Seven New Zealand women who modelled in the 1980s come together for a fun reunion fashion shoot and chat with Verve.
Diana Bail
Name and Occupation: Diana Bain, freelancer.
What do people think of you? Adorable.
What do you actually do? Lie on the couch and eat a lot of marshmallows.
What lessons have you learnt the hard way? Cut an avocado on a bench… not on your hand.
What is your favourite place? Castle Point lighthouse on a windy evening.
What makes you laugh? The Catherine Tate show.
What is your philosophy for life? Mindfulness.
What is your favourite word? Sunshine.
What is the best advice you have been given? Just take a chill.
What is on your to-do list for next year? Go back to Buenos Aires and dance more tango.
If I could invite three to five people to dinner who would it be? My beautiful children and future grandkids.
Describe yourself in three words. Complicated, warm, sincere.
Trina Hodgson
Name and occupation: Petrina Steer, myotherapist.
What do people think you do? I’m known by my clients for treating muscular pain.
What do you actually do? I treat people who suffer muscular pain through body work in the form of treatment massage therapy. My main field of interest is in the mind-body connection in regards to how the mind interprets muscle pain in the body. In 1976 I trained as a counsellor. I find the training combined with body work skills are complimentary in helping to treat my clients.
What is a lesson you have learnt the hard way? Never trust your judgment when you are going through a major crisis. Always sleep on it, allow your emotions to settle.
What is your favourite place? I have two favourite places: my home and my clinic.
What makes you laugh? When people share themselves with me they’re often endearingly funny.
Your philosophy in life? Magic happens!
What is your favourite word? Awareness.
What is the best advice you have been given? Adversity breeds tenacity.
What is on your to-do list for next year? Keep on writing.
If you could invite three to five people for dinner who would they be? Oliver Sacks, Leonard Cohen, Stephen King, Joseph Campbell and Maria Popova.
Describe yourself in three words. Gregarious, tenacious, spontaneously funny.
Where do you get your morning coffee? My kitchen.
What would you tell your 20-year-old self? The best advice would be explain how important is to know yourself. It’s a lifetime achievement, but if you keep asking yourself, ‘Who am I?’ you will understand everything that ever happens to you is a result of the choices you make, you will learn you can’t blame others and you will learn forgiveness.
Angela Taylor
Name and occupation: Angela Williams (Taylor), makeup artist
How did you decide to become a makeup artist? I love all forms of art as there were very few male-up artists in the ’70s. Photographers started asking me if I would do makeup for other models. Never looked back.
What is a lesson you have learnt the hard way? Not to take on too much, and to relax.
What makes you laugh? My husband, friends and family.
What is your philosophy for life? Treat others like I would like to be treated.
What is your favourite word? Harmony.
What is on your to-do list for the next year? Overseas yachting holiday, or canal boat trip.
If you could invite three to five people to a dinner party (dead or alive), who would you invite? Winston Churchill, Freddie Mercury, Anne Frank and Yul Brynner.
Describe yourself in three words? Empathetic, humorous and vocal.
Wendy Louise Oxberry
Name and occupation: Wendy-Louise Oxberry, cabin crew for a major worldwide airline and fundraiser for International Animal Rescue.
Where do you live? Brighton, England.
Why did you decide to become cabin crew? To travel the world.
What do people think you do? Serve tea and coffee. Oh, and gin and tonics.
What do you actually do? Provide safety and emergency procedures and life-saving onboard medical care.
What is a lesson you have learnt the hard way? Loved ones are not with us forever.
What is your favourite place? Home.
What makes you laugh? I laugh at silly things and find humour in most situations.
What is your philosophy for life? To be kind — always.
What is your favourite word? Love.
What is the best advice you have been given? To try and be ones own best friend.
What is on your to-do list for next year? To have another reunion and to visit the orangutan sanctuary in Borneo.
If you could invite three to five people for dinner who would they be? Robert Redford! Morgan Freeman and Bette Midler.
Describe yourself in three words. Kind, funny and empathetic.
Where do you get your morning coffee? Wherever I am in the world.
Tracey Allen
Name and occupation: Tracey Allen, Make-up artist and all year round mother of two beautiful sons.
Why did you become a make-up artist? I always have enjoyed dressing up as a young girl — transforming ordinary into extraordinary.
What is a lesson you have learnt the hard way? Sometimes your kindess can get mistreated and taken advantage of. (But still continue
with love.)
What is your favourite place? Hawaii, or any local beach.
What is your favourite word? Laughter.
What is the best advice you have been given? Be kind when you’re young as you never know who you will meet again in the future.
If you could invite three to five people to a dinner party (dead or alive) who would you invite? James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Henry, Simon Cowell and Jim Carrey.
Describe yourself in three words? Vivacious, mad (in a good way), and funny.
Trudy van Zyl
Name and occupation: Trudy Van Zyl, makeup artist, stylist, and model.
What do people think you do? People think I have a really glamorous work life flitting from photo shoot to photo shoot and personal shopping in all the most exciting shops.
What do I actually do? What I actually do can be quite hard work and intense, long hours, difficult briefs, and takes alot of energy and skill.
What is a lesson you have learnt the hard way? For others to see you as a worthy and deserving person and believe in you, you must first see yourself as one.
What is your favourite place? By the ocean. Waiheke Island is pretty hard to beat.
What makes you laugh? A lot of things! People, mainly. Animal antics crack me up. I love to laugh — life’s supposed to to be fun!
What is you philosophy for life? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you-in a nutshell, don’t dish out anything you wouldn’t want to receive.
What is your favourite word? LOVE.
What is the best advice you have been given? My dear aunt wrote me when I was just 19-years-old and thinking of heading to the big smoke, Auckland, from Otago to try out modelling. She said, “Trudy the world is your oyster, believe in yourself, go forward with conviction as life is what you make it.” And she was right.
What is on your to-do list for the next year? My to do list for the next 12 months, to be truthful, is quite full: a trip down south to see family and friends, a womens retreat in Bali, do more yoga, and drink less wine! Upskill and develop my services. I’m always wanting to learn.
Delyse Borley
Name and occupation: Delyse Borley (Delyse Nottle), businesswoman.
What do people think you do? They probably have no idea!
What do you actually do? I modelled for about 15 years. My husband and I own and run Tanby Pools, a very successful, award-winning, swimming pool design, construction and maintenance company.
What is a lesson you have learnt the hard way? Don’t trust everyone — not all people are what they seem.
What is your favourite place? Maldives.
What makes you laugh? Most things — I even laugh in my sleep. Happiness is contagious.
What is you philosophy for life? Challenge yourself both in business and personally.
What is your favourite word? Yes!
What is the best advice you have been given? Shut-up! Seriously though, it is best to know when to speak and when to listen.
What is on your to-do list for the next year? A diving holiday and a special belated 30th wedding anniversary trip with Martin.
If you could invite three to five people to a dinner party who would you invite? Freddie Mercury, Viggo Mortensen (he would have to come in his Lord of the Rings, Aragorn costume), Joanna Lumley.
Describe yourself in three words? Vivacious, perfectionist, unpretentious.
What advice would you give to your 20-year-old self? Enjoy everything. Regret nothing. Life is short so make every moment count. You don’t have to be liked by everyone but be humble, be kind, treat people fairly, respectfully and do the very best you can.
Makeup: Angela Taylor / Hair: Annette Oliver
Photography: Neil Gussey
