Familiar Faces: Kate Cleverly

Kate Cleverly is a familiar face in Halswell as she has been the organiser of many of the local community events over the last decade or so.  Think youth events such as Fusion, Blast Off, The Light Party, Skate Jam and community events such as The Halswell Market and The Halswell Dance; the central organiser behind them all is Kate.

Hailing originally from Wiltshire, England, Kate and her husband Jason and children Aimee and Matthew were drawn to Christchurch because of family connections; Kate’s Kiwi Granddad originated from Banks Peninsula.   While on holiday here, they were taken by the spacious surroundings and applied for residency. They decided to settle in Halswell because of the fact that “ it was close to the city centre but it still felt like a small town. There are lots of wide open spaces and you can easily get out into the countryside. You don’t have to go far and you are biking down a little leafy lane, and there is also a lot going on for kids here” enthuses Kate.

Community work has not always been the path that Kate has taken. On leaving school, she started out building computers in her Dad’s computing  business, then she worked as a data analyst in drug trialling.  Following that, she taught high school science for five years in the UK and four years here at Cashmere High School.  Kate stopped teaching after her son Matthew was born and as he got older, became the Children’s Youth Worker at Halswell Baptist Church. Since late 2013, Kate has worked as the Halswell Community Coordinator for the Halswell Community Project.

Community work for Kate became a passionate interest for her as she realised that the socialisation provided by the local hotel didn’t exist here in the way that it did in England,
which is less about a drinking culture and more about being a meeting place. However, after speaking to Kate for a while you begin to realise within her community focus is   a deep-seated desire to accommodate the youth in society. Anything with a youth focus is close to her heart and if you look at the events that she has organised, there is always a strong child and youth focus to it.  She credits this to feeling like a bit of an outsider when she was a child.  She feels compelled to make sure everyone has a sense of belonging, especially young people.

Some developments that Kate would love to encourage in Halswell are “more places for the young people to hang out, more youth involved in the decision-making process, more
ways to bring families together and to see all the schools working together”.  Although, she says, “But I also think Halswell is pretty cool as it is”.

Kate’s family is also a high priority for her.  Kate’s husband Jason, incidentally, is also well-known in this area as he worked as a much-loved pre-school teacher at “The Lighthouse” for several years.  Aimee and Matthew keep Kate busy with lots of after school lessons. As
 a family, they like to go to church, play board games, go biking, and get into the outdoors. Juggling a busy home and work schedule, Kate has been described by friends as “little dynamo” as she seems to take it all in her stride.  And Halswell, especially its younger population, has certainly been very fortunate to have some of Kate’s focus and energy directed its way.