Charlie and Mel Schofield-Hindley's tales of adventure

Thursday, 2 September 2010

Phillippa's Amazing Speech

Our friend Phillippa did the best speech ever (or at least her and Craig's were equally the best speeches ever) at our wedding reception on 7th August, she sent me a copy so here it is:

Okay, here goes.... clear throat...

There are so many friends here that I feel truly honoured to be doing this- Thank you Craig for being funny so that I don't have to.
I'd just like to share some thoughts about Mel....

I think when we think of Mel, we think of her as outgoing and sparkling with a real thirst for life. Mel has always been like this. Ever since we were kids, she had a great imagination that has been lived out later in art and travel. We grew up building huts, climbing trees, swimming in the river and THEN she grew up to build a home, a garden, a beautiful relationship and instead of swimming across rivers, she's crossed and is crossing again oceans to see the world. Instead of riding on the back of her mother's bike, she's taking the handle bars and pedalling her way across New Zealand.
Always one for the actors.... Charlie, of course.... Mel herself has played and continues to play many starring roles- not just because of her Marilyn Munroe looks and glamour. She hasn't just played a role in my life but more importantly in that of her close family who she cares for deeply. She's also played a prize role in the lives of her friends, a lot of whom are here today as a testimony of how fabulous she is. And this isn't even mentioning the HUGE role she plays in the life of her gran who she loves and supports with a maturity and sense of responsibility that I can only admire and just adds to the overall respect we all feel for her and is one great example of how she touches and betters those around her- sometimes just with her beamer smile!
I just want to read from a touching email from one of Mel's close friends, Fran, who describes these many roles she juggles...

I picture Mel running in the park with Millhouse, while blue-toothing her gran's solicitor, meanwhile in the oven at home a pie made with
homegrown gooseberries is baking in the oven for friends coming round for tea, folks all over the world are bidding on Ebay for Mel's furniture, and a dozen artists are following Mel's instructions
about an exhibition she has organized. And this is just a 15 minute snapshot.

And this is all 'Action Mel'. When the cameras are off, she's incredibly thoughtful and deep. A thinker and reader at heart, she's quite private but to those who are privileged to be her friend, she's open, spontaneous and really caring. When I told my parents Mel had sent me an email to make sure I hadn't been caught in the landslides in Sicily, my dad said, "Oh really, we didn't know there were any!"... yet Mel was on the case!
And now she's FINALLY marrying Charlie- how long have you been trying to get her to say 'yes'?
And they're brilliant together- you know with some couples you phone YOUR friend and the boyfriend picks up and you have to live through some awful stammering small talk? Well, with Charlie, when he picks up you feel as loved and valued as if you'd got through to Mel herself..... Gives good hugs too. This couple are great, they've been tried and tested and they've come out stamped with the GFI mark on them and 5 stars. (Let me explain, GHI Good Housekeeping Institute GFI Good Friends Institute).

We are all thankful to them both for being so fantastic...and, for me, particularly, to Mel, who's been in my life for, at least twice a year, for the last 24 years and has made my life a better experience. I'LL MISS HER! As will her friends for, quote Fran, for being such a 'frigging unbelievable guru', a willing ear, a helpful hand and a beautiful and lively presence in our lives.
Just to bring this cheese to an end, I was reflecting on Mel and the more I said her name, the more I thought of the words that rhyme and I thought I would share a poem with you....

Every time a word rhymes with Mel, my assistant here will ring the bell.

Apologies, I've changed it because I now have 3 beautiful assistants, Mandy, Laura and Rowena and please feel free to join in when you get how it goes...

Every time a word rhymes with Mel, my assistantS here will ring the bell...s

I can't write speeches very well, (ping...first time was crap, they timing was well off!)
But what the hell, (ping etc.)
Let me tell you about Mel.

She's the pearl in the shell,
Her beautiful smile and winning chat cast the spell,
There's no doubt why Charlie fell,
for such a belle,
And they really gel.
No-one else runs parallel...
Or maybe Millhouse, if he didn't smell.
This marriage will go swell,
Across the oceans, they will tra-vel,
and in each other's love, they will re-vel,
As they ride life's carousel,
And I wish you both very well,
Let's all raise a glass,
TO CHARLIE AND MEL!

Our wedding ceremnony was yesterday in Brisbane, photo's to follow soon but it was really a perfect day - Charlie will add his blog about it soon...

Byron Bay, Mount Warning & Australia Zoo

Since I began this blog, something has occurred to me. It has taken a few weeks, but it has finally dawned on me; people who are reading this will not doubt find the interesting anecdotes interesting and somewhat amusing – at least that’s what I hope, but I have not always described in enough detail, my true impressions of a place, how it made me feel, what is it like in reality to be here, that sort of thing. It has always taken me some time to fully immerse myself back into the writing process. This is generally due to the time it takes me to unwind from life in the UK. Spending quality time with Mel in a picture perfect environment normally helps me to relax into the groove again and this time; Byron Bay has been the setting for the stress of life in the UK to finally seep away.

Byron Bay has been a Mecca for tourists for more than 30 years now. They all started to arrive during the 1970’s for something called the Aquarius Festival.
The Aquarius organisers approached the local Aboriginal elders to seek their permission to hold a festival in Nimbin. (which is a local town about an hours drive inland from here, where nowadays, people openly smoke dope and deal drugs to the backpackers, directly outside the police station.) It signified an important step. The new thinkers' respect for the indigenous people, their land and their culture was not only fundamental to the value systems of these people but the genesis of what is today a widely - though not universally - held belief in the importance of reconciliation.
Students and hippies flocked to the area for the festival in 1973 and many just never left. Two decades of new settlers and alternative lifestylers began to repopulate the area and another set of pioneers established themselves around Mullumbimby and Mainarm. The commune, legally known as a multiple occupancy or 'MO', was conceived.
In place of the dairy industry, producers turned to new land uses to cultivate tropical fruit, macadamia and tea tree plantations, as well as marijuana, while other land owners subdivided and built houses.
In the 1970s, it was not only those who pursued alternative lifestyles who started to open their eyes to the futility of environmental pollution.
The Thursday Plantation, so-called because it was the day its owner was granted a Crown Lease at Bungawalbyn, was established in 1976. It paved the way for yet another limelight industry in the region. However, alternative, complementary and bush medicine, along with organic growing, have so far proven to be more robust and sustainable than other industries with which the region's people have flirted.
Nowadays, the small, mainly single story town is lined with a blend of surf shops, cafes, and boutique designer outlets for handbags and bikinis, but the idealism of those settled hippies is still apparent. You can see it in the organic shops, the ‘hippy heaven’ smootheys on sale in the local eateries and in the artwork which adorns even the everyday objects that line the streets, such as roundabouts, electrical cable boxes and even peoples bodies. I saw a guy on the beach the other day with an enormous sun tattooed on his back – you get the idea. These are the positive stories from this town and there are a huge number of them. People who have settled here, who embrace what the environment has to offer them, and who welcome conscientious tourists with open arms.

The beaches are so unbelievably beautiful; the sand is the type that squeaks beneath your feet and it even appears to glow in the dark a little underneath these clear star and moonlit sky’s. The beaches are fringed with native trees and wildlife which is a refreshing change from our visit to Surfers Paradise, where the beach is fringed with giant high-rises that have destroyed the biodiversity of that stretch of the Gold Coast. We have regularly observed Sea Dragons and other lizards in the sun and as I write this, Mel needed rescuing from a large jumping spider that landed on her right thigh! There are mountains, rain forests, an immense amount of birdlife and more than 200 sunny days a year.

There are a huge amount of ‘crusties’ here. For those of you who have not heard the term before, it refers to the dread-locked masses that frequent this stretch of coastline. Some are local, others are here to sample the delights of the place they have only heard of from their mates whilst getting stoned at school round the back of the bike sheds. These bronzed traveller types walk up and down the pavements, often shirtless and with a well-rehearsed swagger that is supposed to communicate to the onlooker that they own this place and that they are so original it’s untrue.

We have spent a few nights here, walked on the pristine beaches, paddled in the cold Pacific Ocean and we also managed to climb to the summit of Mount Warning to see the sunrise together, as we did 6 years ago. Savannah and her befriend Rob joined us for the experience and met us at the top, before we all walked back down together after sunrise. They must be commended for their stamina; not only did they work a full 13 hour day before driving to Mount Warning and spending all night awake, but they then climbed back down the mountain and went to work for another 13 hours!

The climb up the mountain for sunrise involves quite a lot of effort and prep. We drove to the base of the 8.8km walk and spent a few restless hours trying to sleep in our car. At 2:30am we woke to our alarm, put on our head torches and packed a bag with extra clothes and some water. It is extremely cold up there, but due to the near vertical climb to the summit, you perspire a great deal, so staying warm is not easy and extra layers to put on at the top our vital. Towards the end of the assent there is a pretty hairy rope-chain that you really have to hang on to in order to remain safe. I will never forget Finn Pritchard, our friend from back home, stopping during the scary part of the climb to play his guitar and sing a song about climbing a mountain. How he managed we will never know!

Once back in the car in the early hours of Saturday morning; Mel took over driving and we found a place to have breakfast in nearby Nimbin. Incidentally; we paid $14 each for a veggie breaky with coffee and a non-veggie breaky with coffee at the Rainbow Café on the high street. We then cruised back to Byron to spend a day slumbering on the beach.

