November

Mid Canterbury
November 2013, No 11
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can
start from now and make a brand new ending.” – Carl Bard
Multicultural Christmas Variety Show
In This Issue
Christmas Variety
Show…..........................1
Can you imagine travelling to various
countries to see how other nationalities celebrate Christmas? No need to
pack your bags! The Mid-Canterbury
Newcomers group invites you to share
in their Christmas celebrations!
Cultural Space.....…..…..2
When: Sunday 16th December at 7 pm
Place: Ashburton Event Centre
Admission:$10 dollars per person, $20 per
family
Welcome Newcomers!
For further information contact:
Daria Glesser
Mid Canterbury Newcomers
Network Coordinator
027 220 87 91
Card Making Group
This time Christmas motives!
When: every fortnight on Monday: 7th and 21st
of November at 7 pm
Where: Base, 143 Tancred St Ashburton
(the corner of Cass and Tancred street)
Contact: Eileen on 0226010353 or email
woolfie@woosh.co.nz
Contact: Daria 0272208791
New to Ashburton and need
South African recipe..….3
What’s on this month.. 4
We are an informal social
network which supports
people in the Mid
Canterbury District.
‘Newcomers’ can help you
get in touch with local
people, clubs and
organisations. We hope to
help you feel at home in
your new environment.
Please feel free to come
along to our activities or
contact us. We look
forward to meeting you!
information or advice?
Pop in to have a chat with our Newcomers Network Co-ordinator! Daria will be located at Community House Mid Canterbury every Tuesday
from 10.00am – 12.00pm.
Daria can help you with information about what’s
on in the district, activities you might like to participate in, and any information that you need to
help you settle in and enjoy living in in Mid Canterbury.
You don’t need to make an appointment, just walk in and ask
for Daria.
You will find her at:
Community House Mid Canterbury
155 Tancred Street (behind Westpac)
Every Tuesday, 10.00am – 12.00pm (midday)
Contact Us
Daria Glesser
Mid Canterbury Newcomers
Network
20 Williams St
Ashburton, 7700
P: (03) 308-13-95
E: newcomers@saferashburton.org.nz
W: www.newcomers.co.nz
Hours:
Mon to Friday 9:30 am
to 3:00 pm
CULTURAL SPACE
The place where you can share stories about your culture and
yummy recipes popular in your home country! Today Sharon Upfold
going to tell you about South Africa, her home country.
My South Africa
My name is Sharon Upfold and our family of 5 (my husband
and I and our 3 boys) immigrated to New Zealand almost 7
years ago.
Leaving South
Africa was so
difficult yet so
necessary. The
only reason to
leave a
country of
such beauty
and diversity is
due to fear
and giving our
children a future. It is a highly dangerous country to live in,
but what I have in my heart can never be removed.
My husband and I both grew up in the same province,
KwaZulu Natal, and when we married and had children,
remained in the province but settled in a place just outside
of Empangeni, called Heatonville. We lived and worked and
part-owned a small farm of about 200 Ha, where we grew
fruit and vegetables in greenhouses, field crops, raised a
herd of indigenous cattle and wild game. Our friends would
visit and go for a “game drive” where we would see Impala,
Zebra, Blesbok, Wildebeest (or Gnu), Warthog, Nyala,
Bushbuck and Duiker, and this was just a drop in the ocean
compared to the massive game parks that South Africa has.
We discovered as we were leaving that we had a Leopard
that visited our farm on occasion. My boys used to roam the
farm and have exciting experiences and “adventures.”
We had many, many frogs (which of course were eaten by
many, many snakes), along with swarms of locusts, the
biggest moths you have ever seen, bats flying into our
house on a regular basis (much to my horror!), insects of
every kind, colour and shape and other reptiles which made
their way into our swimming pool.
Like many people in South Africa, we had a maid who
worked in our home. She worked as a fulltime maid, so she
was in my house almost every day except for her days off.
The unemployment rate in South Africa is extremely high so
people are employed where machines or technology could
very well be used instead. We became close friends and we
kept in contact for the 1st few years I moved here. My boys
loved her and they missed her when we came over to New
Zealand. When my boys left South Africa they knew and
understood the “Zulu language” but soon forgot it although
that is not serious, since, it is a language only used in South
Africa and nowhere else.
South Africa is filled with visual images that I cannot forget:
Sunsets and sunrises, birds of prey swooping and diving in
the sky, sugar cane fires against the night sky, silhouettes of
animals in the distance. Then we have the smells; the
beautiful, acrid, sweet and smoky smells that fill the air like
nowhere else. Even the people you encounter may smell of
this smoke that you cannot decide whether you like or
dislike it.
