Sam Johnson of the Canterbury’s Student Volunteer Army (SVA) is in the news again! This time, however, the world’s media have zoomed in not on Sam’s amazing volunteer work and leadership following the Canterbury Earthquakes, but on his dance moves.
During Prince Charles and Camilla’s recent visit to Christchurch, Sam took the Duchess of Cornwall for a spin on Gap Filler’s Dance-O-Mat. Indeed the Gap Filler team are now thinking of renaming it the Royal Dance-O-Mat!
Earlier this year Sam and Jason Pemberton from the SVA generously gave up some of their time to talk to us about the foundation of the SVA, the start of which was anything but smooth.
Silt Worms – the foundation of the Student Volunteer Army is one of six short films we have commissioned on the theme of creative and community responses to the Canterbury earthquakes and their aftermath. While their start may have been bumpy, the achievement and contribution of the Student Volunteer Army from 2010 to today, is both humbling and inspiring.
Poster, ’The Student Volunteer Army wants you to fight’, April 2011. Designed by Laura Campbell and Joel Hart for the Student Volunteer Army. Gift of Student Volunteer Army, 2011. Te Papa
On the weekend down in Canterbury, apart from the horrific earthquake, there was an extremely unusual dolphin stranding. A 1.8m male Hourglass dolphin came ashore at Flea Bay. Only a handful of complete specimens of this species have ever been dissected before. Although they are sometimes seen in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, they very rarely strand.
Rare Hourglass dolphin found dead at Flea Bay in Canterbury. Photo reproduced courtesy of Department of Conservation.
There is only one other record from New Zealand and that is also from the Canterbury region. This very distinctive black and white animal has colour markings on it like an hourglass, and hence it’s common name. There is some dispute genetically about where it sits in relation to other dolphins, it currently sits in the genus Lagenorhynchus like our commonly seen Dusky dolphin, however there is some suggestion that it may be more closely aligned to the genus Cephalorhynchus like the New Zealand Hector’s (and Maui’s) dolphin.
Hourglass dolphin. Photo reproduced courtesy of Department of Conservation.
Through the remarkable recovery of the specimen by Derek Cox of the Department of Conservation and the agreement of the local Runanga (Ngāi Tahu), it has been sent in a fresh state up to Massey University Albany campus in Auckland. Karen Stockin realised it was this rare species of dolphin and alerted other scientists around the country.
Anton van Helden Te Papa’s collection manager of Marine Mammals, will fly up to Auckland tomorrow to assist with the necropsy of the animal.
These animals are so rare, that scientists are pooling their expertise to try and learn as much about the specimen as they can.
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