As I type this the Storylines Committees in Christchurch,
Dunedin, Kaitia and South Auckland will all be feeling that wonderful
satisfaction that comes when another great Storylines Free Family Day has been
run and enjoyed by everyone. Auckland will be in full operation mode at the
Aotea Centre at this very moment. Sadly, because of the 6.4 earthquake on
Friday afternoon and the fact that the Michael Fowler Centre where the event
was to be held, had not, at that stage, been assessed for damage, it was with
the greatness reluctance, decided to cancel the event here in Wellington for
this year. We kept thinking of the hours, the weeks, the months of work that
had gone into it all. The Wellington Committee is now left with hundreds of
sand-filled juggling balls, boxes of plastic globes to be turned into
‘snowstorms’, 200 painted paper plates waiting to be made into bear masks and,
in my spare room, a giant teddy bear (jointly owned by the committee) who was
to be the prize in a ‘name this bear’ competition. I put Big Bear in the wardrobe late on Friday night but when I went to get something from it on Saturday morning he gave me such an offended and mournful look he is now back on the spare room bed.
There were all the people resources - buskers/ musicians/ readers, to say
nothing of the writers and illustrators (some local - some out of towners) who
are the backbone of the event and the reason for it.
The committee and as many of the writers and illustrators as we could muster, gathered out at Elements Café at Lyall Bay yesterday for a very convivial Brunch although it wasn't quite how we had imagined we would be spending the day!! It was near the airport so convenient for those about to fly home.
Photo of the whole group - acknowledgements to the camera of Sue Jane (taken by a member of the cafe staff)
Fifi Colston and Sarina Hutton (coordinator 2012-) put on brave faces at the Brunch
