Pure Kiwiana inks draw attention
Tattoos on Jonty Penney’s right leg read like a Kiwiana exhibition: the goodnight kiwi and cat, jandals, gumboots, Horse from Footrot Flats, a Morris Minor, a tomato-shaped squeezable sauce dispenser, Buzzy Bee, the Four Square guy and a tiki. And that’s just the lower leg. The electrician’s first tattoo, of a tiger, at the age of 16 on his right upper arm shocked his mum and he has since covered it up with other tattoos.
But she came around to the idea. When she turned 50, she had a full back tattoo inked by Penney.
Always good at art in school in Whangerei where he grew Penney went on to use creativity as a chef.
‘‘The hours were horrible so I tried other jobs.’’
About five years after moving to Timaru in 2005, he trained as an apprentice tattooist at Burnt Toast under the tutelage of Russ Beaumont.
Part of the teaching method for the apprentice included practising on his own thighs, which was a bit up, his awkward, Penney said.
After a year he could not find any work in the Timaru industry as it was so well served, so he decided to complete an electrician apprenticeship.
A significant inking memory for Penney was designing and completing a tattoo of a candle on his father’s shoulder before he died. Though his father already wore tattoos, it was a special time for father and son.
His former tutor, Beaumont, inked Penney’s left leg and foot with generic Asian designs specifically for the Tattooed and Proud competition in Oamaru. The designs won the best male left lower leg category in about 2012.
But it is the New Zealand images that attract the most attention.
‘‘I have a North Island scene with a wild boar (left chest) and a roaring stag on South Island hill country on the right.’’
Penney does not regret his body art - even the joke plasters on his knees .
His advice is: ‘‘Think hard about the placement and design . . and what you want in the future jobwise.’’
Grebes leave lake
A pair of nationally vulnerable southern crested grebes have given up on trying to start a family and abandoned their nesting place at Lake Middleton, south of Twizel, due to increased activity over the holidays. Four eggs were swept off the birds’ nest on a floating pontoon in southerly winds in October. The second attempt also failed. While members of the Ohau Preservation Trust created new floating pontoons on which the birds could nest, these were rejected by the birds. Trust secretary Viv Smith said school groups visiting before Christmas and increased boating and camping activity at the lake in recent weeks was likely to have frightened the birds away. However, she said grebes were territorial so the birds would probably return next year to try again. She hoped they would return early in the nesting season so they had the best chance of success.
NCEA students reminder
NCEA students are reminded to practise accessing their Learner Login on the New Zealand Qualification Authority’s website before tomorrow, January 13. Students will not be able to use their Learner Login to view past results or update their passwords from tomorrow, as the page will be closed ahead of the NCEA exam results being released on Tuesday. Any students who have problems logging in to the system can contact the NZQA call centre between 8am and 5pm on weekdays on 0800 697 296.
Correction
In yesterday’s editorial, this quote: ‘‘We would encourage DairyNZ to concentrate its resources into addressing the very real problems of river degradation, rather than trying to pretend the problem doesn’t exist’’ was wrongly attributed to the Advertising Standards Authority. The comment was actually made by a Greenpeace spokeswoman. The error is regretted.
Police notebook
Incidents reported yesterday:
A Timaru woman, 46, was forbidden to drive until she obtains an appropriate licence after she was stopped while driving on Evans St at 1.20am on Wednesday.
A youth, 17, was arrested for detoxification at 11.50pm on Tuesday.
A 42-year-old man was arrested for driving while disqualified on Evans St at 6.20am on Tuesday. He was processed for drink-driving, and police are awaiting the results of a blood test.