We continue with part three of the Otago Daily Times’ five-part series to name the South’s 20 most inspiring people for 2020.
ELLEN and CHRIS MACGREGOR
Opening a bigger, second bagel store in March was an exciting time for Beam Me Up Bagels owners Ellen and Chris MacGregor.
That excitement lasted until the Government forced them to shut that store nine days later.
Once Alert Levels dropped, the couple and their business stormed back into action with a new ordering system which was easier to use.
"It was a lot of work and it’s still an ongoing process," Mr MacGregor said.
With the two stores, their staff swelled to 28 at one stage.
Their shop brought people together, Mrs MacGregor said, and was known for big queues snaking out to the street.
However, the Covid-19 restrictions challenged their way of doing things, and they were pleased to be able to be open without restrictions.
Mrs MacGregor said many people thought about the pandemic negatively, but she preferred a positive spin.
Shutting down had given them the ability to put into action the ordering system they had wanted to implement for some time, but had not had the time to do so.
Can the bagel eaters of Dunedin expect further expansion from the MacGregors, perhaps another store?
"We have got three pets, three children ... three shops? I don’t know."
— Jacob McSweeny
GEOFF MIRKIN
Lawyers tend to get a bad rap, but Geoff Mirkin and several of his colleagues show that reputation is undeserved.
When disgraced financial adviser Barry Kloogh stole an estimated $15million from his clients, those innocent investors could have been forgiven for losing all faith in human nature.
However, a group of community-minded Otago financial and legal professionals, led by Mr Mirkin, have helped restore some of it.
Mr Mirkin, a partner at Wilkinson Rodgers, has been the public face for a collective of people who have worked behind the scenes, for no remuneration, to try to salvage what they can for those left out of pocket by Kloogh’s offending.
They have not been able to secure much money for the dispossessed — Kloogh’s looting through a Ponzi scheme was too thorough.
But the lawyers and accountants have kept the investors group advised about what is going on.
They have also offered support for dozens of people, many of whom are now not in a position to be able to afford such help.
In July, Kloogh was sentenced to eight years 10 months’ imprisonment on multiple theft and dishonesty charges — he lost an attempt to appeal the sentence earlier this month.
However, the work goes on for Mr Mirkin and the pro bono team, as they monitor the findings of the Official Assignee as they examine the records of Kloogh’s companies, and also consider the possibility of future legal action on behalf of investors.
— Mike Houlahan
ANTHONY RITCHIE
The world premiere of Anthony Ritchie’s optimistic Symphony No5 "Childhood" in Dunedin was originally scheduled for Christchurch in August.
Instead, it was performed in September by the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra.
The premiere performance was a thrill for the long-time University of Otago teacher and composer, and it received thunderous applause from the capacity audience of 400 at the Dunedin Town Hall.
Just as it was a peculiar year for everyone, it was a peculiar year for Prof Ritchie, he said.
Performances were cancelled due to the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, but due to other cancellations there had been bonus performances as well.
This year, Prof Ritchie turned 60 and took over as head of the new performing arts school at the university.
His work was performed in the United Kingdom last year; his reputation as one of the top composers in the country has been cemented this year.
At the end of October, Prof Ritchie’s Gallipoli to the Somme was voted New Zealand’s most popular piece in RNZ Concert’s Settling the Score 2020, marking the first time a New Zealand composer has won the competition.
— Hamish MacLean
LAUREL TURNBULL
Laurel Turnbull has been well-known in Mataura for decades, but in 2020 her name made headlines nationwide.
As Sort Out the Dross spokeswoman, she voiced the community’s concerns about how ouvea premix — a potentially hazardous substance — was being stored at the town’s old paper mill.
In February, Mataura was evacuated when its river flooded, which prompted renewed calls for the substance to be removed.
"Wherever I go, someone asks me about the dross," she said.
After advocating for the past six years, Mrs Turnbull said this year, for the first time, people who should have been taking notice of the problem started to act — it became a national issue.
The group also helped MP Mark Patterson to collect 3500 signatures to his petition asking to speed up the process to remove the dross.
"It would be brilliant to see it gone after such long time. It will be a comfort for everyone to know that we don’t need to leave under that threat anymore," Mrs Turnbull said.
— Luisa Girao
