Allyson Hamblett on her King's Birthday Honours, art and advocacy

Listen to the podcast interview between Allyson Hamblett and Olivia Shivas, or read the transcript below.

Olivia Shivas: Kia ora and welcome, Allyson. Thank you for being on our podcast at The D*List today. My name is Olivia. I am the editor at The D*List. And yeah, we're really honoured to have you to share a bit of your story with us. You've recently been awarded a King's Service Medal, which is an incredible achievement. So we'd like to know a bit about you. Do you want to introduce yourself first?  

Allyson Hamblett: Thank you. I’m Allyson Hamblett. Over many years, I've been an advocate for disabled people and the transgender community. It was such a great honour to receive a King's Service medal, I never thought that I'd receive one and expected to, but I know that the work doesn't stop with the KCM, it continues until it’s done.

OS: And I mean, you've done a lot of work in the past. We've been talking just earlier about your involvement in Phab back in the 80s, and then you were doing some governance as well. What was it like being a part of Phab back then? 

AH: Phab is a fantastic organisation. I remember going on three or four 10‑day camps once a year. They were incredible just to spend 10 days doing things that give us opportunities to do different things and we did drama and we did sculpturing and we did everything in those ten days and I remember watching an R16 movie and I was only 14. 

OS: Okay, those were the naughty things you did. 

AH: Yeah, yeah. And Phab had an incredible philosophy to keep able‑bodied and disabled together, and work out that it continues. And supporting younger people with disabilities to hopefully lead a life that they can thrive in. Although I haven't been involved for a long time, it's still a very special place. When I was involved in the Governance space, they were setting up groups all over Auckland so disabled people could go there and just socialise and be themselves. And just to make something and do all kinds of things. I was involved, I was involved in setting those things up. And we all dressed up for these free balls, they were great. It's where people could dress up and go to balls and have a great time. 

OS: That's so cool, to have those opportunities that you might not have otherwise in kind of mainstream spaces. 

AH: Yeah, I think I think we do need a space for disabled people to get together and a space for able people to get together, but we haven't created an inclusive society yet, but we're getting there. It's complex and it's simple as well, it's just getting people together who are willing to do the work, I mean, Phab has been there since the beginning trying to do that, but it takes us all to work together and I think society is progressing despite the current global situation, it seems to be to drag us back. But I think in the end we'll progress. I've been involved in an art group Mapura Studios for 20 years, and I, I'll talk more about that later, but it's just, I've noticed that I think it doesn't matter what kind of disability you've got nowadays. We've all got impairments and we all come together with a sense of pride of being who we are. I think disability pride is a really good thing.

OS: Yeah, and that's something that's changed over time? 

AH: Yeah, that's changed over time. I think we could do more and promote it more in some ways. Again, the current climate is dodgy. Can't be proud of who you are and the anti‑diversity and all that, but I think we need to come together more and just... Yeah, and I'm hoping that Disability Pride can just eventually make disabled people, able‑bodied people can just work and socialise in the same places and be able to go to accessible restaurants and accessible places together and just be one people with each other.

OS: Earlier you were talking about your advocacy for trans people and that's a real passion for yours. You mentioned how you've run trans support groups and things like that. What have you learned, I guess, about yourself and your communities doing that?

AH: I think, you know, the first trans support group I set up, I had other people helping me, but I think primarily I wanted support for myself, but I also wanted to bring the community together. And in doing so, I think that trans people, trans people got together and worked out we were all going through the same, similar difficulties, similar problems, and it's good to be able to share those. And trans people came to those groups. They wanted support. It’s about friendships and to help with their transitions. But I just wanted to comment here that it's not about, it's not about, it's not about groups making trans people trans or something. Trans people have always known that they're trans, or gender‑diverse or intersex, and it's not about... There's something in society at the moment that kind of generates that fear that trans people have to be avoided and trans are scary. We're not a threat to society. And we do have our own community to support our community. We're not there to make people trans at all. That's complete fake news. Trans people are just one percent of the population who are just trying to live a good life. And, if you don't like trans people, just walk away. But if you do like us, come get to know trans people, and get to know them as friends, then just realise that, yeah, we’re not a risk to society, I would like to see positive trans stories, just to say that you're not alone. I would like us to be able to walk alongside other people and to be accepted. I find that having a disability and being trans it’s the same basic issues of inclusion and instead of trying to get people to accept difference, and if we really think that every single one of us is different, so we need to work out how we can accept each other and just live as us. Yeah.

OS: Cool, I love that. You wanted to talk a bit about some of your art and you've been involved in Mapura Studios for a long time. Tell us a bit about your art practice and what you're working on at the moment. 

AH: Yeah, I've been with Mapura Studios for about 24 years. I never thought I could paint or do anything creative, but after the first year at Mapura Studios, I thought, yeah, I've got potential here. I remember selling my first piece of art at an exhibition we had at Aotea Centre. I was amazed it was exhibited there with everyone else's and someone bought it. I was amazed by that. And over the years Mapura has just become a really lovely, inclusive space for artists and I find it amazing to be able to turn a one‑dimensional piece of canvas into something that, into work that has depth and perspective. And we've got amazing tutors that can help create that depth and perspective. And having to get all the angles right to create that illusion that people can, people can see it's absolutely amazing. At the moment of working on a new piece that's almost complete; it’s a dog and a cat sitting on a mat. It's quite different for me because I've done portraits and done buildings which‑

OS: You've brought your book here, one of your books here, with some of your art, some of the portraits that you're talking about, that's what you typically work on, yeah, that's awesome. And with your King's Service Medal, how did you feel when you were told that you were being awarded it?

AH: I thought, absolutely amazing. So yeah, I haven't really done enough work to get this, because the work keeps coming. It’s amazing. I'm receiving letters from MPs and received one today from Creative New Zealand congratulating me.

OS: Thinking about, I guess, with all the wisdom that you bring into this space, what's your advice for, I guess, other generations of rangatahi, budding artists, maybe people that you would want to support?

AH: I say if you think you're an artist, just try and put some paint on some canvas and come along to Mapura Studios. It's such a wonderful space. And just, yeah, that our art is valued, our art is valued and it's wonderful to be able to create that art. Yeah. If you want a creative space to belong to, you know, I feel like I belong to Mapura Studios and it's just, it's just a great space.

OS: Yeah, and it's so cool how you found belonging there. We have some D*List stickers I wanted to show you, and which ones stand out to you, and if you were to put one of these stickers somewhere, where would it go?

AH: I think I like... disabled defiant. Maybe on my walker.

OS: On your walking frame? Yeah, nice. Cool, we can do it after this. Cool, thank you so much, Allyson, for joining us and just sharing all your wisdom. Congrats on your King's Service Medal. And we look forward to seeing what happens next.

AH: Thank you, Olivia.