The food and the atmosphere around Byron made it feel like a real honeymoon break and two restaurants in particular are well worth a visit, both for their contrasting menus and their equally superb service. Bo’s and The Hari Krishna Café. Bo’s is an up market, yet affordable place, set back from the corner of a road. The décor is contemporary and you can sit inside or out, you can even eat dinner on the couch if you want to. Mel ordered the tuna steak, I had the beef steak. Both of our meals were brilliant, Mel had a salad with potatoes, olives and capers and my steak had a tomato relish and hot chips. The Hari Krishna Café offers veggie curry delights to suit most tastes; I particularly liked the lentil and potato pie!

We finally left Byron Bay on Monday morning and headed back up North to Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. Despite its extremely americanised appearance, the zoo is well designed and houses all Australian native wildlife and some South East Asian animals. We saw Steve’s son and his widow on a trip round. We also got to stroke Koalas, Kangaroos, Wombats and farm animals. It was a really nice day, we used Jodi Mudd’s and Henry Schofield’s Wedding Money to pay for it – Thanks guys!!

Thursday, 26 August 2010

The Sage Academy of Performing Arts - Memories

I often used to be baffled as to why an earth anybody would want to ‘blog’. I mean, what is the point in writing down all the little things that have happened to you in a day or a week or whatever. In recent years however, I have noticed how significant writing down ones thoughts can be. It is cathartic, it orders your thoughts, allows space in your mind for the next emotional or intellectual challenge you have yet to encounter and it is fun to look back on your memories.

Since teaching in Newcastle at Sage, I have found that those students who took the time to reflect on the training and workshops they had been involved in that day appeared to be more centred and well balanced in their understanding of their vocation. I found myself discussing their progress and using that open forum of discussion to inform my own practice, not just at a tutor, but artistically as well. The process was exciting and stimulating and it allowed my connection to many of my students to transcend the normal teacher-student pedagogical relationship to something far more profound. On leaving the Academy a few weeks ago, I felt a real sense of respect for my learners, some of whom are now cherished friends and people who I am certain shall remain so for many years to come. I cannot stress enough how lucky I feel to have been given the opportunity by Lucy Sage, who, informed by my long term mentor Adam Armstrong, gave me the space, time and trust to run with my ideas and it is safe to say, some of what my students achieved in my five years there is of the highest possible standard. I would like to spend this blog paying homage to The Sage Academy of Performing Arts – from my perspective.

Back in 2005, Lucy invited me to join an already established and experienced team of staff who were producing accomplished performers year after year. I was fortunate to be offered the role; such are the benefits of knowing someone who knows someone in this industry. I can remember my first day with the full-time students. My first class was with the then 2nd year students, who, amongst others, included a certain Alana Wallace, who would later appear in my first self produced and directed Edinburgh Fringe debut ‘Skitzy’ in 2007.

In my time there, many students have impressed me, some of whom have left me completely speechless with their acting ability. Young performers who act with such maturity and intelligence, one is left wandering what more can be done, expect do nudge them in the right direction and hope that the right people see them at the right time. It has worked for some inspired young people. The likes of Maddie Bowden, Kate Soulsby, Phil Bollam, Alex Jarvis, Laura MacGrady, Maeve O’Sullivan and Katie Todd are all people that I take a great pride in having taught on the full time course.

Then there are the part timers, the Foundation group, the Saturday and Sunday classes and more recently my evening workshop group, who range in age from 13 to 22, which makes for an extremely eclectic life experience pool, let alone performance experience. Some of my students have progressed to a stage where they are able to employ me as a performer for their own professional work, something which fills me with so much pride. To think that I might have played some part in their professional development. Scott Ampleford and Caden Elliott to name but two.

I would like to spend time naming all those students and tutors who have collectively touched my life during my time in Newcastle, but it would take a long time, and they know who they are – In particular I would just like to thank Jess Tibble, Amy Douglass and Rosie Marriott for playing such a huge part in my goodbye parties - Thank you for the great send-off gifts including the file of thank you messages, the framed photos, the cakes, the other food, the evening at the all-you-can eat buffet, the award for ‘Most inspirational’.

The most difficult thing I have ever had to do professionally was to make the decision to leave them behind. Let me just say this; everyone at the Sage Academy, past and present – you will always be with me!

Wednesday, 25 August 2010

Monday the 23rd of August 2010, 8:45pm

So much to catch up on, it’s been a very full few days here in beautiful Queensland! We’ve caught up with Laura Prentice, a well travelled individual who we enjoyed lunch and several coffees with before, sadly, she had to make her way back to her office at 36,000 feet with Emirates. Such a novel thing, seeing a friend on the other side of the world, especially someone who had spent our wedding reception with us so recently back home in Norfolk.

