forces pushing up mountains, angel’s wings and Jesus on the cross.

Many are inscripted with quotes from the Bible.

By Susan Sandys © The Ashburton Guardian - 9 July 2019