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SouthWest

			General Comment: "I remember the old dormitory in old Rauta that Meg describes in her poem. I visited my cousin there in 1966. I remember being terribly impressed that the nurses let me in. It was a cold windy winter evening. Visiting had finished for the day. I had hitched down from Palmerston North and I had been delayed by a long walk through Levin. A nurse opened doors, with that gigantic key and we eventually arrived in this dormitory of little white beds. There was a fire in the huge fire place. to a cold dishevelled visitor it seemed cosy and welcoming and not at all what I was expecting. I returned to the hospital at the end of 1967 to work as a vacation worker but the dormitory with the little white beds and the huge fireplace had gone, Rauta was remodelled in the late 1960s " - donna The Good of the Arts: "A thoroughly stimulating and enjoyable programme. I certainly would like to be able to hear it all again." - Keith Vincent The Good of the Arts: "Thanks a lot for your radio feature which started today. A pleasure to get some inspirational program! Looking forward to next sunday." - Gertraud Tschida Porirua Ladies: "Hi, I've been meaning to drop you guys a line. I listened to 'Porirua Ladies' during the long drive to Tauranga. Its fantastic. I especially loved the wandering patient who said not to worry about her because she had a rich interior life. Also, the poetry, which you stiched in beautifully. And Megs account of the world not letting her leave her time in the hospital behind... Great website too." - Steven Price The Douglas Lilburn Project: "I am thoroughly eurocentric, and this country, though I have lived here all my life, has never inspired me. But there is one thing, and only one thing, which touches my soul as regards this country, and that is the early music of Douglas Lilburn. Alas I have no interest in electronic music and so Lilburn from his third symphony onwards is a closed book to me. I do not wish this to be a backhanded compliment, rather the converse, for if a distilation of this countrys spirit is to speak to me at all it must be extremely powerful the early works of Douglas Lilburn. I hope you read me as praising of power in Lilburns work rather than see only disdain on my part for anything else" - Steve Meikle Visiting Ashley: "I knew Ashley Heenan. I was a member of his Schola Musica in 1976. The piece you produced was very good in general, but the sad truth is that it did not approach the whole story. Put it this way, his temper was absolutely vicious and I was terrified of him, and I was not the only one. And others who survied the hell of the Schola have hated him with lifelong passion. Which makes his comments about encouraging young musicians all that more poignant. My career never recovered from his onslaught. I resigned early in 1977 having only returned for a second year as I won an award for the most improved trainee in December the previous year. Thus was Heenan a paradox, savage cruelty and great generosity whereby he both awarded me and terrorized me. I have heard accounts of those whose careers were totally destroyed. I still regret taking up the Double bass in the first place. I work as a labourer now, and not a full time orchestral musician, playing only occasionally . . . But perhaps it is not meet to speak ill of the dead, even if such il is true . . . . I will understand if you view this as inappropriate for publication. Ashley Heenan was one of the most harmful influences in my entire life" - Steve Meikle The Good of the Arts: "This is a superb series that resolves the western quest. Alan shows us that we can answer the question how to live? through the arts. I stumbled upon this accidentally and am now impatient to see with fresh eyes, and experience the many wonderous artsartists that got it long before I understood their insight, let alone formed my own. Well done to the Southwest team for a fabulous resource." - michelle trusttum The Douglas Lilburn Project: "re Douglas Lilburn. The following is in BETWEEN THE EARS recollections by Janos Cegledy Douglas Lilburn is the doyen of New Zealand composers. He was a soft spoken generally quiet man who, I think, enjoyed solitude or perhaps he was shy with people. He was a conscientious teacher and gave one hour of individual tutorial to each of his students. He mainly taught traditional harmony based on the Bach Chorales. He would teach a clear description of the figured bass harmony of these chorales but he was not able to unlock, what I later came to realize, is their most remarkable expressive feature. The Bach Chorales are based on very simple tunes, many written by Martin Luther. Originally they must have been sung in unison to their respective religious text. Of some, Bach made several different versions with different harmonization of the same simple tune. Lilburn made fine harmonic analysis of these but did not at all relate it to the text. For Bach, being a religious man, the text was an essential feature. Remarkably, Bach musically emphasizes different aspects of the words in so that each version seem to shed a new light on them. This is their quality of genius and whilst Lilburn could teach the mechanics he failed to convey the spirit behind it. We also showed him exercises in writing harmony in some practical form. We did sometimes talk of compositional aspects and I once told him that I feel uncomfortable with modulations, especially in Bach as I feel a sense of unbalance, like I am being pushed away from my home base into a foreign environment. His prudent advice was that I should write non-modulating music. This I eventually did, first in modal and pentatonic pieces and eventually using all twelve notes of the Western musical system but in a non-dodecaphonic way so that a melodic element is maintained without a definite home key. Janos Cegledy studied with Lilburn at Victoria University in the late 1950s. Since then he established himself as pianist, editor, teacher and composer and his compositions have been published by Japans largest music publisher ZEN ON. They are now also available on the internet. For details see httpwww2.gol.comuserscegledyjanoscegledy.html " - Janos Cegledy Porirua Ladies: "I was shocked to watch Sunday at 7.30pm on channel 1 tonight 30th May 2004. It makes me wonder whether other nurses were aware of the shocking treatment to patients or were they