Heartfelt Dolls
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Doll 84: Josef Babich

14/8/2017

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Josef Babich was born in 1894 in Dalmatia, then part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.
He left Dalmatia at 14 years of age. 

Dalmatia is a province of the central Adriatic coast of Croatia.
For centuries it was exploited by the city-state of Venice and the Austro-Hungarian empire. Opportunities for illiterate peasants,
living on rocky islands and a ribbon of fertile coast,
were limited to subsistence farming, grape-growing, quarrying, fishing and seafaring.
In the 1880s a population increase put pressure on scarce land.
In 1892 Austria-Hungary signed a trade agreement with Italy that excluded Dalmatia.
Around the same time the pest phylloxera arrived in Dalmatia, decimating vineyards.
In search of better opportunities, men sailed for the far corners of the world.
Many were also escaping the Austrian army’s conscription, introduced in 1881.

The first Dalmatians in New Zealand probably arrived via the Californian and Australian goldfields.
By the early 1860s they were prospecting South Island diggings.
In the 1880s some began pulling golden kauri gum from Northland’s gumfields.
Wayfarers returning home described ‘Nova Zelanda’ as a land of good prospects.

Josef planted some vines in Herekino, near the gum fields.
These were successful and he moved to West Auckland.
During WW1, Josef was declared an alien
and forced to work for soldier’s pay on land clearance, drainage, and road and rail projects.
All the while, he tended his vines.

He met Mere Brennan at a Church picnic.
They married in 1913,
and had 5 children:
Luka b. 1915
Marta b. 1917
Dominik b. 1919
Mia b. 1921
Jakov b. 1923.
Picture

I used the teardrop shape for this figure.
The shoulders are sloping,
leading up to a large head.
The lower torso is slightly rounded.
The legs are long and pointed at the toe.
Long narrow arms are attached to the neck.
For reflection ...
Josef was declared an alien during World War 1,
and was not allowed to enlist for his adopted country.
He was forced to work for soldier’s pay on land clearance, drainage, and road and rail projects.
In later wars, Japanese were interned in prisoner-of-war camps.
People fleeing persecution in their homelands on overcrowded boats
are detained in detention camps on inhospitable islands.
How should we treat people during times of war or oppression?

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Doll 83: Mere Babich

13/8/2017

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Mere Babich was born in 1895.
She was the youngest child and only daughter of Aidan and Marama Brennan.
Three of her brothers were killed during World War 1 at Chanuk Bair.
She never knew her eldest brother who was raised in the Bay of Plenty.

Mere worked at home helping her parents on her mother's tribal land.
She enjoyed helping at the marae
and learning all about her Maori culture.

Mere met Josef Babich at a Church picnic.
He was a gum digger and fledgling wine maker!
They married in 1913,
and had 5 children:
Luka b. 1915
Marta b. 1917
Dominik b. 1919
Mia b. 1921
Jakov b. 1923.

The couple moved to West Auckland
and developed large vineyards there.
Mere immersed herself in the Dalmatian culture
and was in turn loved by the extended Babich family.
Picture

This figure is generously proportioned.
Short stubbly legs are stitched
into the base of the skirt.
The shoulders are rounded.
The neck is thick.
Long narrow arms are sewn to the shoulders.
For reflection ...
After the death of 3 of her brothers at Chanuk Bair,
Mere invited her parents to come and live with her family.
What responsibility do we have for the care of our elderly?
Why are we so ready to abandon our parents to rest homes and care facilities?

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Doll 82: Jock MacGregor

12/8/2017

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Jock MacGregorwas born in Aberdeen, Scotland.
He emigrated to New Zealand with his parents and 5 brothers.
Jock did not have a Teacher's Certificate.
He began as a Pupil-teacher –
an older pupil who was paid a pittance for teaching younger children.
But Jock was an inspirational teacher.
One ex-pupil recalled,
"In Mr. MacGregor's class you worked ...
His vigour and personal style –
virtuosity, really –
kindled intellectual activity in an extraordinary way
."

He met Alison Hughes while on holiday at Hanmer Springs.
They married in 1920
and had 4 children:
Davis b. 1921
Lara b. 1923
Lachlan b. 1925
Bonnie b. 1927.
Picture
This figure is a very simple adaptation
of the teardrop template.
The shoulders are very sloping.
There is only an indication of a head.
The long legs slope gently inwards.
Long narrow arms are attached
to the base of the neck.
For reflection ...
Jock MacGregor was an inspirational teacher.
Who are the teachers who have inspired us?

