Gennie Delange

Gennie is an artist friend and she and her family had an important influence on the cultural life of our family. The Powells met the Donalds (Gennie’s married name) through Fiona and Stephanie who were school friends. Gennie, the potter and painter, wanted to teach her own children about her art and decided it was best done by forming a small class of 5 or 6 children which would meet in her pottery each Saturday morning. Philip and Fiona were invited to take part and so in return I offered a class where hers and our children would play music together and also create their own pieces. This took place every Wednesday afternoon when a viola student of mine (Margaret Hunt) from the Teachers College also came and gave lessons to the three string players in the group. This idyllic situation lasted only a year before we left for my sabbatical leave in 1980. But in this short time wonderful sculptures, tile pictures and music pieces were created, culminating in an exhibition in the CSA gallery and a concert at the Teachers Training College. Gennie also designed the wonderful cover page for The Ever-Circling Light.

Powell and Donald children (Philip, Stephanie, Kit!, Liza, Fiona) performing—behind them are some of their clay-sculptures

Gennie's beautiful cover design for the score of ‘The Ever-Circling Light’

5. July 2020

Dear Kit, Today we have been swept back in time. We are at the lake and Christopher and Robyn Evans came for lunch. We had champagne and a Danish fish soup. Then in a mellow state we all sat round the fire. The dark bush and heavy leaden sky hanging over the lake. Robyn had brought a tape of your Ever Circling Light as we wanted to hear her sing. She was in tears listening. Even though it was played on an old machine filled with clay dust from my pottery. It still sounded better than I remembered. Maybe because it is so of this moment. That Maori get so much more prominence and respected these days.

We all thought if only it could be played in an arts festival now, it would be recieved with such enthusiasm. We were all enraptured and appreciated it more than we did at the time. Surely that means it has stood the test of time, and is something beautiful that you have left the world. It was special that we could hear Robyn's voice. That she also could know she had made something really good.

So you live on and were here a gave us a concert in the perfect setting. Thank you for a magnificent work. Rick and Gennie xxxx