participants? Particularly in the 60s and 70s. I feel sorry for the poor kids at the time, but feel incredibly sorry for those who are now adults and have had to live their whole lives with a black shadow on their shoulders today. Where is justice? Someone should be made accountable and those who perpertrayted the crime should be severly punished? I cannot express how disgusted I am." - Sue Lyons Porirua Ladies: "Thank you for this. This is a beautiful documentary. A good introduction to Meg Campbell's poetry for me. Why is it that women are better poets? But just in case you think my comment reflects reverse sexism - your production was a kind of poetry in itself." - Douglas Lunn Porirua Ladies: "I was a patient for six or so months there in 1953 and I have some clear memories of male wards nine and ten. I can still imagine the sound of the heavy keys in the locks also being in a solitary room (which was for my own good), the male nurses who were very compassionate but strong if needed. There was one nurse who because of the way he was treating patients became a patient himself. So there was the treatment, the ECT. Then there was something called "Insulin Shock" when a group of young [and fit] men were put into a coma with an injection of insulin.We were revived with a input of glucose down a nazal tube. The doctor, perhaps one saw him once in six weeks and he always asked "Are you hearing voices,boy?" But I wasn't. At age 21 this was the first manifestation of manic depression but it took me till age 44 before I found a name for it and I survived! I tended to get "high" on politics but when the person NOT of my choice won in 1975 I plunged into a deep and near suicidal depression after six months.A fellow Quaker friend who was also a psychiatrist told me "I know what is wrong and I can help. You will have to take Lithium for the rest of your life." After 17 or so years I changed to using Epilim because long term use of lithium can be damaging. I met another person with the disorder. She and I began to set up a nationwide organisation to link support groups. We set up Conference in 1996 withg the help of Barbara Dizley of the Mental Health Comission and have gone on from there. The orgaisation is called Balance and has a website http://www.balance.org.nz. I have retired from being Secretary because of physical ill health NOT mental health difficulties. The name manic depression is being superseded by the name Bipolar. It affects at least 1% of the whole human race. I am primarily concerned that people newly diagnosed with this disorder get the information which is their due. Then the 50 year journey will not have been in vain !!" - Michael Wiltshire Porirua Ladies: "There is another side to Porirua Hospital that doesn't get much positive publicity. There is a kin-ship among the very large number of ex-patients that is strong but rarely articulated. It would be great if you could develop a programme around the stories of the people who the place was all about. Central Potential - Te Rito Mäia is a regional network that could help with that process." - John Tovey Porirua Ladies: "It would be great if you decided to do a programme on what it was like from the other side of the wall. Many people have views of their own on the Porirua experience and how helpful it was to their recovery. There is now a loud consumer voice in Central Potential." - Lynda Porirua Ladies: "Great to see this, brought back many good, only occasionally bad memories.. However I guess I was one of the lucky ones, I trained as a psychiatric nurse at Porirua 1970-1974, and staff nursed there for one year, prior to going district nursing from there, then into the Psych Unit. at Wellington Hospital." - Sue Willoughby The Douglas Lilburn Project: "I was fascinated to discover in my web browsing, that there was a radio biography project developed about Douglas. Here in Oregon (USA), I have been unable to listen to the programmes and would like to know if you might consider making them available for listening on the web. Douglas and I began a friendship in the late 80s - primarily through correspondence - and my wife and I finally had the pleasure of meeting him in his "bush" surrounded house at Ascot Terrace in 1996. He was gracious, full of life, and most generous. I'll never forget him coming to the door to greet us, and almost dancing to a recording of Andean flute music that was playing quite loudly on the phonograph in his lounge. He prepared us a "scratch lunch", as he called it, of olives, and cheese, garnished with Nistersium blossoms. As an amateur pianist, I have high regard for his compositions, and make it a point to play them in informal gatherings of fellow pianists whenever possible. I feel his music captures something of the experience I had in encountering the unique and striking quality of the land and seascapes of his native New Zealand; but it speaks to something beyond that sense of "place", as well." - Patrick Conway The Douglas Lilburn Project: "Greetings - First and foremost, I wish to thank you for your efforts with this project. As one non-New Zealander who experienced a private evening with Douglas Lilburn, I am more than pleased that he is gradually gaining worldwide recognition. Toward that goal, I have, in my small way, donated most of his music on CD to my local classical radio station KWAX (in the USA). This 24 hour, all classical, station also sends its programming over the internet - http://www.uoregon.edu/~kwax. Sincerely." - Charles Eggen The Good of the Arts: "I chanced upon the first of the repeat series today, and stopped, transfixed, as for the first series. Ever since I heard the third of them, the music of Shostakovich's 15th juxtaposed with Eliot's Marina has resonated with me, returning to mind time and time again. If our lives are not enriched, then we fail to live them - thanks for this." - Ian Ferguson The Douglas Lilburn Project: "Heard most of the series. Terrific! Are the broadcasts available on cassette from Replay Radio? Congratulations!" - R & M Roberts The Good of the Arts: "Here in Canada, looking up Seamus Heaney on the internet and his translation of Sorley MacLean's 'Hallaig', I chanced upon this wonderful -- literally -- series of broadcasts, and have printed the transcripts, will read as I listen to whatever I can of the music, and wish only I could have hear it 'live' -- many thanks for the gift of your fine imagination and your eloquence."