On Saturday, we took a trip out to Brisbane’s neighbouring hills to visit a wildlife park. Set in a forest, close to ‘Enoggera Reservoir’, the forest park is home to many of Australia’s famous bush wildlife and for just a few dollars, you can get up close to wallabies, snakes, birds and even a platypus! We had a coffee and a packed lunch by the reservoir and took in the sights and sounds of the area during a 5 km stroll. It was starting to feel like a real holiday by this point – not that it hadn’t been until then, but with so much to organise with regards to the wedding and accommodation and dry-cleaning of wedding attire etc, much of our time had been full until this day!

Mel and I travelled up into the Tamborine Mountains yesterday after we hired a car, in search of an area famed for its wine and European influences. We were not disappointed as our first port of call was an eatery which boasted not only a European menu, but specifically a Dutch desert menu, cooked by Dutch settlers – Poffetjes, lightly sprinkled with icing sugar, dipped into maple syrup and spiced apple pie with clotted cream!

The main streets that surround the upper reaches of Tamborine are laced with typical middle class interests, such as local art galleries and collectables; one shop of interest was a German Grandfather Clock warehouse which had many clocks on display ranging vastly in price with an average clock setting the purchaser back around $15,000. To my and Mel’s taste, most were seemingly well crafted but extremely detailed, which meant that they were too busy, give me a simple Edwardian time piece any day!

After a short while meandering around the shops, Mel and I decided to investigate something very exciting – The Tamborine Mountain Glow-worm Caves – we have always wanted to see such a natural phenomena and we were not disappointed. The cave itself was man made, apparently by the same company who made the Polar Bear cave at Sea World. After a brief introduction by our guide, we were led into a 20 metre long cave, full of thousands of blue stars, shining down from the roof of the cave. Truly beautiful, another first for us and well worth the $11 entrance fee!

Later in the afternoon, we went in search of one of the look outs which were easily accessible to tourists by car at the very tip of the mountain range. We hoped to find a nice view by which we could BBQ some of the provisions we had procured from a local supermarket. We were not disappointed. The view from the top of ‘Knoll Section’ was one of the most epic I have ever had the privilege to view – videos are available on our Youtube site for your viewing pleasure!

We decided to book into a B&B last night as we knew that we would be staying at altitude for the night. Mel managed to find a lovely place called ‘Tambaridge’ on ‘Lastminute.com’. A clever bit of thinking which saved us over $100 on the booking fee. That’s my girl! Built on the sunset side of the mountain range and run by a lovely gay couple, Robert and Kevin, we were able to enjoy a double Spa bath, giant bed, lots of different tea and coffee, our own balcony and as many DVD’s as we wanted to choose from to enjoy whilst drinking our tea in bed. All in all it was quite an overwhelming amount of luxury after the nights spent in our tent immediately prior to this. We would like to thank Robert and Kevin for their hospitality, and the lovely continental breakfast they served us this morning on our balcony!

Mel was due to go up in a Tiger Moth today, but as we packed the car to drive to the airport strip the rain began in earnest and to this hour it has not really stopped, so as expected, they have re-scheduled the flight which will now take place this Wednesday, the 25^th, at 12pm! As the rain had scuppered our hope of spending the day enjoying outdoor activities in the sun, we resigned ourselves to a trip around ‘Surfers Paradise’ on the Gold Coast. It turned out to be a nice afternoon spent together walking up and down the enormous beach from which the area takes its name. We saw people fishing from a break wall and the beach and all of whom were successful – another contrast to life in the UK – you would be lucky to catch anything off the beaches back home these days!

After 2 hours wandering together on the beach, Mel and I touched base with Savannah again to check when she would be free to catch up as she had mentioned that we should meet up today. We arranged in a roundabout way to meet tomorrow on her island - ‘Russell Island’ sometime after 12pm.

We searched for a campsite on our map and once again Mel’s impressive eagle eye has led us to a gem of a town, and a peach of a campsite. ‘Jacobs Well’ is a perfectly formed little town, just 20 minutes drive from Brisbane, but a world away from the fast paced, high priced city. We have pitched up on the town’s campsite, and 50 yards from our tent is the local Tavern, which boasts a wide range of food and beers at half the price of the city. The town has everything that you need to exist including a bottle shop, pizza and kebab shop, grocery store, doctors, bakery and coffee, and an Asian takeaway, incidentally where we enjoyed some great noodles this evening! It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and despite the rain; we are really enjoying the fine hospitality of the area and expect to spend 2 nights here.

We both miss Millhouse lots and we talked about him a periods throughout the day today. I suppose it will get easier. News from Holland suggests that he is enjoying life with Johanna and Henry. I spoke to mum on the phone the other day, just briefly, but it was good to hear her voice and to learn that everybody at home is doing ok. Term at Sage Academy will start soon – I hope everyone there is doing ok, I miss the students particularly.

Just over a week until our wedding, we have decided to rent the car for an extra couple of days to ensure that we have transport up to the Botanic Gardens on the wedding day!