The guest speaker at our 24 July meeting was Mike Scott, Masterton born and now retired in Greytown with his wife Sue. Mike spoke about his life, his love of classical music, and his long connection to sailing, which began with early family trips on Lake Taupo.
He explored what he calls the “quiet kinship” between classical music and sailing. Both, he said, share movement, rhythm and a sense of unbounded space. Music can feel emotionally equivalent to the physical sensation of travelling across open water. Sensitivity, timing and awareness are essential in both activities, both offer the rare experience of being carried by forces larger than oneself — wind, water, harmony and momentum.
Mike illustrated these ideas with video excerpts from some of his favourite composers, including Wagner, Puccini, Mozart and Verdi, finishing with the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
In our 28 August meeting the main speakers are SW Rebus members Margaret Griffiths and Beryl Tupu on their trip to witness Beryl’s son Steven, founder and principal of landscape architecture firm, Terrain NYC, recognised this year by the New York chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) with an honour award for the firm’s work on the Terminal Warehouse project. The design transforms a huge 1891 freight facility in Manhattan’s West Chelsea district into an ecoconscious, highperformance workplace centred on wellness and historic preservation. Beryl and Margaret travelled to the US last year for the award presentation in New Orleans.
The South Wairarapa Rebus Club meets at 9:45am on the fourth Friday of each month at the South Wairarapa Working Men’s Club in Greytown. Contact John Reeve on 021 560 461 or southwairaraparebus.com for more information.
