Do You Want To Dance? - Age Knows No Boundary
- David Clouston
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Tēnā koutou katoa (Greetings to you all).
Recently, I had the privilege of attending the New Zealand Planning Institute conference in Invercargill.
I journeyed to the southern most part of New Zealand.
I had planned for professional growth, however, I received a lot more than just education in my profession.
Field Trip to Bluff
The first day we visited Bluff, the southernmost town of NZ.
The sea was wild and raw, much like the Bluff Oysters we had for lunch.
Over the next 3 days, I listened to speakers talk about various issues, from solar energy farms, flood management planning, making positive villages for people with dementia, and other wider issues facing NZ, such as the wellbeing of farmers (shout out to YOLO founder Wayne Langford for his moving speech).
There were some standout speakers.
However, it was the Gala Dinner at the end of the Conference that remains etched in my mind.
The Gala Dinner
A fancy 3-course ball-like dinner party.
The venue was amazing, located inside Bill Richardson's Transport World - a collectibles dream house filled with NZ and Americana items.
During the night, I was gazing at the collectibles.
An elderly woman noticed me staring at the collectibles.
"Isn't this place great?" she said.
"Do you want to have a closer look?" she said.
So we walked upstairs and looked at these incredible designs by various New Zealand artists.
Figures of people made from stamps, recycled NZTA car registration labels, plastic pegs recycled into incredible designs.
The music was playing, and people were gathering on the dance floor.
And then the old lady asked:
"Do you want to dance?"
I took a step back in my mind, surprised by the question.
"No, I cannot", I first thought.
What will people think of me... dancing... with a woman in her 70s?
People will laugh at me, people will stare.
I felt my pride come up strong. But before saying no, I thought, "Well, I only live once".
So, I walked with her to the dance floor.
It felt like everyone was watching me.
But the music was rockin' - it wasn't a slow ballad waltz.
I became less nervous and danced freely.
My first thought of her was:
She is just an old lady; what does she know?
She told me she was a Landscape Architect. But she was very modest about it.
She then said she was preparing evidence for the High Court.
(If someone is preparing evidence for the High Court, they have to be at the top of their field!).
I found out she had done all kinds of work over the decades, such as restoring the gorgeous town of Arrowtown to its heritage beauty.
She had organised community gatherings and held meetings with Councils to create real change.
She named Resene's famous paint colours in the 80s.
She had a LinkedIn account and YouTube clips of her presenting for the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects.
She was a leader in protecting New Zealand's coastal landscapes.
She has given landscaping input into many well-known tourist places around the South Island, protecting and highlighting its pristine nature for future generations to enjoy.
She can speak te reo Māori even though she is Pākehā (white New Zealander) - which for someone her age is very impressive!
She was a real character with shining blue eyes and a heart of gold.
And I had judged her on her appearance / her age - and how wrong was I?
Behind her age was a true soul who let go on the dance floor, not caring about what others thought.
I was amazed at how free she was - I could tell she quickly got over something if it happened.
Meeting the old lady with a giggly smile challenged my judgement and made me realise old people have had lives too - they have done all kinds of things in their lives.
They have made it to that age.
I am sorry for judging.
Thank you for the great meeting 🙏
I hope you rest well in the stars.
Ngā mihi nui.
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