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Doll 81: Alison MacGregor

11/8/2017

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Alison Hughes was born in 1895,
to school teacher David and his wife, Annette Hughes,
while they were living in Northland, New Zealand.
She was the younger sister of Margaret.
Alison was engaged to Rangi, Raniera's youngest brother.
After news of Rangi's death at Chanuk Bair,
Alison moved to the South Island of New Zealand
to live with her parents.

The family loved to visit the geothermal spa at Hanmer Springs.
It was there she met Southland teacher, Jock MacGregor.
They married in 1920
and had 4 children:
Davis b. 1921
Lara b. 1923
Lachlan b. 1925
Bonnie b. 1927.
Picture
The teardrop shape
is reflected in the lower torso and legs,
which are covered by a skirt!
The upper torso is quite slender.
The shoulders slope up to a long thin neck.
Long narrow arms
have been sewn to the shoulders.
For reflection ...
Alison made a fresh start after devastating news.
How do we make new beginnings when our hopes or plans are upset?

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Doll 80: Rangi Brennan

10/8/2017

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Rangi Brennan was born in 1894,
to Aidan and Marama Brennan.
He was their 4th son,
and the 3rd to die at Chanuk Bair, Turkey, during WW1.

Rangi was a hardworking forestry worker,
felling native timbers for the construction industry in Auckland.

He was engaged to Alison Hughes,
the sister of Margaret, his brother Raniera's wife.
Unfortunately, Rangi died at Chanuk Bair.
During the assault on Chanuk Bair,
50 Maori lost their lives.
The gallantry of the NZ Maori at Gallipoli
had earned the respect and admiration of the British troops.

Picture
The template has been ignored ... again!
Maybe an indication in the slope of the shoulders.
Only a slight change in shape from the neck
to the head.
The torso is straight up and down,
as are the legs.
Long narrow arms are stitched
to the base of the neck.
Te Ope Tuatahi (Recruitment Song)
Sir Apirana Ngata's 1916 version)


E te ope tuatahi                    We greet our first war band
No Aotearoa,                        From Aotea-roa,
No Te Wai-pounamu,            From the Island of Greenstone:
No nga tai e wha.                  We sing of our warriors
Ko koutou ena                      Our gallant Five Hundred
E nga rau e rima,                  The chosen heroes
Ko te Hokowhitu toa             Of Tu-mata-uenga,
A Tu-mata-uenga:                The Angry-Eyed War God.
I hinga ki Ihipa,                     Some fell in Egypt,
Ki Karipori ra ia;                    Some on Gallipoli;
E ngau nei te aroha,              Now pangs of sharp sorrow
Me te mamae.                       Our sad hearts are piercing.

For reflection ...
Often there is a theme song or tune
which binds a group of disparate people together.
Sometimes there are melodies which instantly transport us through time -
stirring memories and emotions.
Can you recall any such airs which are integral to your life's journey?

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Doll 79: Anahera Brennan

9/8/2017

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Anahera Hone was born in 1894 on the Kaipara Harbour.
She was the seventh and youngest child.
Anahera worked in the local store.
She was a reliable and innovative employee.

Anahera married Wiremu Brennan in 1912.
They had 1 child:
Whina b. 1913.
After Wiremu's death at Chanuk Bair,
Anahera migrated south to Wellington to make a fresh start.
She gained employment as an apprentice chocolatier at Whittaker's factory.
Picture
I have set aside the template.
The torso is long and slender.
Stubby legs are sewn into the base of the dress.
There is a shapely waist.
Long narrow arms are attached
with buttons to the shoulders.
For reflection ...
Anahera worked in a chocolate factory.
Isn't this every child's dream?

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Doll 78: Wiremu Brennan

8/8/2017

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Wiremu Brennan was born in 1892,
the 3rd son of Aidan and Marama Brennan.
He worked on his mother's tribal land,
clearing and developing pasture for dairy farming.

At the outbreak of WW1, Wiremu joined the Native Contingent.
The S.S.Warrimoo left Wellington with the 1st Batallion on 15th February, 1915.
The Battallion arrived at Anzac Cove on 3rd July, 1915.
They joined with the NZ Mounted Rifles
and were deployed as Infantry soldiers.
Wiremu died alongside his brother, Raniera.

