We are grateful to former Soldier of Chatham Corps, Andrew Smith, who has sent us the following report on the visit of the International Staff Songsters (and Rosemary Emma and Martin in particular) to New Zealand’s capital city last weekend.

 Andrew

Andrew writes:

International Staff Songsters shaking it up in New Zealand

Regular visitors to the website (and others) will be aware that the International Staff Songsters of The Salvation Army are currently on tour in New Zealand, with a couple of side stops in Australia (one before and one after the main event).

After a week in Perth and Brisbane, the ISS flew into Auckland last Thursday and presented a concert in the City of Sails (as it is known) on Friday night, before taking the short flight south to Wellington on Saturday morning.

It goes without saying that the visitors were treated to perfect autumn weather for the duration of their weekend stay in The Coolest Little Capital in the World (that’s not just me saying that, it’s an actual thing), although it could easily have been quite different – last week we copped the last rages of former Tropical Cyclone Debbie, which had caused massive devastation in northern Australia, and we had a couple of strong earthquakes (no damage, fortunately).

The great weather meant there was some time (sadly all too limited) for getting out and about and having a brief look at what the Windy City has to offer (although for once it wasn’t windy, ironically).

Chatham Corps kindly supplied a vehicle, driver and tour guide (Anne and me) for Rosemary, Emma and Martin so they could see some of the sights. Emma and Martin seemed to have on their bucket list a ride on the Wellington Cable Car; they were able to tick that off as we went up into the hill suburbs to take in the breathtaking views of the city and harbour.

 

We also popped our heads into the national museum, Te Papa (meaning ‘Our Place’ not ‘The Pope’) on the Wellington waterfront, checking out the Awesome Forces exhibition, which tells of New Zealand’s wobbly geological stability and gives you the opportunity to experience a simulated earthquake (so they didn’t miss out after all). We also took them up to the marae (Maori meeting house) on the top floor of the museum.

 

 

An almost full house received the ISS’s evening concert at Wellington Citadel and was truly blessed by their ministry. A well-balanced and easy-to-listen-to programme encompassed major works such as ISS accompanist and former Chatham bandmaster Richard Phillips’ Anastasis, vocal transcriptions of light numbers originally written for bands (Just Like John and Lightwalk), reflective numbers (I’ve just seen Jesus), an audience-participation item (the Maori song Pokarekare ana, which the Songsters appeared to know just as well as the audience), Handel’s Hallelujah chorus, and the “ISS anthem” (to use Songster Leader Dorothy Nancekievill’s description) More than wonderful, among others. The evening ended with John Rutter’s setting of the benediction from Numbers, The Lord bless you and keep you, with the Songsters standing in the aisles and the balcony to deliver the final blessing of the evening.

To mark the Chatham Corps mini-reunion 20,000 kilometres from Church Street and to prove it really happened, we got a photo of the six of us.

L to R: Andrew, Richard, Rosemary, Emma, Martin, Anne

Sunday morning began with a musicians’ spiritual, attended by local and visiting musicians and led by ISS Executive Officer Lt-Col Paul Main. The Palm Sunday worship service followed, and we were treated to more musical and spiritual blessings from the ISS. The highlight for many was the singing of an Army ‘classic’ describing Jesus’ appearance beside two of the disciples, Arch Wiggins’ and George Marshall’s timeless Jesus Himself drew near.

Then a farewell lunch (after just two days – scandalous) and a short ride out to the airport for check in for the Sunday afternoon flight to Sydney, and the ISS’s second visit to New Zealand was over. Hopefully it’s not twenty years before the next one.

So the ISS are, as I write, in Sydney gearing up for a busy final week that will also take them to Canberra and Hobart before celebrating Easter in Melbourne, and then home. They may have taken the best of the weather away with them (although today, Monday, is another stunner): we had two more earthquakes late on Sunday night (again no damage) and this morning we’re being told a new cyclone is brewing in the Pacific and might decide to head our way. Hopefully not; some parts of the North Island had two months rainfall in two days last week and have had two once-in-a-century floods in four weeks. Generally speaking, they’re not keen on a third.

I can report that Rosemary, Emma and Martin (and Richard) have left our shores safely and in one piece (or perhaps that should be four pieces), and any damage they sustain between now and when they get home will be Australia’s fault. It was fantastic to spend the weekend with them (and the rest of the ISS) and I’m sure they will have great stories to share with you all.