Arrowtown resident Penny Kamper is calling on locals with
Scandinavian backgrounds to get together and create a
social club. Photo by Henrietta Kjaer.
Penny Kamper is calling for locals with Scandinavian
backgrounds to get together - not to revive their Viking
ancestry by pillaging and conquering the streets of Queenstown,
but to create a family-orientated social club.
The idea, she said, could inspire other immigrants to
celebrate both their new New Zealand culture, and the culture
they left behind.
Danish-born Ms Kamper has lived in Arrowtown for seven years
with her British partner, but even though friends and
colleagues had told her of meeting other Scandinavians, she
had not found anyone with the same cultural background.
While she was completely immersed in the New Zealand way of
life, she said she sometimes missed the food and traditions
of her homeland.
"Wanting to meet others with the same cultural background is
not about rejecting the culture I now live in.
"Like most other immigrants, I absolutely love the culture
here in New Zealand, and I am very happy to be here.
"People are wonderfully easy going, which fits our lifestyle
perfectly," she said.
"But every now and again, it would be nice to talk to someone
who understands the longing for some of the food and the
traditional dishes I grew up with.
As a chef and baker, food is often what I most associate with
my culture," she said.
The traditions, especially around Christmas, are quite
different from Denmark to New Zealand.
Ms Kamper said her British and New Zealand friends cannot see
the Danish style of "cosiness" for a family gathering.
While she had often considered finding other locals with
Scandinavian backgrounds for social gatherings, she said the
birth of her son Jack five months ago spurred her to take
action.
"We do not speak Danish here in my household, and it has been
seven years since I last visited Denmark.
"But I would love to give my son a more multicultural
upbringing, and expose him more to the sounds of the
Scandinavian languages."
The idea is for families or individuals with Scandinavian
roots to meet regularly for a chat in their first language
about their background.
"It could be casual meetings over a cup of coffee or a meal,
or a picnic, or maybe watching a Scandinavian movie.
"We could exchange recipes from our homelands. It really
depends on the wishes of the kind of people who join the
club," she said.
• Anyone with Scandinavian heritage interested in joining can
go to luffe@orcon.net.nz to email
Penny Kamper.
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