Nicola was born in the 1980s and she reminded us about the 80’s fashion, haircuts, music and that the average house price in New Zealand was about $64k!
Nicola started studying law but found is wasn’t for her and then with a little ‘help’ from Mum Tamaris, she got into the bank and then financial advisory roles. Nicola is an avid kickboxer with her husband Dan running a kickboxing gym and early morning starts are very much routine.
We also heard that culture is a big part of who Nicola is. As we know Tamaris’ family came from Sri Lanka and heard that the family are Burgher, an ethnic group that are descendants of the Dutch and Portuguese who came and colonised the country. They embrace some of the traditions and cooking styles of these cultures. There was limited opportunity to travel to Sri Lanka during the civil war but her family has been there since the war ended to reconnect with her Sri Lankan whanau and its history.
Nicola’s Dad was born in Wellington but his family migrated from a small village in North Yorkshire. Visiting whanau overseas feeds her passion for travel, as she says, a great way to connect with people and learn a lot about yourself.
Steve Lawton Kamini Hermon and Nicola
She shared several snapshots of special travel experiences she has enjoyed. In Spain, she and Dan attended La Tomatina Festival where 20,000 participants from all over world throw about 145,000 kilograms of tomatoes at each other - in one hour. Apparently they only use reject tomatoes.
During her visit to Mexico’s cultural capital she enjoyed being around the many different indigenous groups as they shared customs, languages and food. She ate a lot of insects - grasshoppers and even tried a scorpion.
And then we heard about her trip to Cuba – something very different and a great reminder that in some parts of the world even a very good education won’t guarantee a good salary. The average wage is USD29.60/month and professional people can make more money as tour guides.
A driver for Nicola joining Rotary was her commitment to giving back. She is inspired by Martin Luther King who said: “Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” Inspiration indeed.
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