In 1912, Wiremu married Anahera Whata.
They had 1 child:
Whina b. 1913.
Picture

In this figure,
the teardrop shape can be seen in the shoulders.
The torso is quite rotund.
The legs are long and skinny.
Long narrow arms are stitched
onto the base of the neck.
For reflection ...
Wiremu died at Gallipoli in 1915.
The poppy has become a symbol of remembrance for all those who have died
in the service of their country during war time.
Does such a symbol change our behaviour so that war cannot happen again?

0 Comments

Doll 77: Harry McKenzie

7/8/2017

0 Comments

 
Harry McKenzie was an immigrant from Scotland.
A hard-working shepherd in the Scottish Highlands,
he quickly established his reputation on a high country station
on the slopes of the Southern Alps.

Harry was an outstanding dog trialist.
New Zealanders began this unusual sport at Hakataramea, South Canterbury, in 1889,
only 13 years after the first recorded public sheep-dog trials at Bala, Wales.
The first trials in the North Island were at Porangahau in 1892.

 Harry McKenzie met Margaret Brennan through mutual friends.
Margaret also had a love of dogs and would often take her daughter, Susan,
with her to watch the sheep dog trials.
They married in 1918.
Margaret and Harry had 2 children:
Charlotte b. 1920
Georgia b. 1922.
Picture
Only the shoulders
bear a resemblance to the original template.
The sloping shoulders lead up to
a quite bulbous head.
The torso is slightly rounded.
The legs are generally straight
with a gentle curve inwards at the feet.
Long narrow arms are buttoned
to the base of the neck.
For reflection ...
Leisure is an important part of good self-care.
Harry loved sheep dog trials.
How do we spend our leisure time?

0 Comments

Doll 76: Margaret McKenzie

6/8/2017

0 Comments

 
Margaet Hughes was born in 1892
to English school teacher David Hughes, and his wife Annette.
Her parents moved to North Canterbury in 1912.
She lived at home until she married Raniera Brennan in 1910.
They had 2 children:
Rawiri b. 1911
Susan b. 1913.

There was no conscription for Maori until 1917.
Raniera was eager to enlist so he joined a provincial contingent in 1914.
(The target for recruiters was 150 recruits every 4 weeks.)
He died at Gallipoli less than a year later.

Margaret was devastated.
She left Rawiri with her parents-in-law,
and took Susan with her to live with her parents in North Canterbury.
There she met a high country shepherd, Harry McKenzie.
They married in 1918.
Margaret had 2 more children:
Charlotte b. 1920
Georgia b. 1922.
Picture
The teardrop template is seen
in the lower torso.
The upper torso has straight lines
leading up to a rounded head.
The base of the teardrop is cut across horizontally to form a skirt.
Short stubby legs are incorporated into the figure.
Long narrow arms are attached to the top of the dress.
For reflection ...
Throughout history,
children have been raised by people who are not their biological parents.
Think of the Polish children who were evacuated to New Zealand,
or Jewish children smuggled out of the ghettos in Warsaw,
or British children who were shipped to Canada by Barnados during World War 2.

How important is it for these children
to be made aware of their roots?

0 Comments

Doll 75: Raniera Brennan

5/8/2017

0 Comments

 
Raniera Brennan was the second son of Aidan and Marama Brennan.
He was born in 1890 in Rawene.
Raniera worked as a labourer and farm worker on his mother's tribal lands.
He had forward thinking ideas on how to develop and improve the profitability of this land.

World War 1 started in 1914.
There was no conscription for NZ Maori until 1917
but Raniera was keen to enlist.
He joined a provincial contingent,
which had a target of 150 recruits every 4 weeks.
His contingent sailed for Egypt and then for Gallipoli,
where Raniera and thousands of other young men died.

Raniera met Margaret Hughes at the local country school
where they were both pupils.
Margaret's father taught at the school.
Maori was forbidden to be spoken at the school,
although it was still spoken at home.

Margaret and Raniera married in 1910.
They had 2 children:
Rawiri b. 1911
Susan b. 1913.
Picture
The template is evident in the lower torso
and curve of legs.
The body is quite triangular
and stretches up to a bulbous head.
Log narrow arms are sewn
to the base of the neck.
For reflection ...
Raniera and his younger siblings were discouraged from speaking Te Reo Maori at school.
What right do we have to forbid someone to speak in their first language?
How integral in language to preserving one's culture?

0 Comments
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