A friend indeed

By Jane Comben

This song came on the radio and it made me think immediately of Shelley. We met at a design firm and we clicked.

Once I'd started my own business, and Shelley left work to have children, she was the person to call if I needed some extra design help or a fresh pair of eyes. In an industry where there is no right or wrong answer (just subjective opinion) having a "wing man" you understand and trust is invaluable. A safety net for creative confidence you could say.

Back to the point. I heard the song and realised that much time had passed and I missed her. Not just bouncing ideas around together, but I missed her energy. Her laugh, her sense of fun and her slightly mad obsession with all things Christmas. (You too can have a desktop widget that counts down the days to Christmas – all year!)

"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships." Abraham Lincoln

While I'm slightly envious of those people who still live and work close to friends they've known since childhood, I'm also grateful for all the people I've met on my travels. Some have passed through quickly while others have stuck around.

Here's a small selection of the types of friends I've been lucky enough to meet. I look forward to the ones I haven't met yet... maybe it's you.

‘Aint no party like yo Nana’s craft party’

By Rebecca Hardie - a not so 'closet' crafter

My name’s Rebecca and I’m a craft-a-holic. It’s true, I’m torn between writing this blog and making a cross stitched poppy for my friend who had a baby girl yesterday and named her Poppy. This is on top of the crocheted blanket, beanee, possum fur booties, lavender balls and the screen printed customised onsey I made her,  as well as organised a craft party for her baby shower - all the ladies stitched a square to represent a story or nursery rhyme – I stitched it into a book both Mum & Poppy can share.

Craft is a good addiction – our Nana’s did it!  I’ve heard that crochet uses a side of my brain that will keep me from losing my mind – I forget what side does what. I suspect I will reach ‘crazy crochet lady’ status one day.

I’m surrounded by crafty people, the story goes: my twin sister shares my crochet obsession, our Dad taught us and Grandma taught him, we’ve been hooked ever since!  Not long after moving to Pukerua Bay there was an article about me in the Dominion Post ‘Your Weekend’ section.  I think the idea of the story was that a public servant has a hobby to craft – breaking news, should’ve made the front page!  I was the new kid on the block and the locals are reading about someone who lives in their neighbourhood and crochets.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger...mostly

As a young gun reporter on the Saturday Express in 1990
 Angela back left!

By Angela Bensemann

My work life less ordinary began cleaning offices when I was about 13 with my younger sister.  That’s where I got the taste for: hard work = money in the bank = a new 10-speed bike (all the rage in the early 1980s).

From there it was natural to want to keep moving and get better jobs to buy the latest roller skates, shoes, jeans etc.

Working in a roadside fruit stall seemed like a step in the right direction.  The pay was good - $3.54 an hour - the outfit somewhat less so.  However the death to dog incident soon put paid to that job.  I was 16 and the owners left me and a friend in charge of their orchard, fruit stall, and dogs while they went away for the weekend.  The hubby told me to let the Rottweiler and Chihuahua out twice a day for a run while I was attending the stall.  How was I to know that the Chihuahua would run into the path of oncoming traffic on State Highway 1 and get squashed?  Needless to say this job did not end well and I resigned the next day.  Lesson learnt – never let a Chihuahua play on the side of the road.

From there I went to volunteering at my local newspaper – the Marlborough Express.  Here followed several years of holiday jobs reporting on local croquet games, diamond wedding jubilees and lost cats.  My big break came when I got to write for the Saturday Express and moved up to ‘Bovine Bingo bit of fun for all’.  Reporting on the two hundred people who crowded into a local carpark to watch Alethia the cow (and I quote) ‘drop her load’.  If she dropped it on your square you won.

An Angela Bensemann classic from the Saturday Express

My days writing for the University of Canterbury student newspaper yielded slightly more in-depth assignments like ‘Stirring the Pot’ (to legalise or not – marijuana), ‘Overcrowding in lecture theatres’ and on the same theme – ‘Overcrowding reaches Lancaster Park’. 

The biggest debate of the day was whether newspapers should print in colour - imagine... Oh the dizzying heights of journalism – it was soon to go to a whole other level:  A job at a publishing company.  I’d finally hit the big time or so I thought. As a naïve journalism graduate this was soon to become the job that stole my innocence! 

I was surrounded by sales reps, who would have sold their own grandmothers to get that commission - one was sleeping with the office manager at lunch time and defrauding the company the rest of the time.  The others were out back smoking pot when the boss was away.  Friday drinks would begin at 10am when the boss would put a can of beer on my desk (that was
before I discovered wine).  As you can imagine the rest of the day was a bit of a blur.

If you build it they will come - Kia Ora Children’s Learning Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

Denise surrounded by Kia Ora kids.

By Denise Carnihan, co-owner and driving force of Kia Ora
I’m not used to having my ideas taken too seriously – especially by my husband Chris.  So last year when I suggested we build a school in Nairobi I never thought for a minute we’d now be celebrating a whole year of operation with 300 students, eight teachers and a Masai warrior security guard.

It’s surprisingly easy to take a crazy idea and change your own life and those around you once you set your mind to it!

But let me rewind and tell you the story.