Celebrating the arts and ballet icon
Sir Jon Trimmer gave so much to Paekā kā riki
Last Friday people gathered at St Peter’s Village Hall in Paekā kā riki to farewell Sir Jon Trimmer. He gave so much to us during his many years in Paekā kā riki, and to so many during his years as Aotearoa’s premier dancer. He supported community events, he was a speaker, a patron, an adviser. Sir Jon was a friend to everyone he met, a listening ear, a comforting word, a cheering laugh.
He launched events, unveiled electric car chargers, spoke at art shows, performed in community fundraisers — he just helped wherever he could. He is just so loved by Paekā kā riki, and by Kā piti, by Wellington and by Aotearoa, and by many internationally.
The service was a true community effort, from transforming the hall into a magical forest, to all the organisation and the elements that were pulled together to honour Sir Jon and his extraordinary life.
It was appropriate that this weekend was a celebration of the arts, with the first weekend of Te Ara Toi, the Kā piti Art Trail, attracting large numbers to visit the 130 studios taking part.
It was a moving experience starting the day with a blessing of Whakaaro Whakairo at the Ō taki River Mouth. Their exhibition at the Otaki ¯ Mā ori Racing Club features a high-quality collection of weaving, sculpture, carving and paintings, and some of the artists will be working on site.
I enjoyed the diversity of the artists we visited on our council tour — the rich colours of Sarah Lange’s resincoated paintings, Paula Archibald’s vibrant pottery, Birgit Moffat’s earthy textiles, the aromas that complimented the art at Studio Reset, the internationally successful and profoundly beautiful prints of Hamish Macauley and the beautiful jewellery of Denise Stewart and Dawn Pearson.
A highlight of the day was visiting Adrienne Spratt’s Waiorua Studio on Kā piti Island. Her weaving is of the most exceptional expression and skill, and a Ta Moko (Mā ori tattoo) artist was working on site.
An added bonus was seeing new weka chicks, and a sign at the edge of the path indicating that takahe chicks will soon be appearing from their nest. A reminder that life begins as it ends, and that there is art in nature — what the world creates and what we create aren’t so very far apart.
Sir Jon, you lived art. Let us live our most creative life, drawing joy from every experience as you did. You will be dancing on in our hearts.