Back
2597 days ago

From tragedy to exotic fashion

Matthew Salmons Reporter from Christchurch Mail

Tragedy sometimes brings positive outcomes. Former model and fashion entrepreneur Judy Dodwell had just left New Zealand for a new life in Bahrain with her husband and two sons when she received a phone call she has never forgotten.
Her beautiful daughter had been tragically killed in a car accident near Queenstown.
The news shocked the family. Nicola, who excelled at school and was deputy head prefect, was travelling to Queenstown with a friend for a holiday job when the car spun out of control. Nicola was flung to her death on the roadside.
In a new country, in a new culture, Judy admits she did not cope with her loss. Paralysed with grief she found it impossible to complete even the smallest tasks. Her two sons needed their mother and parenting them both seemed to be all she could do.
Five years passed until one day she read in a magazine, "Success only comes by a change of attitude."
This sentence stayed in her mind, reminding her of previous success in life as an international model and the positive outlook she had at that time.
Judy determined to change her attitude, use her knowledge and skills and start her own modelling school, ignoring Bahrain's ban on expatriate women working.
After one year she was shut down. Judy would not close without a fight however so she appealed, was granted an audience with the highest government officials and finally her licence was granted by the king.
Judy's company Visual Image, Academy of Modelling expanded rapidly and before long Judy provided models for Formula 1 and Jewellery Arabia.
At the same time she amassed an exotic and amazing wardrobe of garments.
This spectacular Arabic fashion, which has been stored for over two decades, will be shown to the public for the first time this month at St Barnabas Church.
This is a first for the earthquake damaged newly restored and reopened church. Judy hopes to raise the final amount of money owing to pay for the earthquake repairs. She will install her cat walk down the centre isle and make use of the state of the art new sound system in the church.
All models are local and trained by Judy.

DETAILS
WHEN: November 24, 8pm.
WHERE: St Barnabas Church, Fendalton, Christchurch.
ENTRY: Tickets are $30 and available from the St Barnabas church office from 9am-3pm and the Ballantynes Department Store customer service desk.

- Words by Olive Lawson and Judy Dodwell. Photo - Amanda Dodwell.

Image
More messages from your neighbours
5 hours ago

Best way to use leftovers?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.

What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.

Image
16 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

Image
1 day ago

Panasonic SC-HTB688 Soundbar, Subwoofer

Ian from Belfast

Imagine the sound and effects
while watching your Favorite Movies, Netfilx and TV series.
And don't forget listening to your own Music collection.

It has Dolby digital
Bluetooth v4 (stream music)
Surround sound
A Wireless Subwoofer
3.1 ch.
300w
Etc

The Remote controls
The Volume
Subwoofer volume
5 presets
Surround Sound
Bluetooth
User manual

Reason for selling
An upgrading

The New price was ($490)
Its now a steal,
for only $250

Contact Ian 323 8649 or text 027 8877887

Image