Breakfast provides food for thought
Life lessons and a serving of inspiration was the order of the day at Nelson Intermediate School’s Girls and Women’s breakfast.
Two hundred pupils and their female companions took part in the September 14 breakfast where several prominent Nelson women shared stories about their journeys.
While the paths were rocky in some cases, all had a happy ending and provided something for all attendees to take home.
Nelson mayor Rachel Reese, community leader Cindy Batt, Nelson College for Girls deputy head girl Laura Lowe spoke of leadership and lawyer Jessica Gully all spoke of how they faced up to obstacles faced in life, which ultimately led to achieving success
However, the morning’s highlight was a guest speaker who had struggled with hardships and issues associated with an eating disorder stemming from expectations of herself and that of others.
The speech received a standing ovation from all in the room.
NIS principal Hugh Gully appreciated the girl’s honesty and openness in putting forward her key message: ‘‘If you set the bar high and can’t quite get there, don’t panic’’
‘‘It was pretty powerful and a lot of emotion in the hall – the girls were really impressed with her bravery,’’ Gully said.
The following day it was the boys turn for breakfast.
City councillor Pete Rainey and Tasman Makos coach Leon McDonald joined former NIS pupils who were now making their leadership mark at Nelson College.
While the rest of Nelson city slept, the Rotary Club of Whakatu donned aprons and hairnets on both days to cook hundreds of meals.
Gully said the breakfasts had been a traditional fixture on the school calendar for more than a decade and aimed to celebrate the positive aspects of being a female – or a male – and talk about the good things happening in each others lives.
He was proud to welcome back former students who had gone on to make a difference.
NIS deputy head girl Emma Barnes-Wetere said the breakfast was a great way for the Year 7 and 8 pupils to bond with each other, perform and hear some insights from the inspirational speakers.
‘‘It’s really nice because we can show off our talented musical girls – some can sing and some can play instruments and then we also have students who have gone on to be leaders at colleges and beyond,’’ she said.