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Portrait of a miner
The discovery of an overgrown headstone in a cemetery near Manchester, England, two years ago eventually led to a new musical endeavour for one Christchurch musician.
"My in-laws found it. The words on the headstone were 'William Burton, died in New Zealand, September 12, 1914, aged 27 years'," David Thorpe said.
Thorpe explained that "a couple of Manchester expatriates", who moved to Christchurch just over a decade ago, had no idea that a great-great-uncle had travelled to New Zealand 90 years before them.
"In 2012, we accidentally discovered during a genealogy search that a family member on my wife's side, William Burton, had, like us, left the northwest of England and moved to New Zealand about 90 years prior to our arrival.
"No living relatives knew of this."
William Burton and his young family moved to Huntly in the winter of 1914.
At 7.20am on September 12, 1914, there was a massive explosion at The Ralph Mine in Huntly, Waikato, and 43 miners, including Burton, died.
"Within 12 weeks of arriving in New Zealand, and on his wife's 21st birthday, he was one of the 43 miners who died when the mine exploded."
September 12 marks the centenary of this tragic event and Thorpe has released a musical tribute, Coalface – the Ralph Mine Disaster, in honour of the occasion.
"I have a family history steeped in and around mining. The story of William Burton struck a chord on every level and I was compelled to put pen to paper and get into the studio," Thorpe said.
Thorpe has performed in Christchurch group The Black Velvet Band for 12 years, tutors harmonica and also performs solo as Davey Backyard or as a one-man band under the name Lil' Chuck Skiffle.
Having worked on the music "on and off" for two years, Thorpe's EP, Coalface, is dedicated to his wife's ancestor, the Ralph Mine disaster and to "mining communities all over the world".
"The portrait of a miner [used for the EP] was taken by my father, a retired photojournalist. Unfortunately I do not know the miner's identity.
"The picture has been in my life since the 1980s. It inspired a lyric in one of my songs."
The Huntly Lions Club is commemorating the disaster and is also searching for living relatives to be part of the memorial event.
Thorpe and his family will travel to Huntly for the memorial and services in September where he will perform songs from Coalface live.
For the first time he and his family will meet a new, previously unknown, branch of their New Zealand relatives.
The EP is available as a digital download from dgmitchellthorpe.bandcamp.com.
"It's a free download and people can pay what they like," Thorpe said.
"Profits from the audio downloads will be donated to the Huntly Lions Club who have compassionately erected a grave marker for William's New Zealand grave site in addition to other memorials dedicated to the miners and the disaster."
– The Press
Posted byadmin August 19, 2014 Posted inMovies and Entertainment
State house sculpture in 'poor taste'
State tenants are slamming a $1.5 million sculpture proposed for Queens Wharf say it's ironic and offensive.
The artwork designed by Michael Parekowhai is a model of a state house with a $700,000 hand-blown Venetian glass chandelier inside.
It's two-thirds of the size of a state house and early design images leaked to media are drawing serious criticism.
Leading the charge are state house tenants under threat of eviction as Housing New Zealand sells off some of its stock. The extravagant work was commissioned after a $1 m donation from Barfoot & Thompson in 2013. A further $500,000 is needed from Auckland Council to make up the shortfall.
Westmere state tenant and artist Gael Baldock said the sculpture is in "very bad taste".
The cost of the chandelier alone could help build two new state houses, she said.
"With the amount of homeless we have, particularly in Auckland now, the whole thing is insulting."
Glen Innes state tenant Sue Henry said the idea is appalling.
The Housing New Zealand Northern Glen Innes redevelopment project is in full-force in her suburb, moving 156 tenants and families out in the process.
"It's almost like a trophy for developers and real estate agents that they've got rid of the state houses, that's the way I see it."
Councillor Mike Lee says the sculpture is not in keeping with the maritime elements and history of Queens Wharf.
He said the council should scrap the project or move it elsewhere.
"There's an irony – and the state house tenants have picked it up perfectly. There are a lot of state house tenants being evicted in Auckland right now. It seems to be in poor taste . . . especially when we're trying to reconfigure our budget to reduce rates increases."
Waitemata Local Board chairman Shale Chambers says donations for public art should be encouraged but the scale and site planned for this piece are not appropriate.
"The issue is the scale, which clearly has an impact in terms of site plans and views to the harbour. Is it the right place to put it at that scale"
Councillor Cathy Casey said she voted against the sculpture in an Arts, Culture and Events Committee meeting on June 18, largely because of the cost of the chandelier and the chosen site.
"It's a hugely generous offer, I just wish we had capped it in our brief. What did we say in our brief to the artist I don't support secrecy. I want everything out on the table – we need to put all those questions to the art team and to the artists."
Orakei councillor Cameron Brewer said the subject of the work is controversial but his "big beef" is with the ratepayer contribution.
