Hall of fame

There aren’t many middle-aged women brave enough to deliver a speech in their togs to a live audience, let alone tens of thousands worldwide. Writer and playwright Pip Hall is such a woman.

- JUDY BAILEY

But what, you might ask, was she thinking?!

Here’s the thing. It was a TED talk about water ballet. But really it was about finding the joy in life, having fun, and the power of friendship and laughter. All things dear to Pip’s heart.

If you haven’t seen this TED talk, look it up on YouTube. Her infectious enthusiasm will have you hooked and if synchronised swimming is not for you, I guarantee you’ll be thinking about what might spark joy in your life.

And a bit of joy is something we could all do with right now. As I write this, New Zealand is three days into another lockdown as we struggle to get on top of a resurgence of the COVID-19 virus in the community.

Once more we’re stuck at home in our “bubbles”, yet more in touch with the wider world than ever before. Once again we’re forced to think about what’s really important in our lives. In many ways life has become more simple. Perhaps there’s a lesson in that?

As I look through my notes from my conversation with Pip, I find myself thinking, “Here is a woman who’s already given those things some serious thought.”

Pip comes from writing royalty. She was born in

Wellington in 1971 to Dianne and Roger Hall. Roger would soon write his seminal play Glide Time, which would establish him as a playwright of international renown. The family moved to Dunedin soon afterwards when Roger was awarded a Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago.