Poppy to Remember

From left to right: Jenny Naea, Jan Crombie, Robin Hill, Robyn Brady, Mike McGuiggan, Joan O'Brien, Helen Miller and John Michael

It all started in 2007 when YMCA at Mt Albert Community and Recreation Centre on behalf of Never 2 Old Seniors applied to Auckland City NZ Creative Communities and was awarded funding for a Writing Course. They came together to write their memoirs as well as creative fiction. This group has grown and continues to meet monthly.

The following year in 2008 we again were given funds to run a Mosaic Workshop. After much success and the seniors wanting to expand their mosaic art abilities, we decided on yet another workshop. Please to have found the well accredited Art Therapy Instructor Sally Legg, we decided to put together a workshop using the ideas of writing memoirs as well as the seniors own history by incorporating the stories into mosaic art form. Using memorabilia, photos, trinkets and themes, their art will become mosaic stories.

On the 11th of April we were delighted to have a special day in which YMCA at Mt Albert Community and Recreation Centre presented “A Poppy To Remember” Mosaic to Auckland City and Mt Albert War Memorial, reminding all who enter the hall of the namesake and what it stands for. Those who have served and will be remembered. With much of the seniors early years and memories reflecting War Time, we decided the poppy would make a wonderful gift to present back to our  community. The Large Red Poppy was designed and drawn by Sally Legg, the mosaic pieces placed by the seniors and community members as well as the writing group’s collection of Flanders Fields, while the beautiful illustrated calligraphy on tiles was done by NZ Calligraphy group, another one of our centre’s members.

Hosting the event was YMCA Centre Mgr Jill Gibson, Assistant Mgr Tracey Mani as well as Community Centre Mgr Robyn Brady who facilitated the programme. Those present were our mentioned seniors as well as Councillors Cathy Casey  and Christine Fletcher, Kylie Kate Holst Auckland Community Facilities, Margi Watson Eden Albert Board, Kylie Afeaki Business Coordinator Community Centres, Graeme Poole from NZ Infantry Lemon Squeezers,  as well as our local MPs, Melissa Lee from National and David Shearer from Labour.
 

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