"If we can't get a fabulous sculpture on Queens Wharf for less than $1m of privately funded money we should forget about it," Brewer said.
"Let's stick to the budget. Let's not throw ratepayer money on top."
Auckland Council Art and Culture manager Kaye Glamuzina says the artist has not completed designs for the sculpture but they will be made public when ready. The cost is consistent with other public art projects in recent years, Glamuzina said.
The sculpture will be a wharf "lighthouse" to signify a safe harbour and welcome, she said.
Artist Michael Parekowhai said the project is not at a point where he can comment.
– East And Bays Courier
Posted byadmin August 19, 2014 Posted inArt and Culture, Movies and EntertainmentTags: Art and Culture
Star Wars to have fewer CGI effects
Taylor Swift shakes off negativity
Taylor Swift has learned an invaluable lesson: when life kicks you down sometimes you've just got to dance.
Like many pop stars before her, Swift has penned an anthem, Shake it Off, to busting a move. For Swift, dancing is her therapy in this song – her way to shake off the negative things people say about her.
The singer released the first single of her upcoming album 1989 with a
Lorde brings album tour home
Of her first New Zealand tour since becoming a megastar, Lorde has three words: ''I'm so excited.''
Drug crackdown snares Jackie Chan's son
Hong Kong action superstar Jackie Chan's actor-son Jaycee Chan has been detained in Beijing on drug-related charges, the latest high-profile celebrity to be ensnared in one of China's biggest anti-drug crackdowns in two decades.
Jaycee Chan, 32, was detained last Thursday together with the 23-year-old Taiwanese movie star Kai Ko, Beijing police said yesterday on their official microblog, identifying them only by their surnames, ages and nationalities.
It was unclear why the detentions were announced several days later.
Police said both actors tested positive for marijuana and admitted using the drug, and that 100 grams of it were taken from Chan's home.
Several celebrities have been detained on drug charges following a declaration in June by President Xi Jinping that illegal drugs should be wiped out and that offenders would be severely punished. In Beijing alone, more than 7,800 people have been caught in the crackdown, police said.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV aired footage of a police search of the younger Chan's home in Beijing in which he is depicted, his face pixelated, showing officers where he stashed bags of marijuana. Police said they acted on a tipoff from the public.
Chan is accused of accommodating drug users, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of three years' imprisonment – a far more serious charge than that of drug consumption. Two other people detained in the same case were accused of selling drugs while Ko is accused of drug consumption.
China named the elder Chan an anti-drug ambassador in 2009. Ko, the Taiwanese star, was part of an anti-drug campaign two years ago, CCTV reported, showing footage of the campaign in which he joins other celebrities in a chorus declaring: "I don't use drugs."
On Tuesday, Ko was shown on CCTV, his face pixelated, tearfully apologizing to his fans and family.
"I feel very regretful, very sorry to all the people who support me … I've been a very bad example, I've made a very big mistake," Ko said.
Ko starred in the Taiwanese hit movie "You Are the Apple of My Eye," which earned critical acclaim and instant fame for the actor.
Illegal drug use has ballooned in China in recent decades, after being virtually eradicated following the 1949 communist revolution. Narcotics began to reappear with the loosening of social controls in the late 1980s.
In more recent years, rising wealth and greater personal freedoms have been accompanied by a growing popularity of methamphetamines and the party drugs Ecstasy and ketamine. They are often bought on social media forums and consumed in nightclubs, leading to periodic police crackdowns.
– AP
Funniest Edinburgh Fringe joke 'sucks'
A joke about a vacuum cleaner has been voted the funniest joke at the Edinburgh Fringe comedy festival.
Comedian Tim Vine dusted off his joke book to come up with a one-liner voted best wisecrack of the festival, PA reported.
"I decided to sell my Hoover … well it was just collecting dust," the joke went.
A Hoover is a popular brand of vacuum and what people in Britain commonly refer to a vacuum cleaner as.
The joke attracted almost 20 per cent of the votes in the competition, run by comedy television channel Dave.
It was Vine's second win of the award, his first was in 2010 with the joke: "I've just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I'll tell you what, never again."
He was also runner up in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
It was the first time a previous winner had taken out the award.
Vine told PA he was surprised but very delighted to have won the award again.
Christina Aguilera called her daughter what?
Christina Aguilera and her fiance, Matt Rutler, have welcomed their daughter into the world and named her Summer Rain Rutler.
The singer gave birth to baby Summer on August 16 via C-section at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, according to
This is the best joke of the Edinburgh Fringe
Red Nose Day: Bad language for a good cause
Cure Kids ambassador Oliver has teamed with comedian Guy Williams for this year's
Posted byadmin August 19, 2014 Posted inCute, Movies and EntertainmentTags: cute
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