The Gisborne Girls' High School/Basically Bush Link
One of the Basically Bush trappers, Ricky, describes his life in the bush
Wendy Webb of Gisborne Girls’ High School has been working with Sue Boot of Basically Bush every year since 2005 on Wendy’s Year 12 ‘Kiwi Made’ unit.
Basically Bush is a possum fur-buying company based in the region. It is a major supplier to Woolyarns, a Wellington-based fibre manufacturer of Merino/possum fur mixes.
Wendy is an enthusiast of using industry links in her teaching, to extend the range of knowlededge, experience and skills available to her class, and to herself, and so her students can learn in class what goes on in business, and its importance to the New Zealand economy.
When Wendy heard of Basically Bush and their work, she saw the opportunity for the class to consider the possum fur fibre process – from collection of raw material to finished product. The collection of possum fur to combine with wool to produce an enhanced fibre for clothing manufacture was a new concept for many of the girls.
When Wendy approached Basically Bush co-director Sue Boot about working with her class, Sue saw it as a good chance to help out. She already had an affiliation with the school, her daughters having attended it, and also saw that not only was it good for Basically Bush to be seen as community-minded, but the link was a way to make the girls, and the wider community, aware of a local industry and what it does – “the more people who know about it, the better”.
Wendy supported this motivation: “I think the link should be two-way. I told Sue we’d like to help her if we can and that I’m keen to promote her product”.
Sue invited Wendy to attend a Basically Bush workshop for possum hunters. This was followed up with a class visit to observe the fur-buying process. The Gisborne area is mainly rural and the possum industry quite significant, with a lot of trappers involved in what is for many a highly professional, full-time job. Students were able to talk to the hunters about their work, observe what qualities the company looked for in possum fur and how this related to pay rates.