Past and present connected by glass art
TWO former St Hilda’s Collegiate School pupils have been immortalised in a new stainedglass window in the school’s chapel.
Dayna Gallagher and Sam Casse were used as models for the figures in the window, and said it was ‘‘weird’’ and ‘‘a little bit creepy’’ to see themselves in the window when they visited the school on Tuesday.
The window tells the story of Sisters Geraldine and Etheleen, nuns who came to Dunedin in the 1880s and established St Hilda’s Collegiate School in 1896.
Dayna and Sam were selected by Dunedin stainedglass windowmaker Peter Mackenzie for the artwork because they looked very similar to the sisters.
‘‘We have very similar face shapes,’’ Dayna said.
‘‘People say they can see the resemblance. When I first saw it I thought, ‘Oh gosh’. It was a bit creepy.
‘‘But it’s kind of cool though. It makes me feel like a permanent part of the school.’’
Principal Jackie Barron said the window was commissioned by the school’s old girls’ association.
‘‘The window depicts the sisters, the Otago Harbour, the boat they arrived in and the vibrant flora and fauna that they found here.’’
She said there had been extensive consultation with Hoani Langsbury and the Otakou marae, on the Maori patterns on the window that reflect the culture of the school and the community.
The window was officially blessed by Bishop Steven Benford recently.
‘‘It has been a 10year project, with the end result quite stunning,’’ she said.