This is a truth about South Africa and where we lived. We
never left our home without a gun. When we went to
church, we had a gun, when we went to dinner, we had a
gun, when we went to a party, we had a gun. My children
never questioned that Dad had to carry around a gun. The
sad part was when we got to New Zealand, they never
thought any different. We went out to a BBQ one night and
when we got back that night, I started to get out the car.
They shouted to me: ”Mom, you have to stay in the car until
Dad says that it is all clear…..” What they meant was that
until my husband had walked through the house with his
gun to check that nobody was waiting to attack us; they
could not get out of the car………..I had to remind them:
“Boys, we are in New Zealand and Dad does not need to
carry around a gun and do house checks!!”
That country of mine is filled with unimaginable beauty yet
corruption and politics and greed fuels men to ruin and
wreck and extinguish what is so beautiful.
I miss the Summer rain of where we lived. The rain was so
warm that my children would run outside to play to get
some relief from the 45 degree heat. Our swimming pools
and ocean felt like a warm bath when you got in to swim.
My children ran around without shirts on when they were
growing up as the heat was so intense. They learned so
much about wildlife and ran around barefoot on thorns and
rough grass. Their memories and ours are rich and beautiful
and scary and special.
Mid Canterbury Newcomers Newsletter
2
Malva Pudding (serves 4)
A sweet pudding of Dutch origin, Malva Pudding is
usually served hot with custard or ice-cream. Made with
apricot jam, this typical South African dessert has a
spongy, caramelised texture. Recipe Reference: Cookbook.co.za
Ingredients – Cake:
1 cup castor sugar
2 eggs (room temp)
1 tablespoon smooth apricot jam
1 ¼ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon bicarb of soda (5ml)
pinch salt
2 tablespoons butter (30ml)
1 tablespoon vinegar (15ml)
125ml milk
Ingredients – The Sauce
250ml cream
125ml butter
125ml sugar
125ml water/Orange juice/Sherry/Brandy
Method:
Set oven to 190°C
Beat castor sugar and eggs until fluffy then beat in the
jam until a creamy consistency
Sift dry ingredients into separate bowl.
Melt butter in a small pot on a medium heat and add the
vinegar and milk
Now add the above mixture (butter, milk, eggs) to the
sifted ingredients and mix well. Now add the eggs
mixture and combine well.
Pour into an ovenproof casserole dish that takes about 2
litres.
Bake at 190°C for 45 mins until the top is nicely
browned.
Melt all the sauce ingredients together in a small pot
over a medium heat and pour over the pudding before
serving, preferably while it’s still hot.
Serve it with ice-cream or custard or both.
Mid Canterbury Newcomers Newsletter
3
What’s on this month?
Other things to do
Christmas Variety Show
Can you imagine travelling to various countries to see how other nationalities celebrate Christmas? No
need to pack your bags! The Mid-Canterbury Newcomers group invites you to share in their Christmas celebrations!
When: Saturday, 23rd November at 7 pm
Where: Ashburton Event Centre, 211 Wills St
Contact Daria on 027 220 8791
Multicultural Playgroup (organized by “Presbyterian Support”)
For more details contact Torika Patterson at Presbyterian Support on 3085868 or Thelma Bell on
0212593270
Where: 222 Cameron Street, Ashburton
When: Every Monday 1pm-3pm
Zumba Fitness
Are you ready to party yourself into shape? That’s exactly what the Zumba® program is all about.
It is a real "multicultural event" where you will be surrounded by lots of people coming from all over the
world, enjoying a Latin-inspired dance-fitness programme and an absolutely unbelievable atmosphere!
When: Every Thursday at 6:30 pm
Where: Netherby school hall, Ashburton
For more information contact Paula 027 8565143
Newcomers Coffee Morning Group
If you are new to Mid Canterbury area we welcome you to join us and get your first cup of coffee for free!
We would love to get to know you and to hear your story!
Look forward to seeing you!
When: Every Thursday at 10:30 am
Where: McDonalds conference room. 124 West Street
Contact Iris on o210582125
Newcomers Card Making Group
This time Christmas motives!
Make your own cards for loved ones and enjoy a nice company!
When: every fortnight on Monday: 4th and 18th of November at 7pm
Where: Base, 143 Tancred St Ashburton (the corner of Cass and Tancred street)
Contact: Eileen on 0226010353 or email: woolfie@woosh.co.nz
Mid Canterbury Newcomers Newsletter
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